Saga of Three Towns - Washington County Historical Society

1 1 saga of Three Towns 2 saga of Three Towns 3 saga of Three Towns Contents .. 6 HARRISBURG .. 8 SUNDAY SCHOOLS OF HARRISBURG .. 12 PRIMARY .. 13 RELIEF Society .. 13 A PIONEER HOME IN HARRISBURG .. 16 AN EARLY HARRISBURG WEDDING .. 17 22 MR. BRANNAN IN LEEDS .. 37 A MURDER IN LEEDS .. 38 A LEEDS DRESSMAKER .. 38 SOME OF MY MEMORIES OF SCHOOLS IN LEEDS .. 39 OUR MEETING HOUSE BELL .. 42 SOME AFTER THOUGHTS .. 47 Album of Leeds .. 49 SILVER REEF .. 60 THE SILVER SANDSTONE DISTRICT OF UTAH .. 63 THE SILVER REEF DISTRICT OF SOUTHERN UTAH .. 71 MODE OF OCCURRENCE OF THE SILVER ORE .. 72 BULLION PRODUCTION OF SILVER REEF, UTAH (In ounces of fine silver) .. 74 4 saga of Three Towns THE SORMONT MINES, SILVER REEF UTAH .. 75 THE SROMONT MINES SILVER REEF, UTAH 78 COST OF MINING AT THE STORMONT AND LAST CHANCE MINES, FROM THEIR OPENING IN AUGUST 1878, TO MAY 1, 78 COST OF MINING BY THE LEEDS COMPANY.

2 81 COST OF MINING BY THE CHRISTY M. & M. COMPANY .. 82 THE STORMONT SILVER MINES, SILVER REEF, UTAH IV WITH SUPPLEMENT 83 THE STORMONT MILL .. 84 THE AVERAGE YIELD OF' SILVER REEF ORES .. 85 RECAPITULATION .. 85 THE COST OF MILLING STORMONT ORES .. 86 COST OF MILLING AT THE STORMONT MILL .. 87 AVERAGE EXPENSES PER TONE MILLED .. 87 THE SILVER SANDSTONE FORMATION AT SILVER REEF, UTAH .. 89 SILVER REEF NOTES FROM PROCTOR .. 90 LUMBER FOR SILVER REEF .. 95 WORK DONE BY LEEDS MEN AT OR FOR SILVER BEEF .. 101 THE GRIND STONE STORY .. 102 URANIUM ORE IN THE LEEDS, HARRISBURG MINING DISTRICT, Washington County , UTAH .. 103 THE QUICK AND THE DEAD .. 104 A TO SILVER REEF STORY .. 105 ECHOES .. 105 5 saga of Three Towns SAVED A MILL .. 108 CONNER MEN IN SILVER REEF.

3 109 SILVER REEF TRAGEDIES .. 110 CHINESE MEMORIES .. 111 A MORTGAGE .. 112 MATT CHIDESTER ANSWERS A QUESTION .. 113 6 saga of Three Towns 7 saga of Three Towns 8 saga of Three Towns HARRISBURG High on the southeast slopes of Pine Valley Mountain is a beautiful grove of many kinds of trees. Among and above them, clear, cold springs, fed from the snows that fall in winter and the rains that rain in summer, gush forth. These springs are constant, and they all converge to form what some early trapper or pioneer had named Quail Creek. This dashing stream winds its way eastward a mile or two through what has come to be known as Water Canyon, which has cut its way in ages past, through the Red Reef, then, shall we say, caressingly, twines and flows southward following the course of the Red Reef.

4 A mile or so, another stream, not so large or constant, pours also over this Red Reef, tumbling down over a red cliff in its narrow gorge. Up the sides of this waterfall over the red cliff, red men had cut toe and finger holds to save them miles of journeying in their primitive lives. This is Dick's Canyon, named for an Indian, and around the spot where these two streams joined, the Red Men planted corn and squash before the advent of the White Men. The streams continue on, curving to the eastward, and, at the head of another canyon which you and I know as Harrisburg Canyon, join with another stream from the same blue Pine Valley Mountain. This is the Cotton Wood Creek, and now the Three streams joined together, flow through this third canyon another four miles to where the canyon widens out, and there they mingle their sparkling water with the not so sparkling Rio Virgin.

