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Show j ! A . Historyof History of Moab , Utah UtahBy UtahI _ I I By Faun McConkie l\lcConkie l lcConkie \ Tanner TannerCopyright TannerCopyright ( Copyright 1937)Chanter 1937) 1937 1937)Chanter ) I I Chanter Chauer ( 12 ( Coutinued Continued ContinuedSUMMARY ContinuedSUMMARYWhen ) SUMMARY SUMMARYhen \ When Wh'n Whn \hen hen ( ' one thinks of ol the simple home iemedier lemedH emediqi : ) > used m in mthe inthe m'the mthe ' the case of illness lllness i11ess , and accident , such as the salve prepared preparedby preparedby preparedby by Mrs NIl's NIls ' . Wilson for the treatment of Joe's Joes ' wounds , and of the theyears theyears theyears aid ald . then thenhe thenhe years in which the community commumty was without medical nledcal he must bq thankful for the excellent e.cellent ecellent } . medical sel seivice VIce no\vavailable no vavailable now nowa.vaIlable nowavailable \ " a.vaIlable avaIlable . . , In December . of .of 1896 Dr . 3 J . W VV . Williams alllved aiiived alllvedI aiiivedin amvedin for the inhabitants lnhabitants nhabitants , . He sel seived seivedvel1 seivedwell ved vedwell physician in : Moab to serve as I has of the bect best be ; t eqUlpped equipped eqUlppedhospitals equippedhospitals equippedJinan well vel1 for many yeal yeais s . Moab now iow 1)OW 1OW ) one fine for the size of thecommumty thecommunity the theMoab especially hospitals Hals jin 1n in the region region , , commumty community . For many years there was no hospItal at 1\10ab 1 10ab Moab \ , and during the "flu flu " " epidemic follow1,11g follow111g following , , the war the high highschool highschool . . The TheI TheMoab hospital school bUlldm building was turned mto into a temporary 19iy 1919 . The hos- hos hospItal hospital hos-Lpital hos Lpital - - organized anized September , I : Moab Vloab Hospital Co . . was or made a county institution mstitution in 1925 , and since that thattIme thattime pItal was . The hospital hospitalserves hospitalserves hme tIme has been added to and greatly impioved lmploved in Grand county and the surrounding surroundmg region regionmcludmg regionincluding regionincluding srrves serves patients the theSUPPOl thesuppoit thesuppoit which county now aids m in mcludmg including San Juan county , t of the hospital . . SUPPOl suppoit ' i of i J-lin J lin the - fii.fli-ofl fii.fliofl fii.fli fiifli ofl first . - cats catsmto catsinto + Q Qthem I Wllham William Peirce has the honor brmgmg bringing , mto into Moab . He traded one to Mrb . A . G . WIlson for a pig . full of fruit seed seedinto seedinto handkerchIef Mrs . N . E . WIlson brought a into the valley when she came and her father-in-law father in law - - planted plantedthem plantedthem them , the fruit being bmng mainly peaches and ana pit pit fruits ] . Thus Thusfruit Thusfruit [ fruit trees had an early start in the settlement settlement.The settlementThe . The first hotel in \ Moab l\ioab l ioab was the Darrow House House.The HouseThe . first automobile ever to come to Moab made its ap- ap appearance appearance ap appearance - - The September 21 , 1909 . W . E . Cameron and son C . C G.of Gof . pearance route to Los Angeles AngelesIUQI.Q AngelesIUQIQ , Tecumseh Tecumseb Nebraska , who were en of , while repairs forone forone for foremployed . few days were stopping MnninQf at atThomDSons Thompsons ThompsoflS a their machines arrived from Kansas CIty and were wereomployed weredmployed of one . Sproutte traveling salem salemen en , employed omployed dmployed by Mr . Meyer Meyerto and Mr , [ to bring them to Moab . The trip from Thompson5 Thompsons was made madein had two twelve twelvehundred hours and forty-five forty five - m.mutes mmutes minutes . . They In three from seventy- seventy seventyfive seventyfive - hundred pound Ford cars and were tlaveling tiaveling to road condItions . according hundred IniIes miles a day five to two was broken for the county court house Oc- Oc October October - - The ground court house building Sel seived ved untIl untIlliarch untilMarch tober 1903 . This same l\iarch l iarch