OCR Text |
Show THE DIXIE OWE The Origin of Dixie Schools first all the children attended one school. The first school was held in the first ward, which was composed of a willow house', which served the purpose of the The southern mission was established by President Brigham schoolhouse and the meeting house combined. Young, the leader of the Mormon The next year of school was church. In the fall of 1861 the call was held where our present tithing made for the people to come to office is; the teacher was James southern Utah and colonize. So G. Bleak, a resident of St. George. that sturdy, thrifty and noble These were the first schools, but as the town advanced each ward band, under the direction of Brigham Young, set out on the long, was given a schoolhouse and a When they school teacher. toilsome journey. Besides the ward schools one turned their eyes upon the untilschool was erected; to central led soil, the masses of dry sagewhich the students went after brush their hearts sank with sorrow. This was to be their future they had completed their course home; this was the untilled land in their own ward. The schools that they must cultivate and plant were not graded as ours are totheir crops, but still they were day, but were called the Primary, not discouraged and did not give which was the lowest grade, the up. They were sent to do it, so First, Second, Third, Fourth, and they must. They first sought fifth Reader, but when a student farming, tilling the hard dry soil had attained the knowledge of the grades to the fifth Reader, and trying to obtain water for irhe was ready to enter the Cenrigation. Later in 18S6 more settlers tral school. The children were came to Dixie. Agriculture was given recess in the morning and now more important and hay, afternoon. On Friday afternoon they always had a spelling match grain and sugar cane were raised. The cane they ground into and were taught a new song. molasses. About this time they Thus they were given a little pleasure. established a small broom facfrom Later as the wealth of the brooms tory, manufacturing broom corn which they raised for town increased the people wanted a better school so they donated this purpose. funds for its erection. George When they first started to raise grain they used a hand sickle Woodward donated the largest, with which to cut it. Later they sum, thus our present Woodward used a cradle. This resembled a school was named after him. It was commenced in 1900 and comsythe, but had large wooden fingers or forks which gathered the pleted in 1901 and now has an grain into piles as the sythe cut enrollment of about six hundred Besides this building it. Still later the dropper was students. invented and used. This was like we have an academy and our Dixie Normal College. a mowing machine and was more It has use of than the other this year an enrollment about convenient for and used. three After students fifty college implements formerly was hundred and fifty high school the dropper the invented and is now used in cutstudents. We have also a beautiful Morthe grain. ting The first school was established mon temple built by the progressin 1882. They divided the town ive pioneers, who worked steadily into four different wards, but at on it hauling the large rocks from self-bind- er the stone quarry, located on the black hill. The bad roads of Dixie have1 formerly taken down its record, but the people tire now having good road days making the route to California through here. This will help the growth of Dixie and will bring tourists into this country. About, five miles north of St. , George a large reservoir is being-builtfor the purpose of supplying the town and neighboring field with irrigation water. This reservoir isestimated at a cost of thousand dolabout twenty-fiv- e When it is finished it will lars. be a great benefit to the people. By these steps you can see how the people of Dixie have advanced, from a sturdy band of pioneers and a barren plain of ugly sagebrush to a beautiful city of prosperous sturdy people trying to carry on the work of these pioneers in developing our great, country. Blanche Mathis, 7th Grade, Dixie Normal Training School. Ar-rowhe- ad se A Sign ot Spring The bread of life is love; the salt of life work; the sweetness of life poesy; the water of life faith. Mr. Nicholes ought never to be bothered with a scarcity of small change. |