| Show A A TRIP THROUGH THE HILLS midway wasatch co july ard 3rd 1898 1 I 1 left home last wednesday with a adl horae se and buggy to take a a trip to surn summit and wasatch counties drove up I 1 parleys canyon and over to snyder ville where I 1 stayed that night with james snyder one of the first settlers in parleys park the next morning I 1 r drove up to park city to view the ruins of the art great fire there I 1 found a very gloomy sight bight men and teams were at work hauling away the debris smoke could be seen issuing from the burnt ruins th the e work of rebuilding f to is going on an quite lively where the fine ne new opera house stood to is now a pile of melted and broken brick and rock this building was considered to be fire proba as it t had a double roof with a thi thick ok layer of earth between and sheet iro iron roo roofing fing but the heat was so BO intense that the brick melted and crumbled led away As many as fifty of the residences on rosale hill were licked up V i slick and clean to the ground by the Ij eedy dy flames viewing this dismal sight I 1 drove over the hills to peoa geoa and aad oakley then through kamas and over the roughest road I 1 have ever seen down to cliffs cluffs ranch thence to heber and midway where I 1 am now staying with the first settler here brother benjamin mark smith who built the first house here thirty seven years ago last april in august of that year 1859 the wheat crop was killed by a very severe frost ice froze on the water half an inch thick A mr mills came up tram from provo the next spring walking all the way 25 alles mmes wheeling his tools in a wheelbarrow to build a sawmill up in snake creek canyon he made a large box ta sleep in fastening himself in to protect himself from the bear beam midway Is now a thriving little town of at over 1000 inhabitants and they have a splendid water supply which la Is brought down from a large spring in the mils in pipes each bach family has the water piped to their houses at a moderate cost they are not taxed so outrageously as are the people in salt lake city here there Is no water tax at all the people turned out en masse last night to tender a reception and social entertainment to elder attewell wootton who is to leave in a few days to perform a mission in england gland the sunday school of which brother wootton has haa been superintendent for over twenty years presented him with a fine S S teachers bible as a token of their love for him ice ere eream cream am and cake was served by the young ladies to the multitude assembled A program of recitations songs speeches and danchig was indulged in and a most enjoyable time was spent last monday night the county teachers and trustees tendered a re cely ce tion to elder wootton wooton at heber city and as a token of their love and esteem for him who has been county superintendent of schools for over 17 years presented him with a gota gor d head ed cane brother wootton leaves with the love and good wishes of the entire community among whom he has labored for so many years unceasingly for the advancement of education he will be greatly missed by the people of wasatch county july started in with quite a frost potatoes were nipped it la Is so odd in the early morning that a fire Is comfortable for table the health of the people is very good no sickness to speak of since the town has been so BO well supplied with pure spring water the gr grain ain and other crops are doing splendidly and a bountiful harvest is assured ERNEST S PENROSE |
