A History of Sanpete County, Utah Centennial County History Series

ljj A HISTORY OF . ---- - Allen D. Roberts A HISTORY OF Sanpete I Albert C.T. Antrei Allen D. Roberts -1a Sanpete County is regarded by many as thegw,,laalld' "Heart of Utah"-not just because of its cen- tral geographical location in the state but also because of its treasure trove of historic build- ings and its role in fostering the settlement of nearby valleys. Mormon pioneers arrived in Sanpete Valley in late 1849 to share the area with the San Pitch Utes. Difficulties arose, leading to two major confrontations-the Walker War in the 1850s and the Black Hawk War in the 1860s. The area's Native Ameri- cans eventually were relocated to the Uintah Indian Reservation. -.-"b+sstmFa Among the early Mormon arrivals%&!"a large number of Scandinavian converts, bringing a heritage still important in the county. Protestant missionaries came in the 1870s and established churches and schools, includingWasatch Academy at Mount Pleas- ant. Snow College in Ephraim began as a LDS institution before becoming a state-operated college. The crown jewel of Sanpete County's architectural heritage is the Manti LDS Temple, completed in 1888. Its grounds are the stage for the Mormon Miracle Pageant, which attractsthousands ofvisitors each summer. First known for its grain products, then for its sheep, today turkeys are the staple of Sanpete's agricultural economy. ISBN 0-913738-42-5 A HISTORY OF Sanpete County A HISTORY OF npete Acou Albert C.T. Antrei Allen D. Roberts 1999 Utah State Historical Society Sanpete County Commission Copyright O 1999 by Sanpete County Commission All rights reserved ISBN 0-913738-42-5 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 98-6 1326 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 84 10 1- 1182 Conten ts PREFACE............................................ vii GENERALINTRODUCTION ............................... xi CHAPTER1 The Land and Early People .............. 1 CHAPTER2 Exploration and Settlement ............. 24 CHAPTER3 The Scandinavian Heritage .............. 44 CHAPTER4 Indian Relations ....................... 61 CHAPTER5 Early Government and Politics ........... 84 CHAPTER6 Agriculture and Livestock ............... 103 CHAPTER7 Economic and Commercial Activities ..... 125 CHAPTER8 Water and the National Forest ........... 145 CHAPTER9 Religion .............................. 160 CHAPTER10 Education ............................ 182 CHAPTER11 Social and Cultural Life ................. 209 CHAPTER12 The Built Environment ................. 229 CHAPTER13 Sanpete County in the Twentieth Century . 243 CHAPTER14 From Homesteading to High Technology . 275 CHAPTER15 The Communities of Sanpete . 353 SELECTEDBIBLIOGRAPHY . 4 17 INDEX.............................................. 419 Preface Thecolonization of the Sanpete Valley, beginning in 1849, was a milestone in the settlement of the American West. Coming a little more than two years after the arrival of the first vanguard of Mormon pioneers in the Salt Lake Valley in July 1847, the settlement at Manti, 120 miles south of Salt Lake City, put Mormons in the heart of Ute Indian territory. The Sanpete Valley became the springboard for the settlement of other areas to the south and east. The first attempt in 1855, the Elk Mountain Meadows Mission at the crossing of the Colorado River near present-day Moab, failed when Indian hostilities forced the abandonment of the mission. More successful were the settlements of Sevier Valley to the south in the 1860s and of Castle Valley across the Wasatch Plateau to the east in the 1870s. In both cases the expanding population in Sanpete Valley and the lim- ited water and land resources necessitated the development of these more remote locations. An important reason for the increase in Sanpete County's population was the arrival of a large number of converts to the Mormon faith from the Scandinavian countries-Denmark, Sweden, and .. vlll PREFACE Norway. Beginning with the arrival of the first Scandinavians in the mid-1850s, by 1870 Sanpete County's population was 80 percent first- or second-generation Scandinavian, while the town of Ephraim was 94 percent Scandinavian. The Scandinavians brought a distinc- tive culture to Sanpete Valley that has continued through the twentieth century. The first two decades of settlement were marked by difficulties with the Ute Indians that led to the Walker War from 1853-54 and the Black Hawk War from 1865-72. Sanpete Valley was a key location during both conflicts, and at the culmination of the Black Hawk War the Sanpete Valley Utes left for new homes on the Uintah Reservation in eastern Utah's Uinta Basin. The 1870s brought two important religious developments to Sanpete Valley. First was the arrival of a young Presbyterian minister, Duncan James McMillan, in 1875. McMillan undertook a vigorous missionary effort among Sanpete Valley residents that led to the establishment of small Presbyterian churches in many towns in the valley where dedicated missionaries and teachers taught Sanpete youngsters. The legacy