| Show written for this paper PLEASANT VALLEY HISTORY WINTER QUARTERS pleasant val ley utah oo jo utah nov 6 1898 this thie place has baa nothing sit t all in ID common with old winter quarters founded by the saints on the missouri river in 1846 it to is even asserted by the old i settlers here that the winter quarters io in nebraska were not thought ot 0 by those who kaoud this winter quarters in utah this more majern town or mining camp perhaps derives its name from the fact that winter with its almost perpetual stows st and fr BS bids defiance to any other atmospheric condition for about nine months out of every twelve the altitude at the mouth of the mines to is nearly feet 1 above the level of tue the sea while aco field two miles distant is in feet above son sea level winter quarters to la situated in a narrow canyon which extends westward we atward from the extreme south end of pleasant valley the log houses bouses and cabins which shelter the miners families are mostly situated on the more sunny side bide of the canyon on the mountain slope elope they are strung along for a distance of over one mile part of them above and part of them below the mouths of the three principal dinep the latter day saints meeting house is perched on the hillside about half a mile below the mines minee it is a log building buil in T shape each of its two parts measuring feet of the souls or seventy familiar amiliea ami lier of which the pleasant valley ward is composed compo the larger half reside at winter quart ers era and the other part in and below scofield neld A great proportion of the saints at winter quarters are welsh walsh while quite a number of those at scofield are of scotch extraction meetings and sunday schools are held separately la in both places every sabbath generally well attended except when the weather Is so severe that outdoor out door exercise is out of the question which happens quite frequently in the dead of winter there are also separate relief belief societies primary associations and Y M and Y L M 1 I associations ciati ons in all of which much good is being accomplished and the members generally take a lively interest in tile the exercises scofield Is an incorporated town not city situated in the extreme south end of pleasant valley on a yates nice level list flat opening out into the valley northward with a canyon extending southward land and another one winter quarters canyon westward while the mountains form the natural townsite boundaries on the east and west the union pacific coal mines are situated east of scofield a snort abort distance up the mountain slope but they are not dot being worked at present nor have bave they been for several months past inconsequence of this quiet a number of men are out of employment while others have found work at the winter quarters mines above the distance from scofield to pleasant valley junction on the rio grande western railway is sixteen miles by rail to fairview Far view sanpete cout coulty ity it is about twenty four miles by nearest wagon road and in order to reach huntington emery county by mountain road the traveler must go nearly orty forty five miles pleasant valley proper is about four miles mlle long from north to south and its if average width is a little over a mile its surface consists mostly of meadow land and there are about a dozen summer ranches located at different lerent dif points point in the valley mud creeks creek on which scofield dc ofield is situated enters the valley from the south while fish creek the larger stream of the twos two comes in from the west the junction of the two wo streams is in the lower or north end ot the valley where fish creek enters a canyon eleven miles loog long through which the railroad also passes near the mouth of this canyon where fish creek and white river come to gether get heraud and lorm price river is situated the railway station known as pleasant valley junction when the railroad company had their roundhouse and machine mia chine shops here bre a few years ago this was waa quite a lively town and its questionable population helped very j materially four years ago to steal balt bait bake city but now it la Is a poor shadow of its ita former self pelf As a conclusive proof of this I 1 may say gay that the last saloon aloon there had to close down a lew few weeks ago for lack of patronage besles the mormon mormel n population to in pleasant valley there are quite a number of gentiles but so far us as I 1 can un a friendly feeling exists between the two factions faccon and the election tomorrow will be carried on sedrict ly on national party lives lines active work in the pleasant valley coal mines was carried on as early as 1875 but as the coal had to be hauled out by teams the business busi nees was unprofitable until 1879 when the pleasant valley railroad was fir t built up to the mines then followed several years of prosperity the output from the mines sometimes amounting to tons a day from the winter quarters wines mines alone at present there are about three hundred men employed at the mines and the dally daily shipments amount to about t to tons no the first ecclesiastical organization in pleasant valley dates back to dec 22 1881 when a branch of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints saint w was organized here with david williams as am president Pre eident dent in 1883 the branch was organized into a regular bishops bishop a ward and from 1888 to 1890 there were two wards in the valley oneat one at winter quarters teras called the pleasant valley ward and the odber at scofield owing to the removal of one ot of the bishops in 1890 the two wards were amalgamated into one and the present bishop is thomas 0 13 parmley who acts with hyrum edwards and add john ac E ingles as counselors I 1 may add that there Is ie a respectable litter jay saint meeting house at a lumler building 22 x 40 feet nicely situated in thu the cent center of a block which is enclosed with a lumber fence the buildings ot of the town con slat elat of small email lumber structures aou they are all in plain view as there are no DO tressor trees or shrubbery rubbery eh of spy any kinu to hide bide them from the gaze of we the visitor until the lord shall be pleased to temper the elements to a considerable extent scofield ofield so will never rank us as a fruit growing or grain growing neigh bor bood nothing in this line except blittle a little rye has baa ever matured in the valley last night I 1 addressed a an ai i appreciative congregation of saints sainto and strangers at scofield So ofield and today I 1 am historically engaged the san ban juan and san ban luis stakes are next on the program JaNso iq |
