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Show TIIE BOX ELDER NEWS, SOME Thos. H. Blackburn Mayor of Brigham City. SEPTEMBER 16, 1908. 3 ELDER OOUPTVS ATTRACTIONS OIF There are a number of the members of the Commercial Club who have taken part in this Peach Day every year and are, therefore, equipped to handle the thing quite We congratulate successfully. ourselves upon the fact that the great majority of visitors, every year, have left us with the best of feelings. Where several thousand people assemble, as is always the case in Brigham City on Peach Day, there are of necessity a number who feel that they should have personal attention, and, failing in this, voice their displeasure. It is our desire to please everybody, and when we come as near it as we have universally done in these celebrations, we feel satisfied that we are doing well. The purpose of Peach Day is to advertise our peaches. That we have been successful in this idea is well borne out by the fact that since the institution of this day, produce men and orchardists from distant points, have purchased orchard lands and set out orchards. For instance, Stacey & Co., of Minneapolis perhaps the largest distributors of western fruits in America, have bought upwards of 170 acres. Other produce dealers have become interested in large tracts. As a still further proof, we present the fact that out of a possible 173.000 peach trees in Brigham City and vicinity 100,000 have been planted within the past five years. Through Peach Day, thousands of people within the boundaries of our own state have become acquainted with Brigham City. We dare say that the majority of our annual visitors had no definite idea of the positive location of Brigham City on the map until Peach Day was instituted. We have made thousands of Since the subject of this edition is Peach Day, a description of the' institution, we take it, would properly head our story. In the spring of 1904, a Stake Amusement Committee was appointed, with auxiliary organizations in the several wards under their direction. The Stake Committee consisted of Norman Lee, J. Frank Bowring and Victor E. Madsen. This committee was given the mission of devising ways and means of entertainment, and in casting about for a subject hit upon the idea of some day celebrating in honor of Box Elder County s fruit. They had heard of the success that Grand Junction people had experienced in their Peach Day, and concluded that this would just about fit our case, However, the harvesting of the Peach crop was so far in the future that they decided to try a Strawberry Day. Naturally enough, a good many mistakes were made in this celebration, but the Committee demonstrated to the entire satisfaction friends through this enterprise, of themselves and the whole comand their friendship for us grows munity that such a celebration was stronger each year. The argufeasible. They thereupon announment of a few disgruntled ones ced that in the following Septemthat those who visit us one year ber they should endeavor to get do not repeat the visit, is without up a Peach Day. foundation in fact. We are willThere was some division of opins of ing to wager that ion as to who were the proper our visitors each the are same' year parties to conduct such a celebrawho have come to see us from the tion, and, in the discussion that beginning. arose, it was decided that the This year promises to be a great' Amusement Committee amd the improvement, in every respect, City Authorities be constituted an over former occasions, due to the This idea executive committee. efforts on the part of those in was carried out and a very sucwhose hands the matter rests, and cessful event resulted. their determination, this year, to The following year the Box Elavoid by every possible means the der Commercial Club was organimistakes of former years. zed, and it seemed so fitting that What Others Think of Us. this organization should have a To show what others think, we voice in these things that, as a quote from the Salt Lake Tribune matter of course, it fell to their of September 18, 1907. lot to continue the institution. It Peach Day in Brigham City is is now looked upon as an annual always a holiday. It is to Box festival. In matters of this kind Elder County what the 24th of experience is necessary, and a July is to the state of Utah, what number of mistakes have been the Fourth of July is to the nation. made, but we are confident that It is a general holiday, a day of rethere is not a city in Utah exjoicing. Nature is always good to cepting not even Ogden or Salt Brigham City. Of course there is Lake where a day of this kind sunshine and shadow that comes to can be so successfully conducted. all, but Peach Day represents the harvest day of the year for the region. There are peaches and melons and plums and grapes, as a rule, for all the thousands of people who visit this city on the annual festival. Today was not different from others. From the south came 2,000; from the north a like number. The train from Salt Lake consisted of twenty-fou- r