OLD STATE CAPITOL How the First State House Was Built 'at Fillmore During the past week Governor Spry appointed a commission of Ave men to look after the erection of the new capltol building at Salt Lake. The lulu lu-lu riii, ice tax of three-quarters of a muliou dollars from the Hanimuii estate, es-tate, paid Into the state treasury last winter, will enable the work of construction con-struction to begin at once. lint I'tah already has a capltol, though for tlfty years the building has been devoted to other purposes. Some account of this old building at Kill-more Kill-more and how Fillmore caino to be selected se-lected as the state capltol may prove I Interesting. In the early days of the settlement, the provisional government of the State of Deseret applied to Congress for the organization of the territory of I'tah, which was made effective September Sep-tember 9. lk.V. Ill his appointments of officials to conduct the government, President Millard Fillmore gave such satisfaction to the people of I'tah by selecting four of the seven from their own number that, in gratitude, they named the first capital city Fillmore, and the county In which It was located Millard. Millard county was chos-n as t ii- place of the capital, owing to Its central cen-tral geographical location, but was afterwards abandoned for that purpose, pur-pose, as the bulk of the population was contained in the northern counties. In IS.'it a board of commissioners, appointed by Coventor Itiighum Voting under authority of the legislature, legisla-ture, left Salt Lake for Pauvan alley, al-ley, Millard eounty. to select a site for the proposed capital of the territory. The 1 -glsluture, by resolution, had previously located the seat of government govern-ment within that county, but the exact spot had not yet been determined. They directed their course to Chalk creek. In Pauvan valley, to which placi Anson Call of Davis county, and later one of the founders of Parowan, had been directed by President Young to lead a colony. Chalk creek was about lf.u miles south of Salt Lake City. There, on the 2!Uh day of October, Oc-tober, a site was selected for the capital cap-ital and n city laid out. That city, as previously ordered by the legislature, was Darned Fillmore. The construction of the state house was Commenced early in IK,'2. u il r the direction of William Felshaw, and completed In 1 S."4. Ceorge A. Ha:V, now 'a leading citizen of Fillmore, woiki'd-as a carpenter in Its erection. It Ik built of brick, with sandstone trimmings, on a square, nnorna tiled plan, with two stories and basement. Since it was abandoned as a slate house It has been used for city and county offices, and its substantial character testifies that It will serve In that 'purity for many year to come. Oil the Kith of December, ls.'.r., the I'tah, territorial legislature, In its liftlw annual session, convened at Flll-iiinw. Flll-iiinw. Hie, nrw capital city, and organ-is5cd'f; organ-is5cd'f; electing lleber C. Kimball president pres-ident ul the Council ami Jedediah M. Grant speaker of the House. This was the, first and last session of the leg!-ktuiv leg!-ktuiv held at Fillmore. Though it a. afterwards convened there more than oiirtyit Immediately adjourned to Salt Lillys, to hold its sessions -' t , - w V .''Al J - a- ' ' s 1 ) ijT ;. ( J.-: - ..;-. r iiffc- m X M Vint" Mtf l" ywliV, , . jr-''-y -ft 1 ... ! If-"ftl "v " -V, ' : j The Old State House t Fillmore.