ICOLONIA CHUICHUPA, CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO
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Orson Pratt Brown's Life in the Mormon Colonies

Colonia Chuichupa, Chihuahua, Mexico

Main text by Thomas Cottam Romney
in "The Mormon Colonies in Mexico"
Compiled by Lucy Brown Archer

"The name "Chuichupa" means in the Indian tongue, "The place of the mist." The title is not inappropriately applied to this little Mormon colony situated on the great back bone of the Sierra Madre Range which divides the waters that flow into the Pacific from the streams that find their way into the Gulf of Mexico far to the east. Eight thousand feet above the sea level, she nestles among the forests grown hoary with age and receives to her bosom the crystal streams as they pass from their haunts above on their way to join the mighty ocean. The streams teem with mountain trout. Some idea of these mountain colonies as a fisherman's paradise may be gained from a report given me by an old friend, Theodore Martineau, a one time resident of this region. Mr. Martineau affirms that upon one occasion he pulled from a stream 300 beautiful trout in four hours' time. The forest are alive with wild game of all varieties to tempt the hunter from nearly every land. Here feeds the deer while the turkey cock gobbles and struts about. Not far away are the bear and the cougar seeking their prey while myriads of birds with their varigated plumages flit from bough to bough undisturbed by the cracking of timber and other noises from below.

Chuichupas lies near the western border of Chihuahua, eighty-five miles southwest of Casas Grandes, thirty-five miles south of Colonia Garcia, and in the same direction, from Colonia Pacheco, forty-five miles. It is typically a dairy country though oats, potatoes, and many other varieties of vegetables are profitably raised and that, too, in many instances without irrigation.

The founding of the colony occurred in April 1894, when Benjamin Johnson, Edwin H. AustinJames H. Carlton and son, Ben L. Johnson and Wallace Edwin Staley of Colonia Dublan pitched camp here in search of a new home and a few days later were joined by Sixtus Johnson, David E. Johnson, and John McNeil.

The name first applied to the new colony was "Mariano", but soon it was changed to Chuichupa by which designation it has been known to the present. As in the case of the Garcia tract, the Chuichupa purchase was made from Senor Telesforo Garcia of Mexico City. And as the titles to the Garcia lands were transferred to the Mexican Colonization and Agricultural Company through the instrumentality of President Anthony W. Ivins in order to save the property to the colonists who had fallen behind in their payments - so was a transer of title to the Chuichupa tract secured by the same compay through President Ivins for the same purpose. The acreage under the Chuichupa purchase totaled 6,250 and cost the settlers 40 cents per acre in gold.

The ecclesiastical organization of Chuichupa evolved in the same order as was characteristic of the other colonies - from the simple to the complex. Sixtus Johnson presided over the group from the time of his arrival in the spring of 1894, until June 9, 1895, when he was succeeded by Benjamin J. Johnson who bore the title of presiding elder. As a branch of the Church, Colonia Chuichupa was attached to the Colonia Pacheco ward until Colonia Garcia was advanced to the status of a ward in 1898, when it was transferred to the Colonia Garcia ward. Such was its status until it became a ward in November, 1900. The ward organization was effected under the direction of Apostle Abraham O. Woodruff and members of the Stake Presidency, Anthony W. Ivins and Helaman Pratt. George M. Haws was honored with the position of bishop while his counsellors were Benjamin J. Johnson and Samuel J. Brown. The auxiliaries were completely organized with the following men and women in charge.

Isabel M. Johnson was called to preside over the Relief Society with Lena Brown and Sara Martineau to serve as counsellors. The Sunday School was placed under the leadership of Henry A. Martineau, superintendent, and John W. Brown and Francis L. Johnson as his assistants. The Young Men's organization had as its president Joel H. Martineau, who was assisted by Samuel Brown and George A. Martineau, while the Young Women's Association had as its presiding officers Sarah E. Russell, president, and Sarah E. Brown and Mary E. Christiansen as her assistants. Arletta Cox was called to act as president of the Primary Association and was to be assisted by Nora Carlton and Alice Judd.

 

COLONIA CHUICHUPA (CHUHUICHUPA)

Date First Settled: 1894,

April

By Whom: Sixtus Ellis Johnson, David Ellis Johnson, William Wallace Haws, David Alvin McClellan, Alfred Baker

Notes: name means "The Place of the Mists" or "The Valley of the Mists" and as "Mariano"

 

Land Purchased From:  Senor Telesforo Garcia

 

(See Turley Page 306)

Located: 75 miles west of Colonia Juárez, on the western border of the State of Chihuahua on the top backbone of the Sierra Madre Range.

