Show THE UINTAH STAKE the uintah stake of zion comprises all tf of uintah county utah but the only part of it which up to the present time has baa been redeemed from the desert and brought under cultivation to is the ashley valley and its extension alor g dry fork the ashley valley proper extends in a southeasterly direction for nearly eighteen miles and has an average width of about seven miles it la 18 bordered on the north and east by loty mountain iq on the south and wt at by low ridges which se separate pirate it from the surrounding bad lands or deserts the ashley fork of Green River rises in the uintah range of mountains around the marsh peak or baldy peak as it is locally called it takes taken a southeasterly course through canyons and the valley which bears its name and finally empties into green river at jennens Jena Jense ens nv ferry about fourteen miles southeast of the ashley centre nearly all of uintah county outside of the ashley country which does not consist of mountains is embraced in the ut and ute indian reservations and consequently uninhabited except by the indians indiana but there are the indian agencies at white rook bock and ouray and also the post port fort du chesne uintah county was created by act of the utah legislature in 1880 and consists of about square miles of country it is bounded on the east ty by the state of colorado south by grand county west by emery wasatch and summit counties and north by wyoming there are immense coal beds in the county some of them very near the settlements but they are very imperfectly m developed as yet there being no opportunity for shipping and the local consumption being very small owing to the fact that there is plenty of good cedar wood to be used for fuel in the surrounding mountains different kinds kind ot of mineral also exist but up to the present none have been brought into commercial use has been discovered discover edl while crude petroleum forces its way out of the ground sit at points adjacent to the settlements for several years ashley valley was almost exclusively a stock raising country but since 1877 when the saints began their farming operations there agriculture has by far been the ohie chief and most profitable branch ot of industry the climate is good though naturally hot and sultry in the summer but the nights are always cool hud and invigorating the altitude is a nearly the same as utah valley the watering water is good and pure in the upper end but somewhat brackish in the lower end and of the valley good health prevails as a rule among the people and prosperity has attended their labors to an imminent degree ashley valley is truly an oadis a in the desert there being no other farming settlement nearer than price in emery munty which is more than one hundred miles di distant stani and the intervening enter country is all desert and most of it absolutely unfit for tiva tit tl n there are however good tracts of land along the uintah the du chesne cheale and lakes lake a fork that could be cultivated and irrigated from the streams mentioned but all this is within the limits of the indian reservation the uintah stake of zion of six wards namely the ashley consists mill glines and merrill wards whis comprise one beautiful farming district occupying the upper of the valley mountain den end on dry fork and riv Bi verdale a rd a ae tending down towards end and along alone freela aru river samuel B R banion Benn lon the theare pre aident of the staica to la a man of ence and integrity his big first COull counsell seler brother 8 reubel collett is M same elder who in connection the WIM apostle john henry smith defied tk ith jarman mob in sheffield 9 eneleni En FID elani gland the T 1886 1885 and the second counselor it F brother james hacking W hose in reputation reached my ears before beant reached the valley of the chui church 1 veterans who dwell in this part of oath tue country may be mentioned jeremi Jereral hatch who formerly presided as rinh all here srael JOlar kIndlan bishop of the pioneers of 1841 and several members of the 1 battalion including J dameg ames H clinest matthew caldwell dennis W WIDD and three or four others the 31 W wh stake has a total membership member ehiD hole of ofton souls soule or families there i patriarchs 64 54 seventies 53 58 are ma r 2 bilth 8 priests elders IS 13 an 19 teachers 76 deacons 4 i members and children eight years of age besides the thears alor MrS mon population there are quite a nn ber of non in the duna valley h but a gor go d understanding seems to among the different classes au ansa anS I 1 dream 1 have joined the church gome ashley ward is the principal k w in the stake it consists cou sista of ward or 85 families presided over by bv george freestone the village village thih looS known know a as vernal verbal that being le thes poo same name is the centre of ashlan aahl ward but only a small portion ts Y of th live in the 0 people village the rest rs tilde aide on their farms farma in the surrounding surround hS re of region country vernal is boa ott fully situated on a level bench on the th west side of abailey Aeh leys s pork fork it is ia about aft 26 25 miles north northwest west of port fort duchesse Duch miles from price lao miles esme rrok heber city and about 76 75 miles soo of carter the nearest railway houtla blattn the union pacific on railway but bufa the road leading to this point to is verv aa rough and mountain mountainous very ouss nearly