Rescuing Beefsteak: The Story of a Pragmatic Pioneer Idealist

Book excerpt: Fourteen-year-old George Harrison emigrated from England to Utah in 1856. He was part of a Mormon family relocating to "Zion" for both religious and economic reasons. The young man, suffering from malaria and extreme food shortages in the Martin Handcart Company, abandoned his family and spent a winter with a compassionate Indian family that saved him from starvation. Soon after, at Fort Laramie, Harrison served as a civilian cook for an army surgeon. He accompanied troops during the march into Salt Lake City in 1858 and cooked at Camp Floyd. Upon the camp's closure in 1861, he cooked at an Overland Stage and Pony Express station. George Harrison subsequently worked as a freighter and served in the Black Hawk War. In mid-life he built a small restaurant and hotel in Springville, Utah. Harrison's cooking, singing, and story telling attracted "drummers" (traveling salesmen) who gave the restaurateur the name of "Beefsteak" because of the quality of his steaks.