5 It was where Quail and Cottonwood Creeks join the Rio Virgin that Moses Harris halted his family in the spring of 1859 and founded a home. He had come from San Bernardino, California the fall before and had wintered in Washington . Other families joined him and improvements were made, but soon an accidental fire occurred, wiping them out. Discouraged, some of the settlers moved to Minersville, in Beaver County , but later that same year the sons of Moses Harris returned to this site he had selected, and the little town of Harrisville was born with Silas Harris, son of Moses Harris, appointed to preside over this branch of the Washington Ward. Nine families resided there in 1860. In the spring of 1861 they moved a little farther up on Quail Creek with the approval of Bishop Robert D.

6 Covington, of Washington . Besides Moses Harris' family and his son's families, James Lewis and Hosea Stout with their families had settled. In the spring of 1862 William Leany ,John Brimhall, William Robb, Allen J. Stout, Priddy Meeks, Orson Adams, John Adams, Samuel Hamilton and Elijah Knapp Fuller had joined the settlement, bringing their families, 41 souls in all. Apostles Orson Pratt and Erastus Snow met with the people at the home of Moses Harris and organized them into a branch of the church, making the name of Harrisburg official. James Lewis was made president with Moses Harris and Hosea Stout as counselors. William Leany and John Brimhall were appointed teachers and William Leany was made water-master. In July 1862 Rufus Allen, his family and others to the number of 17, moved to Harrisburg joining the branch organization.

7 On August 24th Hosea Stout had been called to live in St. George, and Mosiah L. Hancock became a counselor in his stead. In the spring of 1862 Harrisburg had but one house, the home of Moses Harris. 9 saga of Three Towns In December 1862 Willard G. McMullin, his two wives and their children moved into the settlement. During the winter of '62-'63 others moved in, bringing the number of families up to 20. Family heads not already mentioned were Samuel Gould, John Newton, David Ellsworth, John McCleve, Allen Taylor and his son, William Taylor. In the fall of '63 Apostles Pratt and Snow again met with the Saints. James Lewis was honorably released as Presiding Elder. Silas Harris replaced him, with Milton Daily and Mosiah L. Hancock as counselors.

8 William Stirling, a Scotch convert who resided with the William Leany family, was made Branch Clerk. In May of 1864 there were 16 families and 128 souls residing in Harrisburg. The town was on the trade route of freighters who freighted to California via Las Vegas, Nevada from Utah, and also connecting with the California freighters were others who freighted (no doubt in relays) clear to St Louis, Missouri. Some of the freighters found it convenient to live in Harrisburg; However, it tended to give the town a somewhat shifting population, as these freighters' families had occasion to change their locations now and then. It was in this year that the people met and decided to build a church and, school house combined, appointing E. K. Fuller to take charge of the enterprise.

9 At this time (May 1864) the people had planted six acres of wheat, ten of corn, five of sorghum cane, eight with cotton and % of an acre of alfalfa. A Sunday School was organized with Mosiah L. Hancock, Superintendent Our father has told us of a small forest of pinon pine that grew in the little valley where Quail Creek flowed. He said it was the most beautiful grove of those trees he had ever seen any place. It soon fell victim to the white man's axe, as it furnished a convenient supply of fuel. Seeing it disappear from the earth must have caused the Red Men great anguish. He also told of the beautiful growth of juniper, which we usually called cedar, that covered the ground above Silver Reef, where the town grew up, and on down between the White Reef and the Buckeye Reef.

10 He said the young men would walk up from Harrisburg to cut fence posts. They came in the morning, carrying their lunches, worked all day, and walked home in the evening. He and his brother, Brigham, were the best choppers, a day's work for him being the cutting and trimming of Three hundred posts. By the end of 1865 other homes had been built, and the church building was completed. It was 18x30 feet and cost $ Meetings and schools were held in private homes or boweries prior to its completion. In 1866 the town was again a part of the Washington Ward. Silas Harris ceased to be Presiding Elder. Three teachers were chosen to manage affairs under the Washington Bishopric. Indian troubles threatened but no raids were made at that time. There were now 25 families and a day school, taught by Brother Henry E.