Porter Rockwell Turns 200

Orrin Porter Rockwell was born on June 28, 1813.  On the 200th anniversary of his birth, we picked up Chad from work a little early and went on a Porter Rockwell celebration road trip! 

This is Porter's Pony Express Marker near the prison!

Awww!  5 Rockwell descendants all in a row!

This business center is near the original location of Porter's Hot Springs Hotel and Brewery.

Porter seems more friendly and less deadly in this artist's rendition!

When we arrived at the Hutching's Museum, we found a room full of kid's activities including coloring pages of Porter Rockwell.  What would he think of himself as a cartoon I wonder?

It took a while for us to convince Joseph to pose by the horse and sorta creepy Porter mannequin in the Rockwell room at the museum. 

Real Porter Rockwell artifacts!  The glassware came from the Hot Springs Hotel.

The kids wanted to know why Porter Rockwell had a chair with no seat to sit on!  Only wusses need chairs with seats!!

No Porter Rockwell room is complete without a jail to put your freshly caught outlaws.  Here Merritt and Grant hang out in prison with a random girl we met.  Grace wouldn't put a toe inside the jail because there were totally creepy mannequins in there.

After the museum visit we ate complimentary birthday cake...

and then posed at another statue.  This one is in the "heroic" style.  I personally think Porter would punch this statue, but that's just me.

Finally it was on to Porter's Place for ice cream and a peek at all the look alikes competing for the $1000 prize.

We listened to really neat saloon music played live while waiting for shakes/malts/sundaes, etc.

It was a fun end to our road trip!  Happy 200th Birthday to Porter Rockwell.

The Prophet Joseph Smith said of his friend, "Orrin Porter Rockwell...is an innocent and a noble boy. May God Almighty deliver him from the hands of his pursuers. … Let the blessings of salvation and honor be his portion.” (History of the Church, 5:125.)

At his death, Elder Joseph F. Smith (then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles) said, "He had his little faults, but Porter’s life on earth, taken altogether, was one worthy of example, and reflected honor upon the Church. Through all his trials he had never once forgotten his obligations to his brethren and his God.”

My children are very pleased to be the descendants of Orrin Porter Rockwell and I hope that they are as true to the prophet and the Church as he was!