cars. The the of miscelwas program day laneous. Nichols band, the Brigham City band, and musical organizations from Cache Valley gave the concert part. This morning mittee of business men and fruit growers. Meanwhile peaches in boxes, in cases, peaches red and peaches white, fuzzy peaches and peaches, clingstone and freestone peaches, everywhere peaches were arrayed in appetizing order and the multitude fell to and devoured the fruit. In short, the whole day was one long feast. dear-skinn- ed Brigham City County Seat of Box Elder County. A brief description of Brigham City will, no doubt, prove interesting to everybody, as much so to our own home people as to those who come from a distance. The City has been written up a number of times by the big dailies, and from one of the latest we have selected an item that will lead us to our theme proper, that is, to a statement of our fruit industry. One of the First. This town is one of the oldest of the state. The first attemp's at settlement within its borders date back to 1830, in which year the first houses were built. The ufacture of almost all the necessaries of life. By the year 1873, this organization had become so perfect in its operations and results, that had all the rest of the inhabitants of the earth, with their wealth and industries, been suddenly annihilated, the people of Brigham City might have moved on in the even tenor of their ways, producing with their own hands and from their own resources nearly every article and commodity necessary to comfort and advanced civilization. During the time of the United Order, as this organization was called, the inhabitants of Brigham City prospered and increased in wealth in a remarkable degree. Outside pressure, particularly in Gie nature of vicious litigation, at ength brought about the end of ibis remarkable organization; but it made a record of absorbing interest to the student of sociology and financial science. Scholars and philosophers will yet accord to the people of Brigham City the credit for having done more to solve the problem with which they grappled than any other communistic society that has existed in modern times. The dissolution of the United Order, which occurred in the ear- - lar size in the whole mountain region ; and this characteristic has been maintained ever since, so that today the town is noted for its large number of beautiful and elegant homes. The people of the town have always given much attention to architecture, and dwellings erected in the das of their poverty, from forty to fifty years ago, have now, even in comparison with modern structures, a neat and handsome appearance. Regarding the reference of the writer to the prosperity that ed m Brigham City during the days of the United Order, wre have some of the old land marks yet in a well perserved condition. For instance, the Merrill Lumber Mill, five blocks east of the Court House was erected at that time. The Woolen Factory, which burned last summer, a most magnificent structure; was erected during the 'nited Order days; and the building that has long been known as the Box Elder Stake Academy, four blocks east of the Court House, was another monument to the ability and energy of the people of those days. The Brigham Cit (now the First National Bank Building) and the Opera House were, perhaps, the last efforts of that Order in the ex-i- s 1 Co-o- p Since markets have been found the orchard area has increased by leaps ami bounds. Five years ago, we had possibly not more than (0.000 to 75,000 peach trees in this county. Today we have hs many as 1 (0,000 peach trees, or 900 acres of peach orchard. It is true that, to begin with, the amount of water available limited the number of. acres of orchard hat could be grown, but modern methods have largely overcome that state of affairs. The water of Box Elder Creek, whence this, entire plateau derives its supply, has been increased by the development of various springs in the mountains, and it is transferred from the lower lands, where it is no longer needed, to the higher and more sandy lands that are adapted to peach growing. Also, since electric power has been available, nineteen wells have been sunk, and pumps operated by electric motors, raise enough water to the surface to irrigate in the neighborhood of 330 acres. This land that is watered by wells was formerly regarded as of very little value. Les than six years ago, nearly three hundred acres changed hands at an average of $23 an acre. Today, with the improvements in the way of orchards, it could not be bought for ten times that sum. par-tieular- ly There is another feature that has tended to make orchard growing in the vicinity of Brigham City popular, and that is the art of properly cultivating the soil. As an illustration; one . orchard of about thirty acres owned by Jensen Brothers of Mantua and Gar-- . land situated on the divide between Perry and Willard, has been successfully started without a drop of water. It is worth any ones while to drive down there, a distance of between three. and four miles from Brigham