Show AT FOUNTAIN GREEN ZIONS HILL county utah july alfh soon alter after arriving at fountain green sanpete county via the nephi and san pete railroad elder lars neilson conveyed me in his carriage over the town and up to a beautiful eminence emin enoe over lookin fi fountain green and marion seven miles down the sanpete valley A beautiful tul landscape surrounded by snow capped mountains presenting itself to our view this hill is named zions hill because of its beauty about one and a half balf miles still higher up in a green cove is where about twenty small springs burst forth out of the N W chain of mountains these springs COW conjoined conio ined DIned make a beautiful fountain without which Fouat Fo ustain ain green would soon become me I 1 first saw it in 1852 when president brigham young and our party passed over this then sage brush barrens on our way to iron mountains iron county exploring the country manti then had a few houses and huts twenty five miles southeast of this point it was the water that made this spot look more precious and conspicuous what an appropriate name was given this little berg after this green fountain only reversing tain green some other springs small ones have burst forth of late years and south oi these more conspicuous ones every drop of water is utilized and the lovely fields here and there are a striking contrast to the gray sage brush it is a charming picture as compared with that forty three years ago thirty years ago I 1 had the pleasure of giving a lecture on bees and silk culture in the then little town there was then room tor for an extended city but the springs at that time did yield only scanty water to support the few and little tow and this is the experience of nearly all of the settlements inlets of our entire territory the latter day saints are a peculiar people remarkable fur for their laith faith and confidence in god the giver of every good blessing it is unto him we give praises tor for opening up the fountains increasing and enlarging the streams and giving unto us to make utah what it now is fountain green now has a population of oooo 1000 souls with the fields and flocks and barns well filled I 1 call to mind the word of the lord given to joseph smith fifty seven years ago for have I 1 not the jowls of heaven and also the fish ot of the sea and the beasts of the mountains have I 1 not made the earth do I 1 not hold the destinies ot of all the armies of the nations 0 of f the earth therefore will I 1 not make solitary piry places to bud and to blossom and to bring forth in abundance saith the lord therefore come up hither unto the land of my people even zion revelation given through joseph the seer july ath 1859 1834 the prophet t isaiah also saw this day and in the thirty fifth chapter says the wilderness and the solitary place shall hall bp be glad for foe them and the desert shall hall re rejoice juice and blossom as the ruse rose also 1 I 1 will open rivers in high places and fountains in iii the midst of the valleys I 1 will make the wilderness abool a pool of waters rs and the dry land springs I 1 of water waier in another place behold I 1 will do a new thing now it shall spring forth shall ye not know it ii I 1 will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert and further for the lord shall comfort zion he will comfort all her waste places and he will make her wilderness like eden and her desert tike like the garden ot of the lord joy and gladness ishall be found therein thanksgiving and the voice of melody after reviewing this lovely landscape and the various changes during my three visits there and all within the years 1852 and 1895 we wa returned with reflections ot of the past present and that yet to come cheering and feasting the outer man with the abundance ot of the good things of the tat fat valleys of zion we visited some of 0 the seventies Stiv enties and old friends among whom wS was isLer harriet collard colard who reminded me of some of the past she said do yu you remember me three ti in the platt piatt river for my health I 1 had been sick with no appetite the lord healed me and I 1 begun to eat and enjoy my food and bow vou could not carry me over the platt river as you did when you was my captain in 1859 for now I 1 weigh nearly pounds ane circumstances were the teams had crossed the river and several were left over on the opposite side and we kept them from wading the stream elder collard who died twenty five years ago was one of the drost efficient helpers in our company as a wheelwright and was always ready to repair the wrecked wagons alter after a very interesting visit and meeting with the seventies and a large audience we returned to nephi where on the previous sunday we bad spent the day with the seventies and attended the sunday tabernacle services and the funeral ot of sister sifter cater golden coleman aged about thirty years at nephi the crops are fairly good and the fruit prospects good but the frost destroyed the fruit of fountain green other crops are good I 1 cannot pass by the little spinning w eel cords and loom of grandma nettie who is seventy nine years of age and has just taken a piece aut of the loom with pride she sheea exhibits her dresses spun and woven by her own hands EDWARD STI EVENSON |