A History of Kane County, Utah Centennial County History Series
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A HISTORY OF <Kam County Martha Sonntag Bradley UTAH CENTENNIAL COUNTY HISTORY SERIES A HISTORY OF County Martha Sonntag Bradley Kane County is noted for some of the most beautiful—though often inhospitable—land in Utah and has been home to resourceful humans for thousands of years. It was outside the area of first Mormon settlement and was actually created in the early 1860s before many had moved to the area. After the Black Hawk War, settlers soon moved to favorable locations such as Kanab and Long Valley, establishing towns in the isolated region north of the Arizona Strip with economies based on ranching and timber harvesting. With the improvement of area roads and communications in the twentieth century, more people became aware of the scenic splen dor of the county, and tourism and movie making began to increase, Kanab even be coming known as Utah's Little Hollywood during the heyday of filmmaking. Traditional extractive uses of the land's resources have declined in recent years, but the recent cre ation of the Grand Staircase-Escalante Na tional Monument has brought the promise of increased tourism to the area. It also has sparked opposition from many who had hoped for coal mining development in the region. Issues of control and uses of public lands promise to be debated vigorously as the county enters the new millenium. ISBN: 0-913738-40-9 A HISTORY OF cKgne County A HISTORY OF JOme County Martha Sonntag Bradley 1999 Utah State Historical Society Kane County Commission Copyright © 1999 by Kane County Commission All rights reserved ISBN 0-913738-40-9 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 98-61327 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 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS vii GENERAL INTRODUCTION ix CHAPTER 1 Introduction: Kane County and a Sense of Place 1 CHAPTER 2 The Land 13 CHAPTER 3 Early Inhabitants and First White Exploration 30 CHAPTER 4 First Settlement of Kane County and Indian Troubles 49 CHAPTER 5 The Resettlement of Kane County, 1870-1880 73 CHAPTER 6 Orderville and the Experiment in Communal Living 103 CHAPTER 7 Community Building, 1880-1900 131 CHAPTER 8 Kane County Enters the Twentieth Century, 1900-1920 163 v VI CONTENTS CHAPTER 9 Kane County and the Depression Years, 1920-1940 194 CHAPTER 10 World War II and Later Developments, 1940-1960 242 CHAPTER 11 Development and Controversy, The 1960s and 1970s 288 CHAPTER 12 The Battle Over Land, 1976 to the Present . 328 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY 361 INDEX 367 Acknowledgments I grew up with tales of John Mangum and his plural wives Martha and Elizabeth and the rough terrain and huge brilliant skies of Kane County. My grandmother wove stories far more entrancing than fairy tales of the Mormon pioneers—of traveling bundled under heavy piles of quilts in winter storms in the wagon bed of a buckboard, of learning to midwife babies from her mother and aunts, and of how to be strong, pragmatic, and brave. How could I not be a historian, with years of Kane County's stories woven into my head like ribbons in my braids? When the county history project was first announced, I was greedy for it. What better way to know a place well than to research and write of it? In many ways, this process has been like completing a degree in Utah history; the state's history becomes local in Kane County. The Depression, the Spanish Flu epidemic, shifts in eco nomic trends impacted real people with faces I now recognize. Many have become friends. I acknowledge their part in this project. Numerous pioneer and other historical narratives illumine this book, as do issues of the Kane County Standard. The oral history pro ject of Kane County High School under the direction of Carol VI1 viii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Sullivan was important in bringing present voices into the story. Members of the Kane County History Society, in particular Beth Martin, Jo Smith, Deanne Glover, Dennis Judd, Anna Johnson, and Kane County Clerk Karla Johnson, extended vital assistance, provid ing materials, names, and encouragement. Allan Kent Powell and Craig Fuller of the Utah State Historical Society have been the most patient men imaginable, untiring in their encouragement and invalu able in their expertise. I have appreciated their help more than they know. The excellent and tireless research of David Hampshire and others helped me complete this manuscript. My six children are my own Vermilion Cliffs—they kept my course steady and true, as the cliffs did for early travelers. Jason, Elizabeth, Rachael, Emily, Katelyn, and Patrick, and now grandchil dren Mark and Aspen seem to believe in me, and that trust carries me to a higher plane. I am a better person for my association with them. I owe a debt of gratitude to five other individuals who made par ticular contributions to the project. Elizabeth Bradley's and Mark Wilson's beautiful writing and sensitivity to the subtleties of the desert landscape strengthened the chapter on the land. Allen D. Roberts's knowledge of rural Utah's buildings helped create a richer sense of the backdrop of this story. Michael W. Homer's sharing of European travel accounts to Kane County provided a unique twist to the exploration tales of this history. Fred Esplin, whose families helped settle this area, provided colorful photographs that gave real faces to the players in this narrative. I thank Richard Firmage for his work in editing, ordering, and amplifying the material I collected. The county commissioners are men and women who have intro duced me to the county's grand scenery and have tied me to it. The Paria, the Vermilion Cliffs, Zion Canyon form the backdrop for this story and in many ways my dreams of my own people—of raspy John Mangum and my splendid grandmother Vinnie Mae Mangum Graff. She loved this place and now so do I. Finally, during the writing of this book I lost both my parents— Luonna Graff and George Tadje Sonntag—as well as two of my men tors and friends, Delmont Oswald and Lowell Durham. Each expected much of me, and I hope they would be satisfied with the results of my efforts. I celebrate their valuable contributions to my life. 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 IX 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 CHAPTER 1 Introduction KANE COUNTY AND A SENSE OF PLACE K.an e County is part of the great Colorado Plateau and is located on the southern boundary of the state of Utah between San Juan and Washington Counties, separated to the east from San Juan County by the Colorado River.