| Show PURPLE BENCH eleventh of our series of booster articles on an the various towns in the uintah basin few people traveling through the uintah basin see or even hear that there is a purple bench located as it is on a high bench or table land twelve miles north and two miles west of duchesne looking from that place in a northerly direction the traveler sees a mountain of red sandstone ledges the bench slopes from the rock creek divide in a southeasterly direction to the blue bench sand ridge and the redcap breaks and is cut oft off from the mountain home doneta boneta country by pigeon water or big hollow creek the average length ot of ten miles wide and width ot of five miles gives a total of acres of tillable land probably the most astonishing feature of the locality Is the climate when account Is taken of 0 the elevation which ranges from to feet after years of comparison it can truthfully be said that this section is as tree free of frosts and has more moisture tall fall than does salt lake county this community Is well supplied with water with the completion of the farnsworth canal system which now waters more than acres and can water thousands of acres more A recent decision of the courts gives the people of this section the right also alao of an exchange of water with the indian lands between lake fork and duchesne rivers there are now about fifty families here with a total population of approximately three hundred people the first settlers came here fifteen years ago and from a very few have grown growa to the present pou poul atlon lation there Is yet room for several times the present number of residents and it is hoped with conditions so BO favorable this may soon be realized almost any crop that can be raised in a temperate climate can be raised here until now most attention has been given to raising hay and small grains many other crops have been tried out until it has been positively demonstrated that no better quality or quantity ot of temperate crops can be raised any where in addition to those named are the root crops beets carrots and potatoes squash onions and in fact all garden crops alfalfa seed and many others the small fruits grow as it they were intended especially tor for here even apples and cherries do very well there are apple trees now coming into hearing bearing that have borne heavy crops of 0 that fruit four years consecutively virtually all the people belong to the so called mormon church and as a consequence that is the only active church here A ward organization has been in operation a number ot of years A meeting house 65 55 feet long constructed of sawed and hewed logs plastered inside and rustic outside lias has been constructed ted at a cost of o all 0 paid up the meeting house Is so constructed ted that it is divided by a folding partition into two turo large rooms for school use two other rooms are rented to accommodate a four teacher school ot of all grades up to the tenth the people are of 0 that class that appreciates and works for the best in education |