City, just to see what can be done by proper cultivation. This orchard of young trees looks as thrifty and shows almost, if not quite, as great growth as any orchamidanted this year without respect to its three-fourth- n. for a time a set back wav of building. The former is to the prosperity of the town; but one of the most splendid buildings in the state, north of Ogden. about that time it began to develAs the writer remarked, a numwhich has the fruit op industry ever sinee grown rapidly, and has, ber of years ago the people of this vicinity began to realize the possduring recent years, been extremely profitable to the inhabitants. ibilities of fruit raising ; but it has For a decade or more Brigham City been only during the last ten or twelve years that it has assumed has been famous through the enBy proportions. Its location is tire region and as commercial by mountains. we Commercial Proportions beautiful and commanding and far east as the Mississippi Valley, the town can be seen from a great"! its delicious poaches, cherries. mean proportions great enough to distance out in the valley. apricots, sti a wherries and other attract the attention of big buyBy the year 1868 it had become friuts which the town and vicinity ers, buyers of carload lots, and dis- Some tiibutors for the big eastern marone of the most important towns in yield in great abundance. the mountain region, and a few peculiarity in the soil imparts to kets. . We- - think that it would not be amiss to state, that William years later its inhabitants, under this district, especially the peaches the leadership of late President a rare flavor and a luscious qualHorsley & Sons, Knudsofr Lorenzo Snow, then one of the ity, so that there is great demand ers, and R. L. Fishburn & Sons Twelve Apostles, entered upon a for them wherever they have been are entitled to a great deal of social experiment of vast magniintroduced. Taking advantage of credit for having encouraged the tude and importance. They at- these conditions, the owners of the people in growing peaches. The tempted to solve the problems of land have planted extensive or- idea prevails pretty generally that capital and labor, and of poverty. chards and have been guided by they have made money at the busThey became organized into a comexperience and good judgment in iness which is perhaps true, and be to which the selection of varities, so that they are entitled to it; but they munity may compared a hive of bees. Space will not adBrigham City is destined to be- led out in fiie hunt for market mit of a detailed description of come more and more famous beand found them. None of us will this organization. Suffice it to cause of the products of its ordeny that without markets for our fruits there would be little gained say it was of a character that furnchards, as fruit raising is extremethe means that This ished lucrative employment for ly profitable. by growing it. A few years ago Valentine Fruit Company beof the every man, woman and child in the people of the town are assured came important as growers and they paraded the principal streets town capable of manual labor; and a future of prosperity. it comprised between thirty and of the Peach City and then repairForty years ago Brigham City shippers, and this year the Brigham City Prut Growers Associa- more handsome residcontained of ed to the public square, where the forty distinct branches industry tinn bas pilfered Ihp field simi- visitors w'ere welcomed by a com including the production and man ences than any other town of quantily of water available for irrigation was limited and was all appropriated by the early Ws; and the amount of water, necessarily, determined the area of land that could be cultivated. The city is situated on a lofty plateau, sloping in all directions except East, on which side the town is bounded ly 80 s. was inter-mountai- n With all these conditions favoring fruit growing, it is not surprising that practically every foot of sandy or gravelly soil along the foot hills in this county as far south as Hot Springs is set out to orchards or is being prepared for orchards in the near future. Within a radius of three miles of Brigham City upwards of 60,000 peach trees have been set out this year. Fruit growers figure that six year old trees wrill produce at the rate of 1260 boxes per acre ; in other words, a carload. These have always netted the grower at least thirty cents a box, or $378.00 an acre. Last year, $300.00 an acre was not an uncommon income. Peach trees begin to bear to some extent when they are two or three years old, "but a- - ti-o-i prime before six years. It has been the common belief heretofore that the life of the peach tree was somewhere in the neighborhood of twelve years, but intelligent growers have learned that by proper pruning and cultivation the life of a peach tree may One be indefinitely prolonged. fruit grower told us the other day, that he had peach trees fifteen years old that were just as hearty as six year old trees and he believed that they would last at least fifteen years more. - , |