of these efforts is Wasatch Academy in Mount Pleasant the oldest private boarding school in Utah. Second was the construction of the Manti temple which began in 1877 and was completed in 1889. The third LDS temple completed in Utah, the Manti temple with its sentinel-like location above Manti is considered by many to be the symbolic heart of Sanpete Valley. Faithful Mormons visit the temple to perform sacred ordinances, and each summer the south side of the temple and temple hill are used as the outdoor stage for the Mormon Miracle Pageant which over 100,000 visitors attend. Agriculture has played an important role in the economic development of the Sanpete Valley. The valley fields and high mountain pastures led to the expansion of a pioneer cattle industry that was fol- lowed by a boom in sheep and wool at the turn of the twentieth century. Today the county is best known for the high quality turkeys that are produced and processed in the valley. Sanpete County has not developed in isolation, and like the rest of the state and nation, the county's sons and daughters served in the armed forces during the world wars and other conflicts. County residents experienced the difficulties of the Great Depression of the 1930s and benefited from government public relief programs. Mount Pleasant, Ephraim, and Manti took advantage of the philanthropy of Andrew Carnegie to build Carnegie public libraries in their communities which helped strengthen a commitment to education that had been manifest with the founding of Snow College in 1888. On the eve of the twenty-first century, Sanpete County residents are preparing for the changes and opportunities that the future have in store while maintaining firm ties to the past through a strong commitment to educational and religious institutions and the preserva- tion of a rich historical and architectural heritage. Unlike other volumes in the Centennial County History Series, which mark the first attempt to provide a summary history of events of both the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, this volume is based on a substantial body of historical literature which begins with one of Utah's first county histories, W. H. Lever's History of Sanpete and Emery Counties published in 1898, and concludes with one of the most recent county histories prior to this series, The Other Forty- Niners: A topical history of Sanpete County, Utah, 1849-1 983 edited by Albert C. T. Antrei and Ruth D. Scow. In addition to these works, Gary B. Peterson and Lowell C. Bennion's Sanpete Scenes: A Guide to Utah's Heart published in 1987 has become a favorite of many residents and visitors to the county and won an award from the American Association for State and Local History. An earlier county history, These Our Fathers, was compiled by Sanpete County Camps of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers in 1947. Other community histories and personal histories are a rich source of information about Sanpete County, as is the popular, locally-published annual Saga of the Sanpitch. To provide an overview history of Sanpete County that meets the length requirements for the centennial county history series and fits within the guidelines outlined by the Utah State Legislature, this volume has been crafted from several parts-excerpts from The Other 49ers; material from a draft history of Sanpete County prepared by Allen D. Roberts; a chapter on contemporary Sanpete County written by Maxine Hanks; sections written by the staff of the Utah State Historical Society; and histories of Sanpete County communities compiled from several sources or written by local contributors. As this explanation suggests, many people have contributed to this volume. Special thanks are extended to Eleanor P. Madsen, Joanne Mortensen, Melvin T. Smith, and LaMond Tullis-members of the Sanpete Centennial County History Committee who read drafts of chapters and offered constructive comments and provided helpful direction for the project. Members of the original Sanpete County History Committee which was organized in 1977 for The Other 49ers book include Chairwoman Ruth D. Scow, Albert Antrei, Gertrude Beck, Scott and Euleda Cook, Ida Donaldson, Elva Jensen, Leo C. Larsen, Rose McIff, Ted Mower, Diana Majors Spencer, Jane Thomas, and Hazel White. Others who have rendered invaluable assistance include Monte Bona, Joe Blain, Martha Sonntag Bradley, and Mary Louise Seamons. Present and former staff members of the Utah State Historical Society whose work has contributed to this volume include Thomas Carter, Craig Fuller, Ken Hansen, Kent Powell, John S. H. Smith, and Gary Topping. Finally, this book would not have been possible without the commitment of Sanpete County officials. Kristine Frischknecht, Sanpete County Clerk, has coordinated the project and provided the neces- sary direction and support to bring the book to completion. Present and former county commissioners who have provided support and assisted the project include Robert D. Bessey, Leonard Blackham, J.

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