The James Gurr cabin was located on the East side of the Midway Fort.

James Enoch Gurr KWNR-NKV was born on 6 May 1840, in Mulgoa, New South Wales, Australia, his father, Enoch Eldridge Gurr, was 26 and his mother, Ruth Buckman, was 30. He married Margaret Maria Davis on 26 October 1861 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States. They were the parents of at least 7 sons and 5 daughters. He immigrated to San Pedro, Los Angeles, California, United States in 1857 and lived in Richfield, Sevier, Utah, United States in 1880 and Naples, Uintah, Utah, United States in 1900. He died on 17 November 1901, in Vernal, Uintah, Utah, United States, at the age of 61, and was buried in Vernal Memorial Park, Vernal, Uintah, Utah, United States.

Margaret Maria Davis was born on 11 February 1844, in Nauvoo, Hancock, Illinois, United States, her father, William Luce Davis Sr., was 22 and her mother, America Jane Overlin, was 20. She married James Enoch Gurr on 26 October 1861, in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States. They were the parents of at least 7 sons and 5 daughters. She lived in Richfield, Sevier, Utah, United States in 1880 and Naples, Uintah, Utah, United States for about 10 years. In 1880, at the age of 36, her occupation is listed as keeping house. She died on 27 January 1920, in Vernal, Uintah, Utah, United States, at the age of 75, and was buried in Vernal Memorial Park, Vernal, Uintah, Utah, United States.

12 children were born to this marriage

James William Gurr was born on 22 November 1862, in Wallsburg, Wasatch, Utah, United States, his father, James Enoch Gurr, was 22 and his mother, Margaret Maria Davis, was 18. He married Annie Elizabeth Petersen on 3 April 1882, in Richfield, Sevier, Utah, United States. They were the parents of at least 2 sons and 3 daughters. He died on 15 December 1906, in Richfield, Sevier, Utah, United States, at the age of 44, and was buried in Richfield City Cemetery, Richfield, Sevier, Utah, United States.

John Luce Gurr was born on 11 December 1864, in Wallsburg, Wasatch, Utah, United States, his father, James Enoch Gurr, was 24 and his mother, Margaret Maria Davis, was 20. He died on 11 December 1876, at the age of 12.

Enoch Spencer Gurr was born on 19 November 1866, in Wallsburg, Wasatch, Utah, United States, his father, James Enoch Gurr, was 26 and his mother, Margaret Maria Davis, was 22. He married Lydia Ann Cook on 6 April 1885, in Salina, Sevier, Utah, United States. They were the parents of at least 2 sons and 5 daughters. He died on 19 June 1934, in Vernal, Uintah, Utah, United States, at the age of 67, and was buried in Vernal Memorial Park, Vernal, Uintah, Utah, United States.

Eliza Ann Gurr was born on 3 December 1868, in Midway, Wasatch, Utah, United States, her father, James Enoch Gurr, was 28 and her mother, Margaret Maria Davis, was 24. She married William Ford on 22 November 1892, in Wallsburg, Wasatch, Utah, United States.

They were the parents of at least 3 sons and 3 daughters. She lived in Wallsburg Election Precinct, Wasatch, Utah, United States in 1940 and United States in 1949. She died on 14 November 1956, in Wallsburg, Wasatch, Utah, United States, at the age of 87, and was buried in Wallsburg Cemetery, Wallsburg, Wasatch, Utah, United States.

Nancy Luisa Gurr KWBB-64T was born 17 October 1871 in Wallsburg Wasatch, Utah, and died on 29 September 1919 in Verna, Uintah, Utah. she married Myron Oscar Mott 2 April 1889 in Richfield, Sevier County, Utah at the age of 17 . Her father died when she was age following her marriage she lived in Richfield Sevier County, Vernal, Naples, and Dragon (now a ghost Town) all in Uintah County, Utah. She was buried in the Vernal Memorial Park Vernal, Utah.

