A bit of background concerning that area is helpful. In 1862 the first Mormons were exploring the Meadow Valley country. They asked the local Indians where they could find the best place to find feed for their animals, and were told to go to Shoal Creek. There they found the whole face of the land was covered with beautiful green grass, so heavy and stood four to eight feet high. It was said that a man riding into the grass on horseback could hardly be seen. The explorers settled on Shoal Creek and founded the town of Hebron, and later Enterprise. And it was in 1864 when Edward Bunker settled at Clover Valley, later called Panaca, an Indian name meaning minerals. To the east were Pinto and Pine Valley. (See Map 10)
In about 1869 a mining camp named Pioche, named for a man by that name, became a great mining camp, providing a market for the settlers’ goods. There were many Indians living on Shoal Creek and they were all friendly with the white people. They named the chief of this band of Paiute Indians Moroni, and he was very proud of this name. Trouble commenced in 1870 with the Navajo Indians all through that country, who were there for the purpose of making off with horses. They didn’t have much success, so soon went back to their land across the Colorado River.79
From the maps of this area we see Spring Valley, Panaca, and Pioche are all fairly close together. (See Map 10) Dry Valley was 12 miles from Panaca.
Zemira and both of his wives lived first at Panaca, and each had children born in there and at other nearby areas where they lived—Sally’s were Emma born at Panaca 30 June 1867, and Newel Knight born at Eagle Valley 9 July 1870. Caroline’s George Edwin 29 Oct 1866, and Daniel Whitmore 18 Mar 1869, both in Panaca, and Almeda Eve 20 Mar 1872 in Dry Valley.
79- Orson W. Huntsman, A Brief history of Shoal Creek, Hebron and Enterprise
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