March \ , 1937 . A new $65,000 65000 $ , bui1din building was erected m in the and summer summerof ' , f 1937 , and is one of the mosi most mOdel modeip ) } c cuni auntT uni : bUlldmgs buildings Grand m in the county west . fair was held 1n in 1920 . F . :1\1 :1 1 LI : \ : . . The first of the local high school at the time timewas timewas principal Young who was in the presentation presentatioi , of this first fall fair ' . instrumental was largely bince since the fair has been held and each eachyear eachyear succeeding year Each Improvement in exhIbits and program . year has seen towi11 town in December of 1902 1902wIth 1902with a as \ Moab l\loab l loab was incorporated jcorporated ineorpor ineorporwith councilmen councilm11 : H . G . Green , president ; v . with the following couiP Grimm and D . A . Johnson . | P . Martin , 3 J ' . ' W 'V V . Williams " WillianFrom 'Illiams Illiams ' , Henry untIl the first mayor , as with Mr ] L . Green time that , From of Moab : Henry Henryon served as mayors have s sContinued followi.ng following followLug followingjiave . 1 1937 :1937 : 3Z the - ( Continued on last Inst page ) ' I A History of Moab MoabContinued MoabContinued I ( Continued from first page ) I Giimrn Gumm Giimm , Chas Keller Kpller , C . A . . HammondV Hammond , W 'V V \V ' \ . . R McConkie IVlcConlne , H H.S HS . S . Rutledge , J T . . . T . Learning Leanung and D . E . Baldwin Baldwm . The citizen who today walks down the well-ordel well ordel well-ordered well ordered wellorderedmain well-ordeiedmain well ordeiedmain - ed edmam mam main sheet stieet sh eei of Moab has difficulty in m picturing plcturmg a tune time whenit when whenIt whenit It was piactically plactIcaIly practically taking- taking takmg takingone's - one's ones ' life hfe in m one's ones ' hands hand nands & to casual1y casually casual1ywalk casuallywalk casuallywalk walk down the same sb sti sheet e eet t . , . But Moab IVloab , . like most every wect- wect west- west wectel western wost-ein wost ein ; - el ern n town , e\.pe1 e.pe1 e .pe1 pe1 c\penenced c penenced expeiienced \ ' . Ienced a peiiod pellOd of "wild wild " and woolly " days dayswhen dayswhen dayswhen when the thp gun was law , and sometimes discretion was flung flungto flungto flungto to the winds wmds b by bT T means of too much hard whiskey , and co\\-- co cow- cow coboys cowboys cow cowboys \ - - boys rode thiough thlOUgh the sheets streets shooting shootmg flist fhst fist at one side and andthen andthen andthen then the other . The "lomanhc lomanhc "romantic romantic " days of the early west " wero were werooften wereoften wereoften often somewhat some\\hat some hat \ of a leality leahty ieahty . But with a saloon on each side sideof . , sideof ide ideof of Main l\Iam l Iam \ sheet sbeet stieet and whiskey blought biought bi ought in 1n by barlel barrel ban el lots and andsold andsold andsold sold without any license or restriction ( bought at ninety-five ninety five ninetyfivecents ninetyfivecents ninety-fivecents ninety fivecents - cents per gallon wholesale ) , brawls weie wele were not uncommon . . At Attunes Attimes Attimes tunes times the dances became fiee-for-alls fiee for alls flee-for-alls flee - - and often the pahons patrons pahonsmade patronsmade pahonsmade made a hasty exit e\.it e.it e .it it ' \ . via windows wmdows or any other way they couldfine couldfine could fine out of the house . I There were numerous engagements with w11h guns ( not of often of- of often often - ten as the lomancer iomancer of the west peihaps pe1l1aps perhaps " would "ould ould have you believe be- be beheve be believe - lieve heve ) but sometimes men were killed . Many of the old cet- cet set- set cettle1s settleis ; set-tieis set tieis - tle1s tleis can tell many interesting mterestmg and thnlhng thl1lhng thiilling m.pe1 mpe1 . oxpeiiences axperiences ences of ofthose ofthose ofthose those early days . The name of Tom Roach , for mstance instance instancebrings , brmgs brings to mind n1ind many things th1UgS , and most any old settler could couldtell couldtell couldtell tell how hov { Roach