Show THE MUDDY VALLEY editor debret nelc ota ob monday morning the of Wa marchin robin company with elders myron abbott and george W lee J iun u n of bunkerville Bun kerville I 1 continued my journe ft bin that place toward the southwest south west md and after traveling 36 86 miles and cross stag the rio virgen 17 times we at length h arrived at st thomas on the truddy dy and put up tor for the night with bro moses W wilson the next day we continued the journey eight miles up the muddy to 0 overton where we held bold a meeting with the saints and F the fhe same evening paid a visit to st joseph situated on the east side of the creek five miles above overton this valy reminds me of some of the waste places of zion which I 1 visited three years ago in missouri and illinois indeed the muddy valley can consistently be classed among these it will be remembered that in the years 1885 1865 to 1871 the latter day saints had three flouti flourishing shing settle ments here named respectively st thomas overton and st bt joseph besides west point in the upper muddy valley alley and junction at the point where the rio bio virgen unites with the colorado river twenty five miles below st thomas these settlements were founded by missionaries who were called by the authorities of the church from the northern settlements in utah to settle nettle on the muddy with an eye to raising cotton and other staples which the rich sil and sunny climate here were capable of producing but it proved roved to be a very hard mission and it t required extraordinary efforts on the part of these colonizing missionaries to subdue obdue the extensive alkaline deserts which hach composed the greater portion of the valley during the years 1865 1870 inclusive the people expended at least one hundred thousand delars in labor in con dams and irrigation canals what lumber they were able to obtain they had to haul about one hundred duj and fifty miles over a sandy bandy desert most of the way way from the pine valley mountains north of st george at a cost of twenty dollars for every one hundred feet and in the beginning their necessary su pilles lea for a living had bad to be hauled irom from the settlements in central utah then they had to feed an indian population outnumbering their own and that too without the aid of a single dollar rom the government they also constructed about one hun dred and fifty dwellings planted orchards and vineyards cleared about five hundred acres ot of cotton fields and did all in their power to establish permanent homes when it transpired that the boundary line of nevada was established 1 li eating the settlements ot of the muddy in that state and the authorities of nevada demanded ot of our people on the muddy the tax imposed upon its citizens of three per centon all taxable property in gold coin for state and county purposes and four dollars in gold pole tax being an agricultural people and fat far remote from any market marke tand and unable to convert their produce into cash the settlers bottlers were unable to pay this heavy beav tax and us the state authorities gave no BO heed to a petition setting forth these facts facto and the county official proceeded to collect the unjust tax by power of law it was considered wie dom for the saints to vacate the valley which they did early io in 1871 since that time the muddy valley although one of the finest and most moat productive localities north of the rim bim of the basin has been under a cloud A few mining prospectors came in and took possession sion after our people left and located a few ranches up and down the valley but they met with no success and nd today there to is only five families in and around st bt taomas which numbered souls or about fifty families when our people lived there only about eight families in and around overton which when possessed by the saints had bad about twenty families and three in and near st joseph which had forty families before it was broken up in 1871 besides these three towns there was west point with about twenty five families in 1870 and now occupied by two families and a batchelor of our people there are at present eight families in overton three at st thomas one at st joseph one at west point which the overton ward with thirteen families or members brigham whitmore of overton is Bis bishop bop with david J cox of overton as first and moses W gibson of st thomas as second the valley of the lower muddy extends from ane rio bio virgen river in a northwesterly direction for a distance of nearly eighteen miles and has bae an average width of two miles it is covered in many places with a heavy growth of greasewood mesquite mee quite cedar ete etc grass to is abundant on the surrounding bluffs blu fis there are several swamps in the valley vall eythe the muddy being rather a sluggish stream with only a few feet fall in the whole length of the valley in order to dry up these swamps and to secure the water for irrigation purposes our people constructed ted a canal nine miles long on the southwest side of the valley and were preparing to make a similar one on the east side when the vacation occurred had our people remained and finished these and other projects the swamps would today have been things of the past as well as the fever and ague with which the present inhabitants suffer in the summer season and which undoubtedly are caused by the marshy swampy places which now abound st thomas lies in the lowest end of the valley about one oae mile and a half above the junction of the muddy with the rio virgen and on the west side of the first named stream the old streets of st thomas are easily traced yet from the afie regular rows of tall cot conwood trees which line both sides of them and from a distance the old townsite has the appearance of a beautiful grove aitho at the time of its ith pros st thomas consisted of eighty five city lots lote of 0 e acre each and about the same number of vineyard lots 1018 containing aj 2 acres each and farm lots of nearly the same number containing five acres each ten lots formed a block and the streets were six rods roda wide including sidewalks side walks twelve feet wide overton lies on the same side bide of the muddy about eight miles northwest of st thomas and its present appear ance is very similar to that of st this in also the case cae with st joseph lying five miles milea no north of overton on ft the east sift ride of the stream at ab st joseph a number of ruins mine of the old houses bouses are visible on every hand band and the general appearance of the place re minds me of something that was but is ia no more will the saints baiato ever again possess this beautiful valley is ia a question which I 1 have asked myself and a number of my brethren whom 1 I have associated with on this journey the place seems indeed to possess many natural advantages which are denied a number of other localities who where our people are making strenuous efforts to make mak them ethem selves homes in fact the valley of tha muddy can produce almost everything that the human race needs for food and clothing cotton can be cultivated very successfully here figs fige almonds graat s peaches apricots and the numerous kinds of other fruits adapted for this climate can be raised in abundance five crops of lucern are procured every season and in fact the same ground can produce two crops in one year one of small grain and one of corn corb sugar cane or potatoes the muddy is f A stream that is easily controlled troll ed and most of the land is exceedingly angly rich and productive this thi added to the prospects of a railroad passing through the upper valley in a near future ought to command the attention of saints who are seeking fur for homes but I 1 am of the opinion that only a united effort could make aset a set aling scheme a success here if fifty or one hundred families would unite together and buy the whole valley from the state of nevada and such parts of it that are already claimed from the present owners I 1 believe that in a few years this valley could be transformed from its present desolate condition into a perfect garden of eden and by dr draining al ning the swamps and low places the sickness which lias has hitherto prevailed would be entirely overcome aud and it might also be proper to state in this connection that the state and county officials of nevada have changed as to their opinion and treatment of the mormon people and I 1 have been informed that they look upon the attitude assumed toward our people in 1870 71 as a most moat unfortunate one and regret very vert much that the saints were forced away by this oppression and unjust taxation which I 1 have referred to and parts of the valley which Is not already owned by the few inhabitants who occupy it at present or ar who hold claims here can be purchased from the state of nevada for one dollar and a quarter per acre with the privilege of paying most ot of it at their own option during a period of twenty five years after purchase ANDREW JENSON OVERTON lincoln co nevada march 23 1892 |