Mary Alice Barker Shurtz — The Providential Arrival of the Escalante Organ

Mary Alice Barker Shurtz, a pioneer musician and the first young woman to enter the Escalante Valley during its settlement, was deeply concerned with the lack of music for worship in the remote colony. In the mid-1870s, Escalante was one of the most isolated outposts in Southern Utah, and the acquisition of a musical instrument was financially and logistically improbable. According to the manuscript 'The Organ,' Mary Alice exercised great faith and prayer to obtain an organ for the community. The account details the 'remarkable providence' involved in securing the funds and the successful, safe transport of the delicate instrument over the treacherous, roadless terrain of the 'Dixie' region. The arrival of the organ was documented by the local Saints as a direct answer to prayer and a divine blessing intended to provide spiritual comfort and uplift to the pioneers in their desert isolation.