A History of Garfield County, Utah Centennial County History Series
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A HISTORY OF Qarfieht County Linda King Newell Vivian Linford Talbot UTAH CENTENNIAL COUNTY HISTORY SERIES A HISTORY OF Qarfiefd County Linda King Newell Vivian Linford Talbot People from around the world come to Garfield County to enj oy its spectacular scen ery. The county has part of three national parks within its boundaries: Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, and Canyonlands, as well as a portion of the newly designated Grand Stair- case-Escalante National Monument. Water from Garfield's mountains flows to the Colo rado River, which forms the county's eastern border, and thunders through Cataract Can yon into Lake Powell and the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Settling Garfield County was a task for the hardiest of pioneers, and began in 1864. Six generations later, descendants of many of those early settlers live and work in and around the county's eight towns. The county has a history of ancient inhabitants, as well as more recent mining, logging, ranching, and farm ing. Long-time residents now struggle with the restrictions of an economy based on natu ral resources and the use of public lands, and also face the challenges of growing tourism, which is now the largest industry. Visitors hike the canyons, fish, hunt, raft the rivers, and marvel at the county's ancient Fremont and Anasazi rock art. Its inhabitants feel a strong sense of place and value the land and its history. ISBN: 0-913738-37-9 A HISTORY OF QarfiMCounty A HISTORY OF Qarfieid County Linda King Newell Vivian Linford Talbot 1998 Utah State Historical Society Garfield County Commission Copyright © 1998 by Garfield County Commission All rights reserved ISBN 0-913738-37-9 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 98-61317 Map by Automated Geographic Reference Center—State of Utah Printed in the United States of America Utah State Historical Society 300 Rio Grande Salt Lake City, Utah 84101-1182 Contents GENERAL INTRODUCTION vu INTRODUCTION A Bit Like Heaven ix CHAPTER 1 Shaping the Land 1 CHAPTER 2 The Ancient Ones: Prehistoric and Historic Native Americans . 20 CHAPTER 3 Early Trade and Exploration 39 CHAPTER 4 A Precarious Beginning: Settling Panguitch 57 CHAPTER 5 Garfield County and Exploration of the Colorado River 93 CHAPTER 6 Settlements on the Upper Sevier River .... 108 CHAPTER 7 Colonizing along the Escalante and Paria Rivers 127 CHAPTER 8 Establishing Garfield County 168 CHAPTER 9 Garfield County Ushers in a New Century . 197 VI CONTENTS CHAPTER 10 The First Decades of a New Century 233 CHAPTER 11 The Great Depression to Post-War Recovery 283 CHAPTER 12 Garfield County at Mid-Century 317 CHAPTER 13 Change amid Controversy 352 APPENDICES 385 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY 399 INDEX 407 General Introduction W.he n Utah was granted statehood on 4 January 1896, twenty- seven counties comprised the nation's new forty-fifth state. Subsequently two counties, Duchesne in 1914 and Daggett in 1917, were created. These twenty-nine counties have been the stage on which much of the history of Utah has been played. Recognizing the importance of Utah's counties, the Utah State Legislature established in 1991 a Centennial History Project to write and publish county histories as part of Utah's statehood centennial commemoration. The Division of State History was given the assign ment to administer the project. The county commissioners, or their designees, were responsible for selecting the author or authors for their individual histories, and funds were provided by the state legis lature to cover most research and writing costs as well as to provide each public school and library with a copy of each history. Writers worked under general guidelines provided by the Division of State History and in cooperation with county history committees. The counties also established a Utah Centennial County History Council vu viii GENERAL INTRODUCTION to help develop policies for distribution of state-appropriated funds and plans for publication. Each volume in the series reflects the scholarship and interpreta tion of the individual author. The general guidelines provided by the Utah State Legislature included coverage of five broad themes encompassing the economic, religious, educational, social, and polit ical history of the county. Authors were encouraged to cover a vast period of time stretching from geologic and prehistoric times to the present. Since Utah's statehood centennial celebration falls just four years before the arrival of the twenty-first century, authors were encouraged to give particular attention to the history of their respec tive counties during the twentieth century. Still, each history is at best a brief synopsis of what has transpired within the political boundaries of each county. No history can do jus tice to every theme or event or individual that is part of an area's past. Readers are asked to