Show written for this paper IN THE GRAND VALLEY MOAB grand county utah november 13 1893 in all my travels gravels throughout this intermountain region I 1 have seen but very few spots that ate are more lovely than this little valley where I 1 am now tracing bi history story surrounded as it is by high mountain cliffs and dreary c bad lands land grand valley la Is truly an oasis in the desert it to la reached from ironi le springs springe a station on the rio grande western railway miles rom from salt lake biake city from the station named the traveler passes through a barren region of rolling country for about twenty five miles then he descends through a rough and very verv rocky canyon for nearly five miles into the aley valley the a tude of which is 18 about feet lower than the upper country traversed by the be railway about two alleo from the he point where the valley proper is in first reached the ferry is ia situated in the mouth of a box canyon through which green river enters entera the valley thence the d stance distance to moab to ia three miles grand valley extends from Dorth northwest west to southeast about thirteen miles mile its average width is ia about two and a hall ball miles A low range of hills divides the valley into a lower and upper valley in the upper ont one where wa or la Is scarce there are 1110 only seven famil familier iet most of whom are poor their location is distinguished by the beautiful name of bueno that is in by some of the people others call it poverty flat fiat rhe lower valley is about five miles long and near the center of thin lies jhb town ol at moab canta containing ining some of the best beat land in the territory of utah grand river flows through the north end of the valley and to ia ruggedly canyo ned both at its entrant e and exit mill crook creer formerly fur merly called elk mountain creek and pack creek formerly known as pack saddle creek unite near the oen con ter tt r of the valley and emptying into grand river at or near the point where that stream enters a b x canyon in the mountains west of the moab townsite the cliffs which form the immedi ate ale boundary of the valley vary in height from tj t 1000 teet feet and are very steep the la sal hal Mount mountains aim called the elk mountains by the mormon missionaries in 1866 1855 rise their snowcapped snow capped peaks heavenward about hirty miles southeast ot of the main settlement the two creeks already mentioned from which the settlers obtain water for irrigation purposes rise in these theme mountains none of the grand river water is utilized by the settlers I 1 do not recollect that I 1 ever mis ate finer or better flavored fruit iban ban that to which I 1 was treated by the people of moab the apples peaches grapes etc which are raised here are superior to anything known on the markets either in utah or nevada brother 0 W warner leads to in the fruit lioe line and the illness orchards and vineyards that can be found in all this thin rocky mountain country the fruit frait produced in grand valley to Is large and free from worms and in other respects superior in quality con a B it finds a ready market apples for instance sell at home for three and four cents per pound and at least one cent more laid down at the railway station elation anything in the shape of fruit vegetables or grain sells sella readily in western colorado a very little small email grain however to Is raised not enough to supply home d mands the staple of the valley to i fruit the sandy soil boll being so go well adapted for thip thie it was to lu 1866 1855 that president brig ham young called a company of settlers or missionaries to go and locate among the Liaman Lama ites in abi this valley iu in order to teach these aborigines the arab of farming while they were instructing them about the principles of the gospel able oom com consisting of 41 men with fit fir teen wagons under the presidency of alfred N billings arrived in this valley 1 y in june 1866 1855 tuey tasy immediately went to work and built a stone fort 64 feet square un on a lovely spot about one and a half miles northwest of the present center of moab tow site ote they also put in crops and were making m king fine progress pr when the indians indiana attacked them in the following september killed three of the brethren james jamea W hunt win behunin ana edward edwards and drove the rest away the walls of the old ald mormon post are still standing sta at least in part though in ruins ruing of course for many years after the troubles in 1866 1855 grand valley was left jett in undisputed possession of the indians indian who later on seemed to feel arry fur for the way they had treated their best arlend the mormons cormons whose only object jil in sending out the so called elk mountain mission in 1866 1855 was to do the red men good in the ibe course of years yean stockmen stoc kmen began to take cattle herds herda into the valley to grase grace but it was not until 1877 that the first arai bons bona figest flue fiu est att cleris came in with a view to make per manent homes in 1878 1879 anti and 1880 a number of families both cormons mormons and non cormons mormons one took up land claims claim and commenced farming and horticultural operations very successfully in february 1881 a ward organization was effected with randolph H htow art as since which there has baa been a siow and steady increase of settlers at present the honors are nearly dearly equally qually ti divided a as to number between mormon and gentile but bus as some of the latter are willing to sell out there are good for LAL lantery tery saints sainte possessing a little means to come into this lovely valley and secure homes thereby strengthen ing those of their faith who are already here and helping them to make the ward organization a ager and more successful one I 1 arrived here on saturday the alth dinst and met elderd elder F A hammond and the stake presidency here already elder bider eBrigh brigham am young and elder robert watson arrived here last night sunday dunday five meetings mee tinga were held here saturday sunday and monday in the special meeting held bold this morning monday september 18 13 1893 elder stewart Bt ewart who hau hat served the people as their bishop since the organization of the ward wan la in 1881 I 1 tendered his resignation which was accepted a vote of thanks being tendered him by the people for his past faithful services servio ee A new bishopric was va then duly installed and accepted toy by the unanimous vote of the people consisting of mons mone peterson Pe tereon as bishop with charles W mcconkle Mc Cookie as his hia first and henry john hollyoak as his second counselor brother Pete Pet erdo raon was ordained and set apart by elder bider yount and brother mcconkie by elder iolder hammond brother hollyoak was away from home prom from here we go fio to monticello ANDREW JESON |