| Show william crihton box elders first horticulturist the man who raised the first peach in box elder county is still living he be is hale and hearty and is a perfect encyclopedia of early pioneer history ile he is 82 years young and loves nothing better than to recount his early experiences in doing this he say that such and such a thing happened about such a time but he hits the nail squarely on the head particularizes particular izes every circumstance ct ance gives year month and exact date of the month you wonder at first if he has just risen fron Treading his diary and is reciting to you schoolboy fashion but you learn soon that he never kept a diary but that he be kept things in ill his head and that remembering mem bering with exactitude is his long suit it is refreshing indeed to talk with a man whose experiences have made a permanent impression upon his mind and who is prepared to recall with such facility I 1 william was born in Tr eadington worcester county england december 25 1828 1823 and emigrated to america in 1850 in 1853 he be reached salt lake city and in the spring of 1855 was called by president brigham young to settle in brigham city at this time president young was preaching throughout the settlements advising the he people to plant trees and orchards and to set about making 0 permanent homes this advice had a rather strange sound to people living in brigham city who realized that at that time they were visited by heavy frosts every month of the year nevertheless they had confidence in the counsel and decided to carry it out that fall when mr went to salt lake city he saw peach stones on the market lie he found on inquiry that they were selling sellin M for one dollar per hundred and he be invested in one hundred of them lie ile brought them to brigham put them in the ground and permitted them to freeze durin during 0 the winter in the spring he planted them and was both pleased and surprised that they grew nicely during that season when they were one year old he be set them out sixteen feet apart they did well also this season in the spring of 1858 came the move south on oil account of the coming of john stones army mr wighton aton was left as rear guard and lie took occasion as long as a lie remained i e until the latter part of may aa to keep his peach orchard watered fortunately a friend remained behind sill another month and was kind enough to keep the trees irrigated in tile fall when mr rr AN brighton righton returned rel umed lie he found luscious peaches awaiting him these were tile the first grows grown iu in bri brigham hani city and in box elder county and were raised on mr tons lot on the corner of first south and first west where lie he still lives thus encouraged ed mr be began an to raise other fruit his next nest planting consisting or of four cherries and four pear trees which lie he obtained from john reading in stilt salt lake city and so this dear reader is tile the very humble beginning of the raisin raising of peaches and fruit in box elder county does it not seem strange now that the industry has reached such immense prominence and un importance that the man mail who planted the first pit is still living livin and is able to recount his wonderful history today let us its nil all drink a soda to his health and wish him still many happy years other facts in connection wit with the life of our pioneer fruit grower might be of interest so we proceed sir is not and never has been a horticulturist by profession his vocation was a carpenter and contractor and lie he has been prominently identified with the building interests of brigham city and man many of our houses were built by him lie ile did the first work on oil our courthouse and assisted in remodeling it several times ile he was superintendent of the tabernacle when building for seven years lie he was superintendent of the building department of the united order when that system flourished here lie ile was a firm believer in the fundamental ideas 0 of f that system and when he was called to california in 1878 to visit his sick father it was a i of great pride to him that lie he could 0 oo 00 go clad throughout 0 hout in 13 goods manufactured wholly in brigham city ire he was happy too loo in m taking each of his three br broilers there a splendid beaver hat manufactured here for 1 more I ore than ihan fifty years mr air followed his vocation lint but during the entire time and even up to this day lie has taken great pleasure in fruit growing as an avocation after his first success as a grower his neighbors also became interested in the work and they made application to him for suggestions gest ions and assistance accordingly on the advent of the railroad lie sent cast to a nursery in bloomington ill for assorted trees for himself and neighbors ile he himself planted five or six different kinds of pears ten kinds hinds of peaches half a dozen varieties of cherries apricots german prunes hazel nuts gooseberries goose berries currants strawberries raspberries rasp berries etc previous to this mr had bad introduced apple trees tre into brigham having purchased two rhode island greening buds in salt lake city cily one of the best peaches mr ever raised was called tile llie watson champion named front from the owner mr john watson of salt lake city who gave t ln lafin m the buds one of his best cherries cli erries was the purple gain for which lie frequently received as much as a 9 twenty five cents per pound and lie recalls one season when I 1 mr rr fishburn paid him twenty five dollars for the harvest barvest from a single tree ills his rhode island Grecni groenings Green ings he be sold several seasons to very good advantage as they were always of superior quality one on 0 season S ea S on in n particular he be remembers having sold apples measuring from IG 16 to 1812 inches in cire circumference um ference to mr gail at corinno corinne for four and one half dollars per bushel NI neither cither the growing or marketing of fruit however ever made mr ir wealthy but since the labor gave him so much pleasure and has proven of such great significance to tile the city cita and county we consider his services highly li worthy of commemoration |