killed Indian Joe-October Joe October Joe - October 24 , 1888 . IndIan IndIanJoe IndianJoe IndianJoe byBranch Joe was an Indian taken captive after a v/ar v ar vvar war / and raised by Branch Young of Mona IVlona . He eventually found his way to tolIoab toMoab toMoab l\Ioab l Ioab Moab \ with a duve diive of cattle cattle ; ; , and started statted wolkmg woiking for J . H H.Shafer HShafer . Shafer . He was a peaceable Indian , except e\.cept e.cept e .cept cept ' \ . when under the themfluence theinfluence theinfluence mfluence influence of whiskey . But in m 1887 he killed Bill Gibson and andfrom andfrom andfrom from that time on , he was wacs morose and houblesome boublesome tioublesome . It seem- seem seemed seemed seem-ed seem ed - ] ed that he lie was constantly seeking seekmg 11 tiouble ouble and when he hechallenged hechallenged hechallenged challenged Tom Roach he was too slow in m hawmg thawing ( di awing his gun I IPiobably Piobably P10bably gunP10bably gunPiobably due to its location , Moab l\Ioab l Ioab \ was ofien often the "hide-out "hide hide out "hIde- "hIde hIde "hIdeout "hideout " - - out " for eaily eally outlaws Butch Cassidy was known in the thesettlements thesettlements thesettlements settlements in m this legion . . \ Moab l\Ioab l Ioab is not far from the famous famous"Robber's famous"Robber's famous"Robber's famousRobbers "Robber's Robbers " ' Roost " counhy countiy cOlm ljT , famed in 111 the early histoly histoiy , ac- ac accounts accounts ac accounts - - counts of which aie ale piobably p10bably much exaggerated e\.aggerated e.aggerated e .aggerated aggerated ' \ . . One should not be too hasty hacty ; in m judging Judgmg fudging many of these theseeallr theseeaily thoseeaily eallr eaily ) so-called so called - - outlaws The law of tha thQ then west wect ; often was the thesurvival thesurvival urvival survival . , of the shong stiong , and many manjr men became haidened hmdened byconditions by bycondItions byconditions condItions they had to meet . Tom Roach , for instance mstance , was wasan wasan wasan an eaily eally outlaw with a record . Howevel Ho"evel Hoevel However " , , many who hnew knew hnewhm1 knewhim knewhim hm1 him \ well \ ell insisted msisted that heas he was \\as as \ \ not all bad , and when he came cameto cameto cameto to theii theh their homes he was a peifect pel feet feci gentleman , his Ins gun always alwayswas alwayswas alwayswas was thehome 1 lemoved emoved iemoved and handed hdnded to his Ius host before he entel enteied ed the thehome home . Often Cll cncumstances cumstances circumstances alter cases ca5es and " what "hat hat may seem seemImpOl seemimpoitant seemimpoitant ImpOl impoitant tant today may be insignificant mSIgmficant tomonow tomo11oW tomoriow and the iu- iu tif- tif tifvialities iuvmhtIes tn-vialities tn vialities - vmhtIes vialities of today may be the big issues to those who come comeafter comeafter comeafter after . The gun lule llIle iule of eaily emly daysVas days \ was \Vas Vas geneial gene1al general thioughout th10Ughout the thesettlement thesettlement thesettlement settlement of the west . We 'Ve Ve ' today , in 111 the fine cIvIlIzatIOn cIvIlIzatIOnthose civilizationthose civilizationthose those fionheismen flOnbE'lSmen flOnbElSmen fiontieismen ' have built for us should not criticize too toohalshly toohaishly toohaishly halshly haishly the measuies which seemed necessazy necessmy necessaiy in m conqueung conqueiing conquenngthe conqueungthe conqueiingthe the thevest west \vest vest . \ . . Undoubtedly many inteieshng 1ntelestmg inteiesting and10mantIc and lomanhc iomantic tales of the theeady theeaily theeaily eady eaily days " will 111 never be lecoided iecoided I ecO ! ded . But the histoly histoiy of the west westand " westand est estand and any fionher lontIer fiontier settlement is fraught with mteiest mte1est interest and In- In - tugue tiigue m-higue m higue Intugue intiigue . ' We 'Ve Ve can be p10udof pioudof pioud p10ud of our noble pioneer heritage and andbUIld andbuild andbuild bUIld on the foundations they have laid for us usThe . ( The End ) |