Jane Ruth Gurr was born on 29 November 1873, in Wallsburg, Wasatch, Utah, United States, her father, James Enoch Gurr, was 33 and her mother, Margaret Maria Davis, was 29. She married John Thomas Nichols on 3 March 1906, in Vernal, Uintah, Utah, United States. They were the parents of at least 1 son and 2 daughters. She lived in Randlett, Uintah, Utah, United States in 1910 and Moffit, Burleigh, North Dakota, United States in 1914. She died on 2 September 1914, in Vernal, Uintah, Utah, United States, at the age of 40, and was buried in Vernal Memorial Park, Vernal, Uintah, Utah, United States.

Joseph Elijah Gurr was born on 29 March 1877, in Gunnison, Sanpete, Utah, United States, his father, James Enoch Gurr, was 36 and his mother, Margaret Maria Davis, was 33. He married Mary Jane Howarth on 16 January 1899, in Vernal, Uintah, Utah, United States.

They were the parents of at least 1 son and 3 daughters. He lived in Naples, Uintah, Utah, United States in 1900 and Dragon, Uintah, Utah, United States in 1910. He died on 29 August 1913, in Vernal, Uintah, Utah, United States, at the age of 36, and was buried in Vernal Memorial Park, Vernal, Uintah, Utah, United States.

Hyrum Franklin Gurr was born on 13 October 1878, in Richfield, Sevier, Utah, United States, his father, James Enoch Gurr, was 38 and his mother, Margaret Maria Davis, was 34. He married Hettie Voilet Cook on 29 September 1903, in Harper, Carbon, Utah, United States. They were the parents of at least 5 sons and 4 daughters. He lived in Bennett, Uintah, Utah, United States in 1950 and World in 1950. He died on 16 August 1952, in Roosevelt, Duchesne, Utah, United States, at the age of 73, and was buried in Vernal Memorial Park, Vernal, Uintah, Utah, United States.

Parley Pratt Gurr was born on 22 October 1880, in Richfield, Sevier, Utah, United States, his father, James Enoch Gurr, was 40 and his mother, Margaret Maria Davis, was 36. He lived in United States in 1949 and Dragon, Uintah, Utah, United States in 1950. He died on 10 March 1953, in Vernal, Uintah, Utah, United States, at the age of 72, and was buried in Vernal Memorial Park, Vernal, Uintah, Utah, United States.

George Albert Gurr was born on 3 February 1883, in Richfield, Sevier, Utah, United States, his father, James Enoch Gurr, was 42 and his mother, Margaret Maria Davis, was 38. He married Alice Victoria White on 7 October 1903, in Vernal, Uintah, Utah, United States.

They were the parents of at least 2 sons and 8 daughters. He lived in Election Precinct 20 Davis, Uintah, Utah, United States in 1940 and World in 1940. He died on 13 December 1940, in Vernal, Uintah, Utah, United States, at the age of 57, and was buried in Vernal Memorial Park, Vernal, Uintah, Utah, United States.

Alice Elsie Gurr was born in January 1886, in Sevier, Utah, United States, her father, James Enoch Gurr, was 45 and her mother, Margaret Maria Davis, was 41. She married Charles Andrew Bascom on 3 August 1903, in Naples, Uintah, Utah, United States. They were the parents of at least 3 sons. She lived in World in 1950. She died on 4 December 1960, in Pocatello, Bannock, Idaho, United States, at the age of 74, and was buried in Rose Hill Cemetery, Idaho Falls, Bonneville, Idaho, United States.

Nellie Gurr was born on 20 January 1888, in Salina, Sevier, Utah, United States, her father, James Enoch Gurr, was 47 and her mother, Margaret Maria Davis, was 43. She died on 18 February 1890, in Vernal, Uintah, Utah, United States, at the age of 2, and was buried in Vernal Memorial Park, Vernal, Uintah, Utah, United States.

(Much of the following information was obtained by reading a untitled story written by James Norman Gurr dated March 2001 and revised July 2001 which is found in Family Search.)

