Show correspondence bro pro progressive dessive res sive institutions Institution sLoss lloyw fire brotherly help gelp SNOWVILLE ViLLE dec 31 as editor deseret i the year just closing has been pi general peace and prosperity ro fos ios pt little settlement it is presided by y an energetic competent man mau tg peo people 0 generally enjoy the spin their religion ligion A number of resi resl 4 have been b built several new st se I 1 i have come in n the he past season have anew a new tithing granary nearly I 1 on christmas night the ladies ladles lief society gave ave a party in the im ing house which was well atter attel th the e R S parties being the bes have we have a Y 31 and Y L min a prosperous condition having up our meetings on sunday eve conjointly all last summer bath school and primary assod are also in excellent condition i also have a good good day school in sess seas taught by bv miss E ballam last r t night i ht between 7 6 and 8 oc a sad misfortune bebel bro geo I 1 a young mi man in of this place in the thel I 1 ingot 1119 lilg of lis its his house and contents themire the firc originated is unknown nu no being in the house at the time this morning a subscription list started for the relief of bro bw dal family faintly headed by the bishop I 1 TW subscription of 10 quite a the brethren have responded IN wishing you and your read happy new year I 1 remain your ther in a the gospel WM lir continuation of the account Acco tint of flonary labors of B younk young fla J grant in the editor despret news neus since pritim writing edythe you jou oil last last lash 1 I hate aate vs T saint david darid a settlements set sel tl ci nellt neilt gila river we remained five d it st david had a pleasant time vba with the saints and holding me meed traveling from albuquerque U david the arst runnIng water se g ter leaving the RIO eio grande Gran deDe det dei was the san pedro we passed ay iy R many very tine Itne valleys bilt but with ax t caption of occasional springs ot r t which are very small they are de 0 t of water the san pedro valley was wag f flir flin tied in november 1877 by phile merrill and six families W now souls in the valley belofi the churchard church Chur chand ja nd some non mons 11 there are between W 0 three thousand acres of land iano ia t vicinity of st da david id that call cali be bea bated the stock tingo tinge range in con cov cooby S with w 0 small smail a amount mount ot farl sari farrl elmost imort unlimited st davista david nas has W s a iod tod d district school house built i adobe the town is about eight les from benson railroad station and the east bank of tha tho san pedro ver iver londay monday the loth uit the following aty left st louis for pima our settlement on the gila rivery eiver la brigham young wife and child resident C layton hyrum S bry iii ii joseph G allred philemon lemon iemon C idano d jno S merrill bishop win wm 3 1 anson calvin rad R ad nelson P bee d henry clifford joseph layton and ase ysela our ur t trip p was not very enjoyable as ie e wind blew most of time and it was hite pite alte cold in comparison with the very ie tle weather which had previously pre tiled since arriving in arizona on the alter niter afternoon noon of the we arved at pima rima formerly called smith ille ilie but chan changed ed on account of the authorities refusing to recognize lat name during our stay there we laifed the country both up and down lie yie ie gila saturday and sunday the burig th and we vve held meetings bur durig our stay on the gila the following bisho t shops sand and counselors were set apart W V B D Johnson Bishop of st david lonroe curtis bishop of curtis jno 1 I moody bishop of Thatcher jorgen or genson bishop of graham joseph luts ints bishop of ward to be organized adjoining djoi ning thatcher on the west john aylor counselor to bishop of ima win wm ballard and john sims ud nd 2nd and counselors to bishop of aur curis andrew anderson and J L wilon and 2nd and counselors to bishop f graham we also blessed and set apart a ber her er of ont onn officers leers of the relief societies sunday 1 s school hooi hool primary and mutual improvement associations the following young brethren viz E brice moses loses A cluff L H add judd D matthews jas L larson narson a A J dodge MM allred alired allred T P ro norton r ton win wm galean thos jast last ben peal and john IV johnson jr were selected to the kp spanish anish lad iad language guage and prepare for a mission to the Lama A number of others were willing to labor in this mission but for the present they were excused those called ex presse resse da willingness williep ess to labor for the gest lest best of their abilities the gila valley is located in graham county arizona the soil Is very fine anu and it is claimed that twenty acres will produce equally as much as nifty fifty in utah that is P provided provided two crops are raised and 11 this can be done as the seasons are long corn 16 to 18 feet has been rals raised and water melons from fifty to seventy pounds weight it is estimated that ariere are from to acres of 0 good land in the valley the fhe gila river was thought to be fully as large as the weber wibber by most of our party I 1 thom thought there was a considerable sid erable difference in size in favor of the ff weber eber much of the land has been taken up by non mor mons and in many cases our people 1 have haye purchased rather than locate OH orl lands with no water on them and still covered with brush bishop jos K rogers and a few families settled in the vailey vuey in april 1879 souls belonging to the church church are now located there there have been many cases of chills and fever in the gila a and nd san redro pedro valleys but it is claimed that there is no danger of either provided the people locate on the bench land on the uit our party started on she ahe the return trip to st david via san simon and sulphur springs valleys these valleys ore fine for stock rals rais but of very little value for sett settlements leing on account of the lack of water their extents as near as may be are 1 20 by 60 and 30 by miles respective i ly the southern pacific railway runs i through both of them I 1 parted with brother young and started for home on the 9 at the ranch of brother wm win life ilfe formerly 0 y of ogden in sulphur springs valley on my way home stop stopped ed in san luis valley colorado and held heid meetings at 3 manassa a ephraim ephraem and richfield round u dt the people in excellent health and learned that they had an exceptionally good harvest H J grast grant |