Show t Southland tL d' d W Wonders ond rs Abound In I Washington ton County s a 3 I. I Mecca that some omo day dayIs days f Is s I flock to as aa did those ret rc- rc t to In Biblical lore flock lock to their oV Sr a aa 8 the modern pilgrim who 0 Otho sunny southland in south south- where ho he believes canI can ind ud I d the m most st delightful of ot all alli i and where he ho can dwell in int t and nd luxury and whore where every ienco enco makes life worth the liv- liv t x pus IDs from Uta Utah Uta-h many or of them pilgrimage every year and andoins pass b by In their own o state tho f most d delightful spots in n states where and coast nito te tc is most equable the People o where can be seen one greatest natural panoramas In n tho most beautiful canyons in I. I and where there is every every- that conduces to make malco the everY j life lifo pilgrim what ho he seeks in an- an tate b because nse transportation I an-I fa- fa a- a rare are such uch that ho he cannot visit isit ecca In Utah o 0 js 3 this Mecca you yoi oa ask In- In I phie land in the county count of ton where figs and and grapes ches ches e everything that Is good grows croWs in abundance where thearo the tare Jaro aro happy and contented where wheres' wheres ils 5 s' s everything desired to make malte And this is the stole sto sto- I t le f Dixie land of oC Utah j 4 Has Lurin Luring 0 a land and a of Her Own O dI did it get s-et its name nunc Why th the then Hand and n 1 l From rom the growing and IB i. i and weaving of ot cotton It the Santa Clara valley where ring prIng of or 1855 cottonseed was wasAnd I And it grew and pr pro a aThis This crop was ginned by hand by hand and the weaving 10 e by hand on an old fashioned loom oom Thirty yards of cotton cottons cottons' Li s' s the product of or the crop but that the great staple o grown and that too in com com- 1 quantities It was the first ever r grown s-rown north of or Mason and I in a a. a. a hothouse ears later cotton seed was I bout St. St George Georgc The Tho crop I ire than pounds Then a a. I nill lit III was erected the first firt of or its t the e mountain states as also the tho nt with the Ute exception of the I gland nd mills to be constructed states This mill mUl was Dennim was the c was built tho the first tem tem- itah tah by b- the Mormon people and Ithe th the third temple In the world the of f this faith like like- 6 c coni- coni o only l st structure in the tho United I nO he walls of or which from foun- foun fo top of or tower arc are built of ofU U led d with precious metal which torn down and milled would I tor e in white metal txie land of ot Utah is tb the tho oldest lit it tt in the state except Salt l The e legislature of or 1852 created nty and provided for tor its or- or Ion Tho The probate Judge was all allt il t In that he W was accorded power and criminal cases that equaled it t f the district court ID D. D Lee who Was v afterward cx- cx tor his connection with theIn theIn the In Meadow maSS massacre one of ot oft it t t. awful ever eer commit- commit the United States was the tho first Hc located d at a 1 point on Ash which Is now hOW New ew Harmony i S h 1852 r Later ater in that year he by hy George e. e James 1 rand and Ha Y A. A Pace who had by Brigham Young Toung Jr r r ot of the territory and I the thc church to settle tho the count coun- coun t h h extended c from the Colorado n n the east cast to the tho California inc no west Harmony was found- found icee tee men I School Was in 1860 1 ars an later in 18 1858 8 Virgin City J Jr I upper r Virgin river was found- found I ed It was in the center of a valley about seven senen miles mile wl wide c and like the I Cache valley in northern Utah was surrounded b by mountains Nephi Johnon Johnson Johnson John John- son on and antI six lx others laid out the tho town I The Tho first l school was established in Sn 1860 and amI the first meeting house in ISI had been settled in tho the spring b by Joshua T. T Wiles and family with se several seral ral other ether families from Cedar City ar nr and J Washington four miles from St. St Geor George e to the east cast and where was the cotton mill mm was also se Sc settled In It Jacob Hamlin and and two others who had been sent as missionaries to the tho Indians located o ted in tho the vallo valley of ot the Vir Virgin ln and Santa Clara rivers at Santa Clara Gunlock on the Santa Clara Claro river rl was found founded d by William Hamblin In ISi the village of or of Price Pric about which thich was a a. cotton plantation was settled in and three years cars later was s destroyed by a flood The real pioneer of southwest Utah however howe was John Steele who ho in 1850 O Oia invaded ed the county county- and was the first white man to enter that part of or Utah was wag established d in 1560 h hy by Muses hams Barns Duncans Duncan's Retreat on tho the north tank hank of the Virgin was fo d in 11 liy i.