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Show Grove history filled with courage, determination PI. By JOHN BEST Special to The Daily Herald Pleasant Grove was only a small camp with several families 146 years ago when development first began. Today this picturesque city situated Mount between towering Timpanogos and shimmering Utah Lake has grown to a busy community of 19.000 residents. The history of this community with Indian fights, strawberry fields, schools and churches is filled with courage and determination. Much of the information in this article comes from a compilation of information by Mildred Sutch. chairman of the" Grove Pleasant Historical Preservation Commission. She is currently with her committee on a more complete history of Pleasant Grove to be published in 1997. Her sources include "Pleasant Grove Beginnings' published by the Battlecreek, Pleasant Grove, and Manila camps of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers, and 'One Hundred Years of Progress' a centennial edition published in 1950 by the Pleasant Grove Centennial Committee, and 'A History of Pleasant Grove" wirtten by Calivn Walker. The city had its beginnings at a special conference in Salt Lake City on September 8, 1950, when Brigham Young called for some families to go at once to Utah Valley to begin a new community. Seven families responded to his call. The first permanent settlers o'' 7 v;i ant Grove u onwood camped in a grove trees on September 13, Z5U. The men of the seven families began immediately to construct a small fon consisting of log houses. The houses were small measuring only J 2 by 14 feet. These homes were only temporary, and provided shelter du.ing .the winter. By 85 most of the families had moved out on their .respective farms. By 1853 the population had grown to 290, as more and more families desired to live in the beautiful valley with tall mountains, ample streams and a large 1 lake. , In 1 853 the fears of Indian attacks prompted Brigham Young to instruct each community to build town forts SPANISH: (Continued From Page 62) the same site. a new brick building on It. too. burned in 1927. Life was still hard, however. In 885, contagious diseases took many lives and It became illegal to convey n a boat or railroad car any person or their .effects with a disease that couId .befatal. It was also illegal to sell --any damaged or. unsound foods. In spite of precautions, that year saw 47 residents die, including 28 chil IT We're Not Just A Thrift Store! for protection. The families in Pleasant Grove began to construct their fort immediately, and chose the center of town. Markers can still be found to indicate the corners of this early fort. The follow ing description of the old fort was written by Charles B. Harper: "As soon as the walls were fairjy started the people began to build homes within the fort square. These homes were built just inside the walls of the fort, on three-ro- d lots, with the house set about in the center of the lot. All houses faced toward the center blocks of the fort. "A roadway extended all the way around the four center blocks of the fort and across this road from each home lot were the individual owners' barns. Within the space circled by the barns was a large community corral." There are only two Indian battles recorded in Pleasant Grove's frontier history. One battle over cattle stealing happened in 1849 - one year before settlers came. This battle on the banks of a river is remembered today by the popular name "Battle Creek" which is used to denote parks, churches, roads and areas of town. The second Indian battle occurred between Indians and soldiers in 1863. No deaths resulted from the battle to humans, however five mules were killed. The year 1855 was a bittersweet time. The city received its official incorporation that year, but also lost almost all of its crops to grasshoppers. Only 500 bushels of w heat and 900 bushels of potatoes were spared to sustain a population of 633. With the coming of the telegraph Pleasant in 1870 to downtown Grove, and the railroad in IS73. pioneer life was ending in this small but grow ing tow n. The turn of the century marked a day to remember in Pleasant Grove. Through the combined efforts of Pleasant Grove. American Fork and Lehi. the electrical power plant was built in American Fork Canyon, and on December 12. 1900. electric lights burned for the first time in Pleasant Grove. More improvements came in 1905 with the installation of a city water system. (See GROVE, Pae Ask the hundreds of disabled elderly, or others in need who have used Deseret Industries f as a spring board to a better way of life. Did you know Deseret Industries... Is a sheltered workshop training over 300 people who are either elderly, disabled, Non-Prof- it or in need every year? Retail prices are set to help every- - e. Finds jobs and outplaces over 100 luinces each year. How You Can Help SAVE & DONATE all your surplus goods during our scheduled drives. (If you can't wait, call 0 for scheduled pick-up- ) Discover the savings and surprises by shopping our stores. 373-792- 52 Hi ns--r 41 I $ l I I We all thank you for your support. 64) dren under the age of 10. Only about 7 percent of eligible children attended school during this time. In spile of the problems of Iron-tie- r life, much progress was made. The first newspaper in town was pub lished in 1891. The first telephone was placed in the. Robertson and same Aryle Drug Store about the time, and the first merry go round ever seen in the state was built by C R. Larsen in a. "Spanish Fork 884.-Thfirst basefoundry built in Blue the called Boys was ball team 890's. the in developed Deseret Industries Thrift Store Bishops Storehouse PROVO AM. FORK A DESERET INDUSTRIES People Helping People Help Themselves e Biv2 63 |