|
|
Decker
House
Built
in the early 1890's
by James Bean Decker and Anna Marie Mickelson Decker. James
Bean Decker was born March 25, 1853, in Parowan, Utah.
|
|
|
On a trip to Cedar
City, Utah, James B. Decker met his wife, Anna Marie Mickelson.
She was born on April 7, 1855, in Cedar City, Utah. James
and Anna were married July 13, 1874. Five years later in the
summer of 1879, James was called by the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints to settle the San Juan Region. James
and his wife Anna joined the Hole-in-the-Rock expedition and
traveled from Escalante to the site of Bluff, making them
among the first settlers to arrive and settle the territory
of Bluff.
Local
folklore has it that the Decker children helped to make the
adobe bricks used in constructing their house.
|
 |
The Decker home was a spacious two-story structure. The downstairs
consisted of a living room, dining room, parlor, kitchen and
pantry. There were also one or two bedrooms downstairs. |
|
There were only
bedrooms upstairs, each of which had a small closet, some
even had a fireplace. Local folklore also has it that Mrs.
Decker kept their home spotless. The natural wood floors were
always shiny, and the deep windowsills were kept clean and
polished. Most of the Decker's furniture consisted of tables,
benches and beds, so the deep sills were used as chairs when
company came.
Shortly
after the construction of his home, James B. Decker and four
of his eleven children, Horace, Gertrude, Lynn, and Clair
Decker, were taken ill with diphtheria. The epidemic later
claimed the lives of James and his son Lynn, both on December
15, 1901. Gertrude followed her father and brother on December
16, 1901. As a new year came about, Anna began to believe
nothing else could go wrong, but then Horace died on January
25, 1902, and Clair on January 26, 1902 (Bluff Cemetery headstones).
|
After the death of
James, Anna and her seven other children, Lillian, Jennie, Lena,
James, Elmer, Claud and Afton, were under quarantine with local
volunteers taking care of them. The remaining Decker children
later filled important positions in San Juan County and the
surrounding territory. |
|
|
Through time this house has had several different owners,
and has been used for many things. At one time the owner made
the downstairs into a small bookstore and tea parlor. The
owner would help her customers in the bookstore, or serve
tea to all who wanted to buy a cup. When tea time was done
she would then offer to give her guests a tour of the rest
of her home.
|
 |
The Decker house is
now privately owned and has been turned into a bed and breakfast.
Several doors have been added to the original structure, but
overall, the basic two story structure is still the same. |
To take a virtual
tour of Bluff's Historic District, click on any of the houses in
the map below, or their corresponding names under the map.
|
