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Show i I Slf-Sufficiency Marks Escalante Residents ESCALANTE Largely isolated for many years by its location, Escalante's early residents were unusually self-sufficient Each family produced its own wool, shearing its sheep, and then washing, carding, spinning and dying the wool which was then knitted or woven into the family's garments. They also make their own candles, soap, lye, yeast, dyes and rennet for making their cheese. Dairy farming was the chief industry in the town which was first settled in 1876, and it took weeks to make the trip to Salt Lake City with their butter and cheese. Early setders included carpenters, stonemasons, cabinetmakers, boot and shoemakers, blacksmiths, and lime and brickmakcrs, causing the young town to grow rapidly, according to "Golden Nuggets of Pioneer Days," a history of Garfield County completed by the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers. Some food and clothing were freighted in from Panguitch with transportation largely by ox and horse teams. Mail came in semi-weekly semi-weekly by pack horse in better weather, with mid-winter trips made on snowshoes. Today Escalante is very much in touch with the rest of the world. Horse racing is a much-loved sport and some of the finest horses in the nation are raised in the beautiful ranch town. It is also the site of the annual Escalante Endurance Ride, featuring competitive rides of 30 and 60 miles and drawing participants from many of the western states. With restaurants, motels and full-service gas stations and some of the friendliest people around, Escalante welcomes the visitor into its midst. Winter kind of comes and goes in Escalante, with many days of snow and many days without. The Escalante River Primitive Area to the east is accessible all during the winter, as is the desert area to the southeast where the visitor can see Devil's Garden, Dance Hall Rock or other equally interesting places with equally intriguing names. There's always snow nearby, and Escalante Petrified Forest just outside out-side of town offers some interesting history and, generally, ice skating on frozen Wide Hollow Reservoir. Still a farm-ranching community, com-munity, Escalante nevertheless has the kind of accommodations and service the visitor is looking for. |