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Show Once Isolated Escalante Now Bustling Community 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, washing, carding, car-ding, spinning and dying the wool which was then made into the family's garments. They also made their own candles, soap. 'ye. 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 a trip to Salt Lake City with their butter and cheese. Early settlers included carpenters, car-penters, stonemasons, cabinetmakers, cabinet-makers, boot and shoemakers, blacksmiths, and lime and brick makers causing the young town to grow rapidly, according to "Golden Nuggets of Pioneer History," a history of Garfield County compiled by the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers. Some food and clothing were freighted in from Panguitch with transportation largely by ox and horse teams, and mail came in semi-weekly semi-weekly by pack horse in better, weather, with mid-winter trips on snow shoes. Escalante may be reaciied by traveling Utah Highway 12 or, in good weather, from the ghost town intersection of Wjdtsoe on Utah Highway 22 eastward over Escalante Mountain, a very scenic trip, but not recommended for vehicles pulling trailers over the improved dirt road. The route offers, of-fers, in the summertime, access to some of the most beautiful scenery in the county. 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 county are raised here. It is also the site of the annual endurance ride, featuring rides of 60 and 30 miles and drawing participants par-ticipants from many western states. With restuarants, motels and full service gas stations and some of the friendliest people around,Escalante welcomes the visitor to Garfield County. |