- Ch Duncan but hut he hp bec became m dissatisfied soon after an aban abandoned d the h site Later It was as resettled by hy William Theobald and six others on the Virgin in IIer river nver riv II nv- nv er was located In by Oliver do de Mill and md others St. St George was founded In Its Its- nearest railroad point as RS present is Lund Iund miles distant and the next near- near C cs es miles awa away The state hl way highway hWa no now under construction to St. St George will materially lessen tho the distance when the hard 5 surfaced road is finished The city of or St St. George Gcorge or e ewas was designated as tho county count seat scat January January- J 1 by the legislature Church Leaders Found Settlement In October under the le leadership leadership leader leader- ship of or Orson Pratt an and Erastus Snow members of or the Mormon formon church were directed b by Brigham ham Youn Young Toung then governor of or the territory as also president president presS presS- dent of or the church to go to Washington WashInton Wash Wash- ington Inton county found and build a cit city to be bo known as St St. George named In honor of or President George A. A Smith Tho The site chosen for the city was near the junction of the Santa Clara and antI Virgin rivers and It was WM surveyed and incorporated 12 1862 the people took possession of or their lots Then at a mass meeting it was de deckled de- de that the tile first building to he erected of a public character should be a social hall and on March 22 1862 tho the foundation stone was laid and th the tho erection of St. St Geor Georges George's os o's hall hail followed Tho The first temple of ot the Mormon church to be bo erected Sn in Utah was waN tho the temple at St. St George c. c Ground for the structure re was broken by ham Young and George Geor-c A. A Smith April 9 1811 the tho foundation cornerstones were laid March arch 10 10 1872 It was completed and Inform informally ly dedicated January Jan 1 1 1877 and was opened for ceremonial purposes January 9 1877 Tho The formal formal formal for for- mal dedication occurred April 17 ro 1877 1577 at t tho the general conference of ot the church which was held in the tho build build- Ing InS This Thi was one ono of or the few Cow Instances in instances In- In stances where tho the general conference I I lor of the church was held outside of Salt S Lake Lale The sandstone from which the tho temple I Is 15 constructed would if the temple temple tem tern were cre torn down and antI the stone crushed turn out silver Il to the amount of 50 50 to 7 75 to the ton rs as s the tho stone is filled with white metal I In length the temple is 14 i feet SS S 8 Inches S width 33 n feet 1 I inches height from the grade grado of the tho grounds rounds to the top of or the parapet S 84 SI 4 feet while the tho I tower is 17 feet Ceet in height from tho the ground to the top of the tho parapet vane There Thero arc tons of Qt stone In tho the I building f feet et of or lumber which wa was hauled eighty miles b by team leam from Mount Trumbull In Arizona I The baptismal font is 11 of iron weighs weighs' pounds CO was made In I Salt Lake and was presented the temple torn tem I plc b by Brigham Youn Young tern tern-I Lightning Plays Havoc With ri th Tabernacle Spire Lightning and wind played havoc oc re r- recently with the thc tabernacle spire and while workmen were engaged in making making ranking mak rank ing repairs in February of oC the tho current I year the theY came across some records placed there when tho the spiro was reI repaired re repaired re- re I paired in 1899 the records containing the thc nam names s of or the stake stale presidency and high council at that time Two other records fe al also o found one from John reading as follows i L John have hate held the tho office of or assistant postmaster and postmaster f I of or St. St George Georgo for or over thirty years ears labored in the St. St George temple for two twenty years rears I was born In 1815 and will be bo SI 8 old years cars on September september Sep Sep- 13 next I Inal was nal among amonS' the first that came to the camp of St. St George with the company compan of President Erastus Snow lIa Have vo lived here since December December Decem Decem- ber 1861 Thank the Lord Ird I am In Sn Snood I good health and strength The third record was written b by Seth A. A P mm a son of or John and follows On the occasion of or repairing and painting tho the tower of or this tabernacle the opportunity has presented itself to place a few words in the cavity of this ball My siy 13 present occupation Is notary public lUbliC and assistant po postmaster have held lild the latter office over t twenty five years rears In wa was elected count county record recorder re recorder re- re cord corder r two years cars later was elected county clerk and recorder an and held this double office for Cor two terms served as count county officer In above aboe positions forten tort for tor forten t ten n years cars To aid in Sn painting this J I tower I painted the tho four faces of or tho the I I clock as a a. donation n freely ly and ohm volun Was Vas born in Derby Derbyshire Derby Derby- I shire England June 23 i. i 1 18 12 t came to tn America with Ith m my rn parents in 1857 am ft n loft-handed loft per person on having lost my right hand in Sn 1852 near Salt Lake City Twenty miles from Crom St St. George Georgo is Silver Reef In tho the early seventies SC it I was w a a. great silver camp boasting a n population of ot around This was waR I in 1375 The district covered co an nn area arca of or five miles square Stage lines connected connected con con- It with Salt r Lake tho the Monroe Salisbury company