Uintah County, Utah Pioneers
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Cora Van Gundy McAndrews
Cora Van Gundy McAndrews was born in 1867 in Golden, Colorado. Shecame t o Ashley Valley with her father, George W. Van Gundy in 1878.There wer e few white settlers in the valley at that time. They allwent through m any hardships of the first pioneers.
During the Winter of 1878, the dreaded diptheria epidemic struck theva lley. Every family lost one or more members; one family lost six.There w as neither doctor or medicine of any kind. Cora, one of thefirst victi ms, recovered somehow. She was then able to go aboutcaring for the sma ll children and aiding the mothers in their arduousduties. George Van G undy was a cabinet maker by trade. One of hisfirst tasks was to make t he needed caskets. When lumber was availablein wagonbeds was used up, h e resorted to using handsawed lumber fromlogs. The women ripped their c lothing for material to line thecaskets. Cora, always deft with the ne edle, was busy sewing andmaking these linings. 1
The next spring, known as the hard spring found the valley snowed in.T he settlers were always hungry and some days they had nothing toeat. T hey all divided their food and ground their seed wheat in thecoffee mi ll, to keep alive. To add to their hunger, was the fear ofIndians. The w arriors went to and from Colorado, as this was the timeof the Meeker M asssacre.
John Blankenship who hired Cora Van Gundy to help care for his familyw hile he was employed by the Ouray Indian Agency. While she wasthere, b oth Oran Curry and John McAndrews courted her. One dayMcAndrews took h er fishing and caught a fish so large, Cora had tosit on it in the boa t. 2
Cora married John McAndrews in 1897. He was born in Madison, Indianain 1 855. He came to Ouray, Utah, in 1883. He was with the Departmentof the I nterior in the capacity of Cheif Herder of Indian cattle. Heremained i n the Indian service twent years. Both of their lives werefull of adve nture and hardships. John McAndrews died in 1927.
1. Builders of Uintah, comp Daughters of the Utah Pioneers
2. Settlements of Uintah County' by Doris K. Burton
