Alexander Cowan was born in Campsie, Scotland on December 18, 1830. His parents were John B. and Agnes Barry Cowan. John B. was a weaver of fine textiles including lace curtains and other decorative articles.
John B. was taught the gospel by early missionaries in Scotland. He and his family joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints.
Soon after joining the Church, John B. disposed of his property and with his family started for America. His family consisted of his wife, four sons and one daughter.
The trip was made in a sailing vessel and took at least six weeks to cross the ocean. Agnes, John B.’s wife, became ill and died. She was buried at sea. They reached New Orleans and sailed up the Mississippi River to St. Louis, Missouri.
The Church authorities had caused a port to be opened at New Orleans in 1844 so that the trip across the plains might be shortened. This port remained open until 1855.
Upon arriving in St. Louis, the family resources were about gone. The two single boys, Alexander and William remained there to work for two years, so that they might assist the family to get established in Utah.
John B., his daughter, two married sons and their families started for Salt Lake City. They crossed the plains in Levi Stewart’s Company, arriving in Salt Lake September 17, 1850. The daughter died and was buried on the plains. John B. lived in Salt Lake City for a while and then moved to Spanish Fork. His sons Andrew and James stayed in Salt Lake City. James later moved to Slaterville in Weber County.
Alexander helped on the public work in Salt Lake, and 1852 with a pardner John Charford, contracted to make the adobes for the wall around the Temple block. He crossed the plains 7 times. In 1861 he went to states with two yoke of oxen to assist the Saints to come to Utah.
In 1864 he was sent to Fort Bridger to assist colonizing and later to Carson Nevada, 1855 where he took up a ranch which had some very rich mines in it. It is claimed while there he dug the first irrigation ditch to water his land, and in 1858 was called home on account of Johnson Army trouble.
Alexander married Eilley Orrum Hunter, a widow,(divorcee) in Salt Lake City. They were among those who President Brigham Young sent to Washoe Valley, Nevada to establish a branch of the Church in Carson City. Alexander purchased 350 acres of land for $100.00 from Orson Hyde where they built a small home.
As gold seekers came to Virginia City, Alexander and Eilley also went there. Eilley operated a cafe and Alexander went prospecting. He and Sandy Bowers struck and staked their claim on the Comstock Lode, one of the richest gold mines in the world.
One day Alexander came back from the mine unexpectedly. He heard Sandy and Eilley plotting to kill him. Alexander quietly left Virginia City in the latter part of 1859. He had to cross the Sierra Nevada mountains on snowshoes. He made one misstep, went over an embankment and was buried in snow to his neck. He always felt that it was a miracle that he was able to get out.
Alexander arrived in Salt Lake City during the Christmas holidays in 1859. He met Jane Mitchell who had arrived in Salt Lake City with a handcart company late in September or October 1859. After a courtship of three weeks, they were married in January 1860.
After divorcing Alexander, Eilley got claim to the ranch after she divorced Alexander Cowan. Later, Eilley married Sandy Bowers and became one of the first millionaires of the Comstock Lode. The built the Bowers' Mansion on the property that once bThey visited kings in France and England. They built a beautiful mansion on Alexander and Eilley's property and furnished it with the best the world had to offer, buying many beautiful pieces of furniture and carpets from France and England. Even the door knobs were gold. Nothing was too expensive for them. The estate also had two large swimming pools. They lived a royal life for a while.
Sandy and Eilley had a little girl. One day when the daughter had nothing to do, Eilley gave her a bucket of silver dollars to play with, which kept her happy the rest of the day. She died when she was only nine or ten years old and is buried in the family cemetery behind the mansion. Later, Sandy Bowers died of miner's consumption at the age of 36. Some men talked Eilley into investing her money and she lost everything. Eilley ended up a fortune teller on the streets of San Francisco and died a penniless pauper. She was buried next to Sandy and their daughter.
The homestead was sold several times and then bought by the State of Nevada. The mansion is now a museum where tour guides tell you their story. There are swimming pools and picnic areas for all to enjoy. The Bowers Mansion is located 19 miles south of Reno.
On the hill just above the mansion is a cemetery. Their little daughter, about 9 years old, was first buried there. Then when Sandy died of miner's consumption at age 36, Sandy was also behied there.
It was in the summer of 1861 while Alexander was on this trip, that his first baby, a daughter died. Jane had to go through this trying experience without her husband, but she was not alone. Kind and loving family and friends stood by her.
It was on this trip that Alexander met Elizabeth Raetz and soon after their arrival in Utah on Nov. 20, 1861, they were married and she became a plural wife. Jane went with them to the Endowment House and witnessed the ceremony. Elizabeth had joined the L, D. S. Church when she was 25 years old in December 1859 in Berne County, Switzerland. She left for America in June 1860 with her deceased brother's five year old daughter.
At an early date the pioneers realized that the lowlands to the south and west of Salt Lake City had to be drained in order for it to be suitable for cultivating. Alexander Cowan was one of the first to lead out in this undertaking. So, strong and purposeful men with ox teams and shovels drained and made useful hundreds of acres of soil. Most of the land prepared at that time is within the city limits today.
When preparations for the building of the Salt Lake Temple were being made, it was such sturdy men as Alexander Cowan who went forth to bring the granite for the foundation from the granite deposits in the nearby mountains. He often told of the experiences he had with this noble group. When the wall around the temple block was built, John Croffer and Alexander made a lot of the cobble rock foundation which was three feet by three feet. The adobes were mortared in as well as the cobble rock and all were capped with sandstone blocks.
In the fall of 1862, Alexander Cowan moved his family to Payson. His family then consisted of himself, Jane Mitchell Cowan and John M, then six weeks old, and Elizabeth Raetz Cowan. They came with ox team and arrived in Payson early in October.
Alexander had traded an ox team for a peach orchard ready for bearing to a man by the name of Rube Jolly. This was the first peach orchard in Payson and was located at 3rd East and 3rd North. It was about two and one-half acres and people came from as far away as Sanpete County to get a supply of peaches. Many people came and dried peaches on shares. In peach blossom time, it was a beautiful sight to stand on the east hill and look down on the mass of pink blossoms.
Later, Alexander obtained a homestead claim southeast of Payson which he sold to a Mr. Erlandson. A portion of this homestead is where the Erlandson peach orchard was for many years. He also owned a 150 acre ranch northeast of Payson. Here the two families took turns living for a period of a year. Jane decided rather than to move so often, she would rather stay on the ranch permanently. Elizabeth remained in town.
At the time of the Indian trouble with Chief Black Hawk and Chief Walker Wars, Alexander Cowan was, on one occasion, returning from Sanpete County on horseback. He was prompted to leave the road and ride behind some brush. He had just gone behind the brush when a band of Indians, whooping and yelling, came galloping by. They overtook a man driving a wagon and killed him and his family.
In about 1870, the people of Payson community decided to build a tabernacle. It was a spacious building built of adobes which were molded by Joseph Crook and Alexander Cowan. William McClellan was the carpenter.
In the early days, much of the tithing was paid in kind, which means it was paid by giving ten percent of produce and animals raised to be used for food for the needy. It had to be hauled to Salt Lake City by team. These trips were usually in the fall of the year and Alexander Cowan made many of these trips. When it was necessary for two wagons to go, his son John M. went along as the second teamster. These trips took about four days.
Alexander Cowan built many houses, mainly of logs. His last home was of brick. It was built on the corner of 5th East and 4th North in Payson. He was the father of fifteen children. Eight of them grew to maturity. He died December 25, 1918 at the age of 88 and is buried in the Payson City Cemetery.