compan which operated the overland stage line operating tho one ono to St St. George and Silver Th The late Arthur Pratt warden of the state prison was superintendent of ot tho the line There V was u-as as a a. newspaper in tho the camp run b by Johnson and son Charle Charley Chancy the latter a photographer In Salt Sall Lake LaJ for many years while whilo another son lIen Den now a 1 well known lawyer of or Salt SaIL Lake was tile the devil In the thc The rho camp was like Ilko all frontier camps In those days wild days wild and woolly Saloon Row Leads To Mine Discovery The camp of or Sil Silver Siler er Reef fleet was as found founded found found- ed by John Barbee a n. former Cormer re resident of or Ogden and a n well known prospector who with pick and shovel and scraped tho the mountains in Utah an and L for precious metals The discovery of or tho the I site alto of or the earn cam camp as aa a areat great reat silver bonanza bo ho- I nanza was wal duo IO to a ro row In a saloon aloon In Pioche Nov the tho Glor Glory Hole then being heln- In tho the height of its glory who hall hail been prospecting prospect prospect- ing around Pioche appeared in the thc vicinity of or the saloon a L few moments after a miner and ani prospector had bc been n knocked knocke-d through the door of or the tho d inking drinking place As he fell feB through tho the doorway door in his effort to catch something that would woul lesson lessen his fall ho he caught a n. grindstone and frame stan standing ln by the tho door pulling it down with him and and breaking tho the grindstone to fragments Barbee struck one of or tho the fragments of stone and mechanically picked up the piece In his examination of or tho the frag frag- ment meat he made a n discovery ono one that set aside tho theory of or all geologists and scientists in that the grindstone was filled with silver o. a a geological ph phenomenon o twin e n 0 fl Ascertaining whence tho the grindstone came he loaded up his hlo burros with supplies and in four days clays had reached the site nUo of ot the tho sandstone ledge from Crom which tho grindstone stone had h. been hoen ried ned This was Silver Ree H n lie staked out oct his also alwo one for tor his partner partner part part- ner nor whom he ho had left In and I who declined to accompany 7 him be because be- be ca cause silver could not l b be found In I sandstone Silver fleet neer wee wae rounded When tho the camp was abandoned several several sev sew eral years ears later duo due to tho the tumble In Inthe Inthe inthe the price of or silver Ilver there had been beon taken from this sandstone reef more than A petrified forest had been uncovered and along the tho branches or of the limbs of these petrified trees pure sulphide e of or silver sll was taken It is from this reo reef that tho the stone to construct the thc Temple Templo at St. St Geor George c was taken In later years cars the tho reef was again worked and a n. company compan now has control of a largo area and andIs andIs andis Is working tho the claims again as also the dumps from Crom tho the ol old mines and mills Ills Lowest Altitude Is Found in ill County In area Washington county contains 2465 2 square miles In altitude it Is IsI I tho lowest count county in the thc state tho lo lowlar low low- I lar ls ranging from 2700 to and the highlands above e that figure In inthe tho the lowlands and the valleys arc are situated situated situated sit sit- the city of or St. St George Washington Washing Washing- ton Leeds Hurricane Santa Clara Virgin City and several othor other small settlements Tho The county counts is well watered th the principal streams being tho Rio Hlo Virgin and Santa nta Clara rivers while whilo there are aro numerous small streams that pour their into the larger larg-er on ones There Thoro arc a number of or Irrigation companies the larger one being the tho Hurricane canal with H 91 acres cres La Virgin canal 47 acres Irrigation company compan acres neo es f ditch and town ditch acres Leeds canal acres Washington on field fleM canal 2156 acres West cst Santa Clara 17 17 a acres East Basl Santa Clara acres Santa Clara town ditch 1 acres Enterprise Irrigation Irrigation Irrl- Irrl gation gallon company compan The Tho Dixie DItle Power com company pan has diverted water for tor tho the purpose of generating electric energy y but hut this water vater 1 Is r returned to th the streams from which it Is taken Tho Power Light company tarnishes power and light to 1096 customers It absorbed the Cedar Electric company In April 1919 when new transmission lines hues were constructed new nun nations built hullt and anil other othor improvements necessary necos- necos 8 sary to aid ail tho the pumping districts The state stale has built buill a line oj 4 17 miles lon long along alonS' the Cedar St. CitY George Georgo hl highway high high- h- h way which the Dixie Power company operates to furnish power required h bythe hy by hythe the state state- for or road construction the company to purchase the lino hino from the state upon completion of or the concrete highway deducting payments of bills for or power furnished luring during the tho construction construction construction con con- of the highway The total acreage under Irrigation in the tho count county aggregates 1 1140 |