A History of Juab County, Utah Centennial County History Series
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A HISTORY OF fjuab County Pearl D. Wilson with June McNulty and David Hampshire UTAH CENTENNIAL COUNTY HISTORY SERIES A HISTORY OF JuaB County Pearl D. Wilson with June McNulty and David Hampshire luab County, one of Utah's earliest created counties, sits along the strategic north-south corridor of the state. Prehistoric and Native American Indian cultures roamed there, as did early Spanish priests and explorers, who left an important record of the area. Trappers and traders wandered the mountains and deserts that create stark contrasts in this geo graphically diverse county. Mark Twain, an early traveler through parts of luab, penned interesting insights of the county, which contained portions of the Pony Express and Overland Stage routes. Mormon pioneers arrived to establish farms and ranches. This was followed by the build ing of railroads and mineral exploration. Rail traffic for a vast region centered in Nephi, labeled "Little Chicago." To the west, the Tintic Mining District rose as one of Utah's richest gold and silver mining areas, attract ing a more ethnically diverse population. From majestic Mount Nebo to streams and lakes and the vast sand dunes of west Juab, the county contains many recreational possibili ties. Juab County is rich in history, geogra phy, and tradition; this book tells its story. ISBN: 0-913738-20-4 A HISTORY OF Juab County A HISTORY OF ffuaB County Pearl D. Wilson with June McNulty and David Hampshire 1999 Utah State Historical Society Juab County Commission Copyright © 1999 by Juab County Commission All rights reserved ISBN 0-913738-20-4 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 98-61328 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 ix CHAPTER 1 The Land 1 CHAPTER 2 The Original Peoples of Juab County 13 CHAPTER 3 Exploration and Early Settlement 31 CHAPTER 4 Juab County's Mormon Settlements in the Territorial Period 62 CHAPTER 5 The Tintic Mining District 95 CHAPTER 6 Tintic and Juab Enter the Twentieth Century 118 CHAPTER 7 World War I and the Roaring Twenties .... 155 CHAPTER 8 The Great Depression 188 CHAPTER 9 Juab County in the World War II Era 222 CHAPTER 10 Contemporary Juab County 254 vi CONTENTS SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY 315 INDEX 321 General Introduction Wihe 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 loseph 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 I.n the history of the State of Utah, Juab County has often been seen as a rather quiet rural area, yet it also has exerted an enormous influence and had a great impact on much of the development of Utah. The county, in north-central Utah, includes the major north- south route through the state, present-day Interstate 15 and its ear lier forerunners. Its land area, encompassing some 3,392 square miles, includes fertile valleys, lakes and streams, mineral-bearing mountains and the majestic Mount Nebo, and vast desert stretches that long have tested the survival skills of all peoples who have trav eled in them. Juab, recognized as a Ute Indian word meaning a flat or level plain, witnessed all of the major forces evident in the general history of Utah—prehistoric peoples and Native Americans; Spanish exploration; trappers, traders, and adventurous travelers; Mormon settlers; railroad builders; gold and silver miners; ranchers and farm ers; community builders; military interests; recreational activities; business and industrial development; and technological advance ments. Juab County, as does each of Utah's other twenty-eight counties, INTRODUCTION exhibits unique characteristics. The history which follows highlights specific elements of luab's past—touching upon various develop ments and their impacts that have been relevant to towns and settle ments. Specific themes rise as important factors in luab County's history. Prehistoric cultures, and the physical remains of that habita tion, can still be seen on the landscape. Juab's agricultural emphasis is also evident, and the culture that created it, which was in turn influ enced by this farming and ranching, continues of importance and significance. Mining also played a critical role in county develop ment—both economically and socially, creating a diversity somewhat unusal in rural Utah. The Tintic Mining District looms as one of Utah's richest producers of mineral wealth. How people played out their lives in these different arenas forms the story of this study. In viewing luab County, there exists a dichotomy of landscapes, economies, and societies. The eastern end is very much a part of the Wastach Front—along Utah's main north-south interstate highway, the latest in the traditional historic major north-south corridors of travel through Utah. This section also provided the agricultural land and initial economic basis for the county. The western portion of luab is a somewhat different land; it contained much of the mineral wealth as well as the vast desert regions. Contrasts still remain evi dent, as exemplified by the neatly organized rolling checkerboard Mormon farming villages of Levan, Mona, and Nephi, compared to the zig-zagging randomness of Eureka streets and lots, from neces sity laid out according to the geography of mining. Such contrasts permeate the story of the county, which still has remained in great part unified in its citizens' outlooks and aspirations. Juab County, one of Utah's first counties, has survived because of the adaptability and drive of its residents. This has been a mutual effort from all sectors of society. A variety of sources allows readers to see diverse views of luab County. Eyewitness accounts provide readers with contemporary observations of early peoples and land. The diary of the 1776 Dominguez-Escalante expedition, including the incredible map pre pared by cartographer Don Bernardo Miera y Pacheco, offers intrigu ing perceptions and commentary on the geography of eighteenth-century luab land near Nephi, Mona, and Mills through INTRODUCTION xi which the intrepid Catholic friars and their small band of explorers traveled. The diary and map represent magnificent portraits of life and land in the area that was to become luab County. Likewise, an early perspective from fur trader and trapper Jedediah Strong Smith offers a glimpse of the foreboding west desert. Smith's reports of his traverses of the region of west Juab still convey to readers the urgency he and his companions experienced while crossing an unknown arid land. Always in search of food and water on the journeys, Smith offers poignant glimpses of those crossings in his journals. A critical view from a young journalist who later became a world-famous author allows for another interesting first-person account. Samuel Clemens, better known to the world as Mark Twain, journeyed along the overland trail in 1861, passing through a portion of Juab County.