James Enoch Gurr. James was born in Australia and immigrated to America with his parents in 1857 at the age of 16 aboard the ship Lucas. This ship had been chartered by the LDS church to transport members wishing to come to America at that time. He spent a few months in the Mormon community of San Bernardino, CA after arriving in America before moving to Utah.

After coming to Utah in 1858, James lived with his parents in Provo. His father helped build the road up through Provo Canyon to Charleston. James married Margaret Marie Davis 26 October 1861, in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake.

Margaret was born in Nauvoo, Illinois just as the Mormons were being driven from the city they had founded in the early 1840s. She came across the plains to Utah as a young child. Her father died along the way. James and Margaret spent much of their married life colonizing the various parts of Utah, especially the southern area around Richfield and the northeastern area around Vernal. They both died in Vernal and are buried there.

James and Margaret Maria Davis began their married life in Wallsburg, near his sister Susanna, who had married William Wall. This was the same William Wall that had served a mission in Australia during the time that the Gurr family had lived there. He Was on the ship Lucas, when James emigrated to America. Wallsburg was named after him and his family.

After living in Wallsburg for several years. James and his family moved to Benjamin, Utah near his parents. His parents had moved down to Benjamin when his younger brother got sick, and the doctors recommended he be moved to a lower elevation. Later, James and Margaret decided to seek a home in southern Utah. They went first to Gunnison; Utah then perhaps passed through the new settlement of Richfield before going further South to Parowan. William and Sarah Gurr and their family were living in Parowan and this was where Margaret had lived as a teenager. William was Enoch Eldridge Gurr’s son by his first marriage. After a short stay in Parowan, they went back North to Salina, then finally chose nearby Richfield in late 1866 or early 1867. From Gunnison, James and Margaret went North with their family to Midway in Wasatch County and stayed in a recently built Fort located there. Whether James participated in the building of the Fort is unclear. They were certainly one of the early settlers to use the Fort. Midway was located up Provo Canyon north of Charleston. The Fort was built as a result of the Blackhawk Indian War. Because of Indian hostilities, Brigham Young advised the building of forts and settlements where the Indians were hostile. The forts were for mutual protection of both people and animals.

Prior to the building of the Fort in Midway, there were two settlements, upper and lower, in the area. The Fort was built midway between the two settlements; hence the name Midway came into being. Once the Fort was built, those in both settlements and moved to the Fort.

75 primitive dirt roof dwellings stood on the Fort Line, with a public square in the center. Some of the dwellings were moved from the original upper and lower settlements. Most abutted against each other in a square, while strong panels of upright posts were erected between other cabins built slightly apart. It provided. An impregnable wall for the settlers and their animals. A fort family was allowed 33 front feet, and the dwellings faced inward towards the square. Those in the Fort depended upon one another for a variety of things, including food and fire. The first signs of smoke from a dwelling in early morning were certain to bring more than one neighbor in the quest of coals because their own fire had gone out during the night. Matches were very scarce. The men went out during the day to work in their fields and returned at night to the safety of the forts.

During this time, the fourth child, Eliza Ann, was born in Midway. When the settlers were confident that the anticipated Indian problem was resolved, the families began moving out of the Fort into homes. In 1868. James and Margaret moved from the Fort to Wallsburg, where they remained for several years. Two more children, Nancy Louise and Jane Ruth, were born in Wallsburg. While they were there, their brother-in-law, William Wall, died September 1869.

In the early 1870s, the family again moved South, originally to Gunnison, UT and then later back to Richfield. Around 1885. James and Margaret move to Salina where their last two children were born. Eventually James and his family left Salina and moved back to Wallsburg where James ran a farm for Daniel Bigelow. After several years they moved to Vernal, Utah to help settle the area at the request of the church. James and Margaret moved to Ashley Valley around 1888 where they homesteaded a large farm . James died in 17 November 1901 at age 60.

Margaret lived as a widow over 18 years after the death of James. She died suddenly of a stroke on 27 January 1920 two weeks prior to her 74th birthday.

Heber Valley Heritage Foundation Midway Fort Family Project