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Show :-: Iron County :-: Its Cities, Towns and Resources :-: Courtesy Zion Studio Section of Cedar City's Main Street. Iron County-Historical County-Historical By WM. R. PALMER, Pres. Parowan Stake of Zion The two principle Iron county settlements, set-tlements, Parowan and Cedar City, were founded in the year 1851, The founding of these settlements was part of a gigantic scheme of President Presi-dent Brigham Young to conquer for civilization the inland empire of the country known as the Intermountain West. Within a remarkably short span of years after the arrival of the great empire builder in the Salt Lake valley, val-ley, he had practically circumscribed the Intermountain country with a ring of outposts. There was Fort Limhi, on the Salmon River in what is now Idaho. There was Fort Supply Sup-ply on the east. Carson valley, in western Nevada, on the west, and Iron county, Santa Clara, and Los Vegas settlements on the south. These Iron county colonies, which in the beginning be-ginning included also old Fort Harmony, Har-mony, served as recruiting stations and colonizing centers from which wore drawn the settlers for new settlements set-tlements all through what is now Southern Utah. In the winter of 1849 and 1S50, an exploring party sent out by Brigham Young, discovered the great beds of iron from which this county takes its name. Iron was scarce in the west, and excessively ex-cessively expensive because of te great cost of freight from the Missouri Mis-souri River by ox team, and yet it was indispensable. The discovery of the iron ore perhaps set far ahead the colonization of this section of country, for the great leader conceived conceiv-ed the idea of manufacturing iron at this point to supply ' the Intermountain Inter-mountain needs. To impress the advanced period of Iron county settlement, it is only necessary to say that there was no town south of Provo, and the first , company saw no white man after leaving leav-ing that section. Iron was actually manufactured here in Cedar City as early as the fall of 1852, and thereafter, for some seven or eight years, intensive efforts ef-forts were put forth to produce it in commercial quantities. Castings of exceptional quality were produced from the very beginning, but the workers never succeeded in manufacturing manufac-turing a satisfactory malleable iron. Because of the determination of President Young to build up a successful suc-cessful iron industry here, there were among the early settlers of this section sec-tion a number of highly trained engineers, engi-neers, mechanics, and experienced iron workers, the best men that could be found. The influence of these trained minds greatly enriched the social and civic life of the colony in those early days. In 1S58 Cedar City had a popula- Community Life in Iron County Is Wholesome The wholesomness of Iron county's community life, is not the least of its assets. It has no foreign elements; its population is strictly American and you will not find in any of its communities, any "China towns," "niggers' quarters" or other wise. Something of conditions in the respective re-spective communities, is given herewith: here-with: CEDAR CITY Cedar City, the meropolis of Southern South-ern Utah, has increased its population from 2,482 in 1920 to 4,000 at present. Perhaps no other town or city in the state has made the vigorous, permanent perm-anent development that Cedar City has made during the last four years. The dreams of its founders are varily coming true; it is destined to become a great industrial and scenic center. The following are a few things that have made, and are making this thrifty community: 1. Its greatest asset is the co-operative spirit of its people; they "go get" the big town things. 2. The coming of the branch line of the Union Pacific railroad in 1923 tion of 1000 people, many of whom, or most of whom had been attracted here by prospects of an industrial community. The coming of Johnston's army, with their enormous supply of implements, imple-ments, chains and iron of all kinds, somewhat relieved the iron shortage in Utah and by the year 1860 the building of the railroad into Utah was assured. This solved the freight problem prob-lem and insured an ample supply of iron, and the local industry was abandoned. After the break-up of the iron works many of the settlers left the town, some went to California, and others to pioneer new settlements in various parts of Southern Utah. The principle industry of the section sec-tion has always been its livestock. The climate was good, forage abundant, abund-ant, and there was an ideal combination combina-tion of winter and summer ranges. Livestock, therefore, flourished from the -beginning, and