all the freighting to and from the valley to done by way of price there to la m 1 respectable ward house in ashley several school houses a number of 0 stores store etc there to Is also a small weekly newspaper published call called vernal express edited by W hi schick and owned by J M 13 barker arker A started the woman first paper to in ashley valley the uintah pd edited and published by kate joan jean boan the initial number bears date of january and the paper was wa continued till february 1892 when 1 it changed name to the vernal the flait number of which to la dated february alth 1892 the merrill ward thus named in honor of carter W merridis derrll Merr ilis ll the first pj pg residing elder in that part of the valley comprises that portion of ash s ley valley which joins the asalay ward on the southeast tile the member ship of this ward is divided into seventy two families who all live in 6 scattered condition on their hornest homestead awk and farms bishop james M a WW over this waw ward gardiner and george H with k j joseph A asbaugh E all s counselors that part glines ward embraces the alley lying i northwest ashley of mining ining the abbley and of seven families famil iee or ward forty numerical the constitute aule which ward over the strength tb of presides as bishop abplanalp peter which the ward fiert the this to is reaches in visiting ashley traveler the glines ward meeting valley miles northwest two situated is house ward sebol of the merrill house where tj the be meetings are held miles 00 southeast of vernal is three named amed because the mill ward thus 11 mills in 06 he valley are arb two the only located with within in its corn arises the end of ashlan valley proper upper ashley ward on the tile the and joins northwest the meeting house bouse is in of a fine situated in th the e midst farming fanning district diat riot three miles north there are 52 vernal west of ls latter day saints sou famille families sor or it arri over by bishop 10 bubb TT ward con the mill wu wm k bains some of the very beat farming land in the tuii valley isy and tile the people are and well to do As aa fully so aa prosperous those mos of any of the adjoining towns mountain dell la is situa situated ted on dry tributary of ashleys Ashley Ash leys ys pork fork it fork a water in to called dry in the entirely the creek disappears leaving the of the summer latter r part people to to depend upon some springs the point where waw which h gush forth at called of houses cluster the little mountain dell ri nestles ties in a beautiful valley and this valley extends kittil 2 above dry fork for a distance width of ai six x and has baa an average miles to reach this dell mile than a of less has to the traveler mountains in the over a sandy road sad and through a paw pass at the mouth of which long canyon tor for matio stands bands a roma romantic antic rocky consisting of high and pe perpendicular what la in locally cliff Clif fp which form known as the silver gate 1 immediately above where old fort thornburg once the distance from ashley Centre or vernal to MOOn mountain tain dell is fifteen miles in Is h northwestern north direction tb is ward consists of 26 families log souls some of who whom M reside in or deep creek a tributary of the ui uintah otah southwest the 12 mountains across the present of mu mountain etain dell to calvin P bingham the rivendale riverdale Bi Ri verdale ward consists of 43 48 families or souls who live jive ina in a scattered condition along ashleys ash leys ley s pork fork and green river the farms ex tend about eight miles up the former and about six miles up the latter stream there are three school houses in this ward the upper one situated on ashley ash leys s fork being about seven miles and the lower one located near anant Tn ant feriv on oraen grden river about thirteen miles southeast of vernal elder nathan hunting presides prea luea as ae bishop over the ward and george P billings billing has special charge of the lower end of the same where ee parate tiD meetings mee tinga and sunday schools are held throughout the entire stake I 1 found a good people who treated me with hospitality and kindrew kind new and rendered me all possible aid in my labors labore besides attending the quarterly stake conference on the ath and ath of august I 1 hold held special meetings in five ot of the six alx lx warde ward and had bad a good time and when I 1 finally left last night the families of president Preel dent bennion C 0 bartlett and sterling colton provided me with ample provisions for the journey across the desert and showed other acts of kindness i 1 I would say by way of conclusion that there is ample room and facility for hundreds more families yet in the ashley valley and the gooce bood latter day saints ai aad d the 11 gentiles 11 1 1 who are there extend a hearty invitation to others ol of their faith to come out and cast their lot with them by and by a railway will undoubtedly be built through the valley and the people then be placed in closer communication with the outside world which will give new impetus to develop both the agricultural and mineral resources of the country all the resources necessary to make a prosperous commonwealth are found in the ashley valley all that is in wanted is time better means of transportation a better manket for the products raised and more keophi to cultivate the soll soil ANDREW JERSON JENSON fort du duchesne uintah county utah august |