Son of Ephriam Perrin & Hannah Laura Draper

Marriage 1 Hannah Williams, 24 Oct 1839

Marriage 2 Mary Mendham, 28 Jun 1874, Monona, Iowa

Charles Chauncy Perrin and Orin Porter Rockwell were double sixth cousins through John PORTER II & Anna Rosanna WHITE, and Timothy STANLEY & Benet SHEPHARD. ~Vern Taylor

They migrated to Troy New York, then to Walworth Wisconsin, where their first 2 children were born. He joined the Mormon Church and moved in 1845 to Council Bluffs, Iowa. After serving 1 year in the Mexican War he returned to Council Bluffs via Salt Lake City. Soon he moved to the Mormon settlement of Preparation in Monona County, Iowa. Part of the old stockade enclosure is now (1954) incorporated in a Perrin homestead still occupied by members of the family.

The 344 acre the park encompasses what was once the town of Preparation. In 1853, Charles B. Thompson broke from the Mormon wagon train to Utah after receiving a message from the "Spirit." The Mormon leader and elder led 50 to 60 Mormon families to Kanesville, now Council Bluffs. Upon much searching, Thompson and a few select men chose the area called "Monona," an Indian name meaning "Peaceful Valley." Here they organized the town of Preparation, complete with houses and schools and started Monona County's first newspaper which Thompson owned and operated.

This place was their "School of Preparation for the Life Beyond." The Mormons soon learned they had discovered one of the richest farming valleys in the new territory. Realizing the valley's potential wealth, Thompson's newspaper printed this message from a spirit he called "Beneemy": "I appoint Charles B. Thompson chief steward of my house to receive, hold, manage and direct all the treasures of my house to him." Believing this, the people turned over all deeds and possessions to Thompson, who grew quite wealthy. Thompson also taught his followers to call him "Father Ephraim" after the Ephraim in the Holy Scriptures.

In 1856, the people realized their mistake and asked for the return of their property, but "Father Ephraim" refused. Angered, the people decided to lynch Thompson. After receiving warning from a young follower, Thompson escaped the mob by hiding in a friend's attic in Onawa. Thompson fled the state, unable to secure the deeds. Many disillusioned Mormons then left the valley and headed for Utah.

In 1856, the Iowa Supreme court divided the land equally among the remaining families, whereupon the town of Preparation began to grow. At one point, Preparation had sixty-seven houses, a post office, skating rink and blacksmith shop. But by 1900, the town had faded and all that survived was a stockyard operation which closed in 1946.

Martha and Walter Perrin (grandson of USMB Charles C. Perrin), descendants of the original Mormon families, sold 82 acres of their land to the state of Iowa in 1934. In 1969, Martha Perrin sold another 157 acres and, eventually, the Perrin family homestead site to the state. These acres of land once contained the town of Preparation, including the valley the Mormons had settled many years ago for their "Preparation for the Life Beyond."

Preparation Canyon State Park is located approximately 5 miles southwest of Moorhead, Iowa and approximately 5 miles north of Pisgah, Iowa. Onawa, Iowa is approximately 20 miles northeast of the park.