Hilda Anderson Erickson

Hilda Anderson Erickson
Born
Hilda Andersson

(1859-12-11)December 11, 1859
Ledsjo, Sweden
DiedJanuary 1, 1968(1968-01-01) (aged 108)
Salt Lake City, Utah
Occupation(s)Seamstress, Obstetrician, Dentist, Store Keeper
Known forOldest Living Utah Pioneer
Hilda Erickson House, Grantsville Utah
Hilda Anderson wore this buckskin mask to protect her face when crossing the desert. Located in the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers Museum

Hilda Anderson Erickson was the last known surviving Mormon pioneer and celebrated frontierswoman.[1][2] She was six and half years old in 1866 when her family emigrated from Ledsjo, Sweden to Tooele County in Utah. She died at the age of 108 on January 1, 1968.[3][4]

Personal life

Erickson was known for her love of dance and horseback riding.[5]

After a 2 year long engagement, Hilda Anderson married John Erickson. Soon after their marriage they were called to serve a full time mission with the Gosiute Indians, near the Nevada border, in which they helped the Gosiute Indians farm in the desert environment.[6]

1922 Democratic Party Ticket for State Legislature
Hilda Anderson Erickson statue, Grantsville, UT

Notable Achievements

Erickson served as one of the directors of the Grantsville Deseret Bank from its opening in 1910 until its closing in 1931.[5]

Erickson served as a dentist for her community and always carried forceps in case of emergency.[5] Sometimes children came into her general store with a toothache; she would extract the tooth in the back room and then send the child home with a bag of candy.[5]

She was a lifelong member of the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers.[5]

In 1922, Erickson ran for state legislature as the Democratic nominee.[5]

During the Great Depression Erickson served as secretary of the federal Farm Loan Association in Grantsville.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ Becky Bartholomew "Hilda Anderson Erickson: Working Woman" History Blazer, October 1995
  2. ^ Merrill, Timothy G. (2010). "Remembering the Pioneer Legacy". Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel. 11 (2): 3 – via BYU Scholars Archive.
  3. ^ Casey Paul Griffiths, Mary Jane Woodger "50 More Relics of the Restoration" page 123
  4. ^ Sarah Jane Weaver, "Monument memorializes 'last pioneer,'" June 14, 1997 Church news.
  5. ^ a b c d e f United States Department of the Interior National Park Service. "National Register of Historic Places". npgallerynps.gov. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  6. ^ "Hilda Anderson Erickson, Working Woman | History to Go". historytogo.utah.gov. Retrieved 2024-06-05.
  7. ^ "In This Issue". Utah Historical Quarterly. 56 (3): 207. Summer 1988. doi:10.2307/45061750. JSTOR 45061750.


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