Smooth ridges encircle the object like a coiled rope from its coned top, sloping downward to its widest point at the base. Hand-carved and painted an amber hue, the beehive displays meticulous details including about a dozen small painted black bees flying near the hive’s entry.

What is it about bees and the state of Utah? Or for that matter, bugs in general? Things associated with entomology seem to go back in our lore to the earliest days of settlement. Take the Mormon cricket, for example. The pesky insect gave early day settlers a lot of grief as people frantically tried to keep them from gobbling up maturing fields of grain.

More of a large grasshopper than what most of us today would think of as a cricket, the critter is responsible for giving cause to naming the California Gull Utah’s state bird. For the struggling pioneers saw these creatures as feathered friends indeed, as they descended from the skies in vast flocks to devour the cricket menace.

From a global perspective, this version of cricket must not be confused with the game perpetuated and that remains popular throughout much of the historic bounds of the British Empire. Nor should it be confused with what is known as a Jerusalem cricket, which despite its name, is actually another insect indigenous to the Great Basin. A first encounter with this bug, however, is enough to convince an observer that it is really an alien from another planet.         

Other varieties of grasshoppers also plagued Utah’s early day farmers. Beginning in 1855, these winged insects caused extensive destruction to the expanding agricultural lands in this south-central region, the “Granary of Utah,” and continued to cyclically show up in swarms at least two to three growing seasons every decade right up into the 1900s.

These hoppers were notorious for taking flight, swarming to form clouds and landing on lush green crops. Once they had destroyed a field the hungry pests would take to the air again and move on to a new section of cultivated vegetation.

Judging by the framed displays created by individuals like Sanpete’s Braithwaite brothers, particularly William and John, butterflies and moths were also among things from the insect world that caught the attention of early residents along the highway.

These pioneer naturalists arranged beautifully patterned pieces that have been passed down over the generations among their descendants. When individuals first look at the butterfly displays they frequently comment on how realistic the “tapestry” looks.   

So, these are just a few examples of insects considered friend or foe in historic times. But it is the honeybee and its hive that remains a fixed representation of the people of Utah and the ideals of cooperation and industry.

If Brigham Young had had his way the state’s official name would have been Deseret, a term derived from the Book of Mormon word meaning honeybee. Clearly, it is a symbol that is universally recognized and has relevance in the world today.

The beehive motif continues to appear in all kinds of places, from the state’s Highway Patrol memorial signage to even the upper façade of a new LDS meetinghouse in Springville. And the image was seriously considered for placement on the state quarter for Utah, when in the last moment the committee decided to go with a railroad theme.

As for the historic artifact in the Patten House, that remarkable stone beehive was handcrafted in 1862 by the multi-talented and indispensible pioneer named Daniel Buckley Funk, of Funk’s Lake fame. What motivated this inventive man to craft the piece is anyone’s guess, maybe it was a gift to a family member, one perhaps to ornament the top of a chest or a fireplace mantle.        

If you’d like to see this and many other fascinating pioneer-era items, pay a visit to the historic John Patten home in Manti. It will be open every day during the Mormon Miracle Pageant from 2:30 to 7:30 p.m.