Most remote of the colonies this valley was too high and cold for farming but cattle grazed here.

Altitude is over 7,000 feet

 

Forty miles from Pearson

Name Sake: local Indian name

 

First name given to this colony was "Mariano"

Branch :

Br. Pres. Sixtus Ellis Johnson

 

Br. Pres. Benjamin J. Johnson

Date: 1894, Spring

 

 

Date: 1895, June 9

Branch of Pacheco Ward until 1898 when Garcia became a ward then Chuichupa was attached to Garcia

First Bishopric: George Martin Haws

1st coun. Benjamin J. Johnson

2nd coun. Samuel J. Brown

Date: November 10, ['1900

Notes:

Bishopric:  George T. Sevey (per A.J.)

Date: 1911 September 1

or George Washington Sevey, which is it??

Bishopric:

Date:

Notes:

Firsts:

 

 

Settlers:

Joel Hills Martineau

 

(Stalwarts, Page 474)

 

Population:

 

 

Economy: dairy, stock raising, lumber, hunting and fishing

 

 

Events: Exodus

Date: 1912

 

 



Sources:

PAF - Archer files

Page 112- 114 Main text from "The Mormon Colonies in Mexico" with additions in brackets, photos, bold, made as noted by Lucy Brown Archer.

Copyright 2001 www.OrsonPrattBrown.org



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ORSON PRATT BROWN'S PARENTS
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ORSON'S GRANDPARENTS

- James Brown of Rowan County, N.C. 1757-1823

- Mary Williams of Rowan County, N.C. 1760-1832

- Stephen Joseph Abbott of, PA 1804-1843

- Abigail Smith of Williamson, N.Y. 1806-1889

- John Fife of Tulliallan, Scotland 1807-1874

- Mary Meek Nicol, Carseridge, Scotland 1809-1850 


ORSON PRATT BROWN'S 5 WIVES

- Martha "Mattie" Diana Romney Brown 1870-1943

- Jane "Jennie" Bodily Galbraith Brown 1879-1944

- Elizabeth Graham MacDonald Webb Brown 1874-1904

- Eliza Skousen Brown Abbott Burk 1882-1958

- Angela Maria Gavaldón Brown 1919-1967


ORSON PRATT BROWN'S 35 CHILDREN

- (Martha) Carrie Brown (child) 1888-1890

- (Martha) Orson Pratt Brown, Jr. (child) 1890-1892

- (Martha) Ray Romney Brown 1892-1945

- (Martha) Clyde Romney Brown 1893-1948

- (Martha) Miles Romney Brown 1897-1974

- (Martha) Dewey B. Brown 1898-1954

- (Martha) Vera Brown Foster Liddell Ray 1901-1975

- (Martha) Anthony Morelos Brown 1904-1970

- (Martha) Phoebe Brown Chido Gardiner 1906-1973

- (Martha) Orson Juarez Brown 1908-1981

- (Jane) Ronald Galbraith Brown 1898-1969

- (Jane) Grant "Duke" Galbraith Brown 1899-1992

- (Jane) Martha Elizabeth Brown Leach Moore 1901-1972

- (Jane) Pratt Orson Galbraith Brown 1905-1960

- (Jane) William Galbraith Brown (child) 1905-1912

- (Jane) Thomas Patrick Porfirio Diaz Brown 1907-1978

- (Jane) Emma Jean Galbraith Brown Hamilton 1909-1980

- (Elizabeth) (New born female) Webb 1893-1893


- (Elizabeth) Elizabeth Webb Brown Jones 1895-1982

- (Elizabeth) Marguerite Webb Brown Shill 1897-1991

- (Elizabeth) Donald MacDonald Brown 1902-1971

- (Elizabeth) James Duncan Brown 1904-1943

- (Eliza) Gwen Skousen Brown Erickson Klein 1903-1991


- (Eliza) Anna Skousen Brown Petrie Encke 1905-2001

- (Eliza) Otis Pratt Skousen Brown 1907-1987

- (Eliza) Orson Erastus Skousen Brown (infant) 1909-1910

- (Eliza) Francisco Madera Skousen Brown 1911-1912

- (Eliza) Elizabeth Skousen Brown Howell 1914-1999

- (Angela) Silvestre Gustavo Brown 1919-


- (Angela) Bertha Erma Elizabeth Brown 1922-1979

- (Angela) Pauly Gabaldón Brown 1924-1998

- (Angela) Aaron Aron Saul Brown 1925

- (Angela) Mary Angela Brown Hayden Green 1927

- (Angela) Heber Jedediah Brown (infant) 1936-1936

- (Angela) Martha Gabaldón Brown Gardner 1940


ORSON'S SIBLINGS from MOTHER PHEBE

- Stephen Abbott Brown 1851-1853

- Phoebe Adelaide Brown Snyder 1855-1930

- Cynthia Abigail Fife Layton 1867-1943

- (New born female) Fife 1870-1870

- (Toddler female) Fife 1871-1872

ORSON'S 28 SIBLINGS from JAMES BROWN

- (Martha Stephens) John Martin Brown 1824-1888

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(Martha Stephens) Alexander Brown 1826-1910