the fact that they could be transported to market on the hoof has made this industry the coun-trv's coun-trv's one best bet. Farming has been successful to the extent of the country's needs, but until recent years the markets for farming products were so far away that there has been no incentive to produce anv great surplus. The coming com-ing of the railroad into Cedar valley has stimulated farming activities to the extent that more land, perhaps, has been brought under cultivation in the last five years than in all the history of the settlement up to that time. CVurtv R. P. A.Iatv.3 ?:-d-o Power House at Cedar Mountain Tramway Coal Mine. f-J f 1 1 l W f ill itlij v 1 1 Bank Building and Business Block at Parowan. has revolutionized the community. 3. 835 car loads of sheep, 150 car loads of cattle, and nearly two and a quarter million pounds of wool and mohair are shipped annually from Cedar City. Its extensive range and cheap forage corps make it a real livestock center. 4. The development of the inexhaustible inex-haustible deposits of iron near it, from which 500,000 tons of 53 ore are shipped annually; its coal, gyp- educational center for the Southern part of the state. 8. The El Escalante hotel with 88 guest rooms, auditorium and commodious commo-dious dining room, and other hotels, bring tourists and conventions. 9. Cedar City has one mile of street paving, many miles of concrete sidewalks, side-walks, a sewerage system, city water and lights, telegraph and telephone connections, etc. 10. Churches and lodge rooms, a L4cM County Court House and Public Safety Building at Parowan. W M v;i f I i ft id ? " M - A , v 111 The L. D. S. Church at Parowan. sum, and many other minerals make for development and wealth. 5. Its 16,000 acres of improved and 50.000 acres of brush land, together with its gravity and subterranean irrigation ir-rigation water, make agriculture the really big industry. 6. It is tourist headquarters for one of America's greatest wonderlands. wonder-lands. 7. The branch of the State Agricultural Agri-cultural college makes Cedar City an public library, swimming pool, two modern show houses, dance halls, pavilions, pa-vilions, rodeo grounds, canyon resorts, etc., supply wholesome recreation. 11. The chamber of commerce has two hundred and twenty-five $10.00 members, eighty of whom serve on committees. It has a membership with the national chamber of commerce com-merce and is closely connected with the Salt Lake City chamber. It has one of the most substantial Rotary i s v r --xJ: H U f J- - , I A A r ,ft - - ' - '':t: ,1fV ' "' F - i X 1 ' Z 1 . .' - -"' - ' -" - ' - "' . ' . ' V t.. : , i . i - : . ! t .. . -:--. 1;. I,. A'.i.-r.f .-: , :,r, Gvpsum Bed- in Cedar Canyon. I.arL'c.-t Knon in the Ir.lormmint.nn 'iS-t or Coa-t Stales. t?J (. Courtesy Zion Stutlio Hotel El Escalante, Cedar City. organizations in the West, as well as federated womens' clubs and other mediums of public benefit. Cedar City's "latch string" is on the outside. We are more than pleased pleas-ed to have had the members of the Utah State Press association with us for your 1927 outing. We hope the treatment you received was such that you will come again. We recognize the untold good of the press and appreciate ap-preciate your visit and the good word you will pass along. GEORGE A. MITCHELL, Secretary, Cedar City Chamber of Commerce PAROWAN CITY Parowan City, the county seat and second largest city in the county, was settled in January, 1851 by Mormon pioneers. It is located on the Zion Park highway at an elevation of six thousand feet; has a population of near two thousand; owns its own water system through which it receives re-ceives an abundant supply of good water from a mountain spring; its own modern electric light plant from which it sells a large surplus of power after providing for the needs of its own citizens; has probably the best lighted main street of any city its size in the state; concrete sidewalks, a good high school and elementry schools; public library, theatre and amusement halls, churches, a progres-sive'bank, progres-sive'bank, stores, garages, cheese factory, fac-tory, bakery and other business concerns. con-cerns. And with these it has a climate which approaches the ideal; very healthful and without extremes in temperature. Its chief industries are agriculture and livestock, and it is the center of one of the biggest Ram-bouillet Ram-bouillet sheep industries in the world. Since the establishment less than a year ago, . of a cheese factory, the dairy industry is rapidly forging ahead in Parowan and the Parowan valley. 4 ' , -:. :-::;, , - ':"' i : ' t" t ; , ? ' ' - i, . , ; , " ; ' - - . ..- . " I , i r-r - - i . f j - - ' . , VI : Vim rt'".y inn Slu'tio Tourist Camp. Cedar City. |