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Show Sketches of History From Dixie's Past (Contributed by H. L. Reid 0f the History Department of Dixie College). Under this heading eaoh week I hereafter win appear an article dealing with the early pioneer days in Dixie, taken from files of newspapers published here. The articles are furnished by H. L. Peid of the history department of Dixie College, who has secured copies of papers published since the early '60's and should prove of considerable interest as they reflect the doings of the pioneers as chronicled by the early day newspaper man. DESCRIPTION OF ST. GEORGE The following description of St. George was published in "Our Dbde Times" of Wednesday, January Jan-uary 22, 1368. This was the first issue of the first newspaper ever published in St. George, and was edited by J. E. Johnson: This city is located upon an inclined in-clined plane, in the midst of a broad valley, near the junction of the Santa Clara with the Virgin. Vir-gin. It was first located in the winter and spring of 1852, and is consequently but five years old. It probably contains some two or three hundred buildings, and 1500 inhabitants. It has a fine public hall and many creditable buildings build-ings and permanent improvements. The streets are laid out at right angles with lots containing nearly an acre of land, broad streets and a rivulet of water running down each, beside rows of tall shade trees. St. George is about 350 miles south of Salt Lake City, 125 east of the Pahranagat mines, and about 100 miles north of the head of navigation on the Colorado, and 150 from the located route of the Southern Union Pacific railroad. The city is watered by springs gushing from under a mountain of rocks to the north. The Deseret Telegraph makes here its southern south-ern terminus, ere it leaps forward for-ward ocress. the Colorado river to the capital of Arizona and the Pacific. Pa-cific. Veins of stone coal have been found within thirty miles. Our Cedar Ce-dar groves- for firewood are ten or fifteen miles away, and most of our lumber comes from Pine valley, some thirty miles distance. The stock range near the city is very poor, and much of the tillable till-able land here is of rather inferior quality for grain, but good for most sorts of fruit, especially the grape, pears, peaches, etc. To a considerable extent the soil is charged with alkaline and salkie mineral, which in moderate quantities quan-tities is a fine fertilizer, but in excess is poison to most vegetation. vegeta-tion. St. George is twelve miles north of the line dividing Utah from Arizona, is 1300 feet lower than Salt Lake City and one degree west, and is in latitude about 37, we believe. |