Meltiar Hatch, Presiding Bishop of the Carson Mission

Orin and Meltiar Hatch

 “The colonists gathered in Salt Lake City on May 7^th, 1856, where each company was organized in the traditional Mormon military fashion, into groups of ten, fifty and one hundred. Among them were butchers, tanners, shoemakers, weavers, brickmakers, bricklayers and other mechanics and artisans, as well as farmers. They were heavily equipped and had many cattle and other livestock” (Hatch, Colonizer, 153).

They camped at Black Rock the second night out, and in the morning they found several inches of snow on the ground, which made it rather unpleasant for the babies, but the women all took matters cheerfully, and they had breakfast and traveled on. Nothing much happened except on one or two nights when the cattle started back home, causing some delay. (Hatch, “History of Christopher Layton,” [pg#])

When they reached Gravelly Ford on the Humboldt, they found the river much swollen and still rising, so most of the company were afraid to cross it that night, but Brother Layton put his family in a large wagon called the “Santa Fe,”, which was loaded with salt, then he hitched twelve yoke of oxen to it and started into the water. All went well until they reached the middle of the stream where the cattle lost their footing and began to go downstream. (Hatch, “History of Christopher Layton,” [pg#])

 With much effort and concern from all those in the company they arrived on the other side. The next morning the river had lowered, and the rest of the company could forge.

As Orin and Maria were crossing, their wagon capsized in midstream, and they were thrown into the stream of water but were able to get hold of the wagon box, and no damage was done. After everyone was safely across they had a joyful prayer circle together.

They halted when they reached the Sink of the Humboldt to rest the cattle, for they had crossed one eighteen-mile desert and also a twenty-six mile one, and now they had one which was forty miles wide. (Hatch, The Pioneers, Time Life Books, [pg#])

Other pioneers described their journey through the forty-mile desert in western Nevada as the most grueling ordeal of their entire journey across the United States. The desert crossing entailed pulling wagons through heavy sand, drinking water was a premium and no grass or feed for the animals other than that which they carried with them. The desert was the scene of suffering and death.

Meltiar’s son, Ira Wilder, related:

I remember while traveling I wanted to obey nature’s call, and my mother undid my pants and let me out of the wagon, and when I saw the great trains of wagons I tried to get out of sight, but being as we were traveling on the desert there were no bushes or trees to get behind, and being so small (not quite four years old) and overly sensitive over it, I ran and ran until I finally did my job in my pants after all.

They started in the afternoon and traveled all night, and in the morning just at daybreak the sand was so deep in places that it drove before the axle of the wagon; but they had only ten miles of it left, and they got through all right and then rested again. (Hatch, “History of Christopher Layton,” [pg#])

Meltiar and Orin, along with several other families, chose to settle in Eagle Valley (Carson City). Meltiar, designated as the presiding elder or bishop, purchased the ranch from the old settlers and divided the land into farm lots and began to build cabins. In the meantime, they were still living out of wagons.

Orin’s history states, “When they arrived at their destination they built a one room house with only one window. They used factory (white cloth) for glass and fresh cut grass for carpet.” (Orin Hatch Journal History).

A long standing tradition in the Hatch family had the men hunting on Saturdays. Meltiar looked forward to this. His son Ira W. wrote in his personal remembrances how thrilled he was when he would see his father return home with ducks, geese, and other wild game. It provided for some delicious meals.

During the summer, the Hatch brothers made a number of trips with a train of pack mules over the Sierra Nevada to Hang Town (Placerville, California) and back to Carson, thus keeping their store supplied with dry goods and groceries of all kinds.

A story told by Ira W. Hatch about his father Meltiar stated that he and another man had a band of horses traveling in California. When they camped for the night, some bandits came along and demanded something to eat. Meltiar’s traveling companion excitedly jumped out of his blanket, but Meltiar lay quietly with his gun in hand under the blanket. When the appropriate time came he rose up and put his gun in the ruffians’ faces. Meltiar unarmed them both and sent them scampering off.