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(Martha Stephens) Jesse Stowell Brown 1828-1905

- (Martha Stephens) Nancy Brown Davis Sanford 1830-1895


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(Martha Stephens) Daniel Brown 1832-1864

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(Martha Stephens) James Moorhead Brown 1834-1924

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(Martha Stephens) William Brown 1836-1904

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(Martha Stephens) Benjamin Franklin Brown 1838-1863

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(Martha Stephens) Moroni Brown 1838-1916

- (Susan Foutz) Alma Foutz Brown (infant) 1842-1842

- (Esther Jones) August Brown (infant) 1843-1843

- (Esther Jones) Augusta Brown (infant) 1843-1843

- (Esther Jones) Amasa Lyman Brown (infant) 1845-1845

- (Esther Jones) Alice D. Brown Leech 1846-1865

- (Esther Jones) Esther Ellen Brown Dee 1849-1893

- (Sarah Steadwell) James Harvey Brown 1846-1912


- (Mary McRee) George David Black 1841-1913

- (Mary McRee) Mary Eliza Brown Critchlow1847-1903

- (Mary McRee) Margaret Brown 1849-1855

- (Mary McRee) Mary Brown Edwards Leonard 1852-1930

- (Mary McRee) Joseph Smith Brown 1856-1903

- (Mary McRee) Josephine Vilate Brown Newman 1858-1917

- (Phebe Abbott) Stephen Abbott Brown (child) 1851-1853

- (Phebe Abbott) Phoebe Adelaide Brown 1855-1930

- (Cecelia Cornu) Charles David Brown 1856-1926

- (Cecelia Cornu) James Fredrick Brown 1859-1923

- (Lavinia Mitchell) Sarah Brown c. 1857-

- (Lavinia Mitchell) Augustus Hezekiah Brown c. 1859

ORSON'S 17 SIBLINGS from STEPFATHER FIFE

- (Diane Davis) Sarah Jane Fife White 1855-1932

- (Diane Davis) William Wilson Fife 1857-1897

- (Diane Davis) Diana Fife Farr 1859-1904

- (Diane Davis) John Daniel Fife 1863-1944

- (Diane Davis) Walter Thompson Fife 1866-1827

- (Diane Davis) Agnes Ann "Aggie" Fife 1869-1891

- (Diane Davis ) Emma Fife (child) 1871-1874

- (Diane Davis) Robert Nicol Fife (infant) 1873-1874

- (Diane Davis) Barnard Fife (infant) 1881-1881

- (Cynthia Abbott) Mary Lucina Fife Hutchins 1868-1950

- (Cynthia Abbott) Child Fife (infant) 1869-1869

- (Cynthia Abbott) David Nicol Fife 1871-1924

- (Cynthia Abbott) Joseph Stephen Fife (child) 1873-1878

- (Cynthia Abbott) James Abbott Fife (infant) 1877-1878


ORSON PRATT BROWN'S IN-LAWS

- (Diana) Caroline Lambourne 18461979

- (Diana)  Miles Park Romney 1843-1904

- (Jane) Emma Sarah Bodily 1858-1935

- (Jane) William Wilkie Galbraith 1838-1898

- (Elizabeth) Alexander F. Macdonald 1825-1903

- (Elizabeth) Elizabeth Atkinson 1841-1922

- (Eliza) Anne Kirstine Hansen 1845-1916

- (Eliza) James Niels Skousen 1828-1912

- (Angela) Maria Durán de Holguin 1876-1955

- (Angela) José Tomás Gabaldón 1874-1915


INDEX OF MORMON COLONIES IN MEXICO

INDEX OF MORMON MEXICAN MISSION

INDEX TO POLYGAMY IN UTAH, ARIZONA, MEXICO

INDEX TO MEX. REVOLUTION & THE MORMON EXODUS

INDEX OF SURNAMES

MAPS OF THE MEXICAN COLONIES


BROWN FAMILY MAYFLOWER CONNECTION 1620

BROWN's in AMERICAN REVOLUTION 1775-1783

BROWN's in AMERICAN CIVIL WAR 1861-1865

BROWN's in WARS AFTER 1865

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