consider these volumes as an introduction to the history of the county, for it is expected that other researchers and writers will extend beyond the limits of time, space, and detail imposed on this volume to add to the wealth of knowledge about the county and its people. In understanding the history of our counties, we come to understand better the history of our state, our nation, our world, and ourselves. In addition to the authors, local history committee members, and county commissioners, who deserve praise for their outstanding efforts and important contributions, special recognition is given to Joseph Francis, chairman of the Morgan County Historical Society, for his role in conceiving the idea of the centennial county history project and for his energetic efforts in working with the Utah State Legislature and State of Utah officials to make the project a reality. Mr. Francis is proof that one person does make a difference. ALLAN KENT POWELL CRAIG FULLER GENERAL EDITORS Introduction A BIT LIKE HEAVEN X he people of Garfield County are fiercely attached to their communities and the scenic land which surrounds them. Lifelong county resident Marilyn Jackson admits it is not quite heaven, but believes it comes close: How do you describe heaven? Does it have blue skies with beauti ful mountains? Are there streams and lakes with tall pines and wild flowers on the countryside? Are there valleys where lush grass grows and winter snows glisten in the sunlight? Is it picturesque with every hue of the rainbow, and has four distinct seasons? Are the climate and soil just right for growing? Are there minerals and natural resources abundant? Is it free from earthquakes, tornados, war, crime and turmoil? Are there friendly neighbors and [a] good standard of living?1 Settling the rugged canyons and high valleys of the county was a monumental task for the hardiest of pioneers. Beginning with the men and women who first settled Panguitch in 1864, each generation overcame obstacles and hardships to provide for themselves and their ix INTRODUCTION posterity a better and more prosperous life. Today, eight towns dot the varied landscape of Garfield County. Panguitch, the county seat, is the largest, with 1,444 residents in 1990, and is the gateway to one of the nation's most scenic wonders—Bryce Canyon National Park. Tropic, with 374 inhabitants, sits at the foot of Bryce Canyon and provides warm hospitality to those who venture east beyond the park into the vast beauty of what is called "Color Country." South of Tropic is Cannonville (population 131) on the edge of Kane County's Kodachrome Basin with its sculpted red rock. Henrieville (popula tion 163) is three miles east of Tropic on Utah's scenic byway, Highway 143, that leads from Bryce Canyon to Capitol Reef National Park, the southern part of which is also in Garfield County. Farther east are the towns of Boulder and Escalante, with populations of 126 and 818, respectively. Located in the heart of Garfield County, these two towns sit in the Escalante Basin, at the edge of mountains with the same names as the two towns. Boasting a heritage of five and six generations of Mormon immigrant ancestry, both communities have evolved into oases for the modern-day traveler. The water from the eastern slopes of surrounding mountains drains into the Colorado River and Lake Powell, traveling through the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Sitting on the north and south ends of the county are Hatch (population 103) and Antimony, the county's smallest town, with 83 people. Garfield County has a history of mining, logging, ranching, and farming—producing cattle, sheep, timber, fruits, and vegetables. Because of the distance to larger population centers, manufactured goods and services have always been more costly in the county than in more densely populated areas. Some families whose ancestors had homesteaded their land relinquished it in the hope that obtaining grazing permits would be more economical than maintenance costs of owning the land. After World War II, growth generally was limited to what the area's natural resources could sustain, and many people—especially the young—left to find work in factories and industrialized cities. Once independent and self-sufficient, families struggled with increasing restrictions on surrounding public lands because their economy was based on natural resources. Controls on the lands that have traditionally provided these resources created INTRODUCTION XI problems for many residents. Today the county has new life, however, and anticipates the continued expansion of tourism, which is now the county's largest industry. An estimated 90 percent of those who visit the county are drawn there by Bryce Canyon National Park. Many return to see Garfield's other scenic sights, hike in its canyons, fish in its streams, hunt in its mountains, raft through the Colorado River's Cataract Canyon, explore the county's history, and marvel at its ancient Anasazi and Fremont rock art and archaeological sites.