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History of the St. George/Washington County ,
Utah |
A JERRY ANDERSON SCULPTURE AT KACHINA
SPRINGS AT ENTRADA
The Anasazi Indians were the first known inhabitants of
southwestern Utah. They entered this area around 200 BC
and left
about 1200 A D. The reason for their sudden departure is unclear. Remants of their dwellings, rock art
and other artifacts are left as evidence of their 1000 years of
living in our desert community.
The Paiute Indians entered this region between 1100
and 1200 A D. The Paiute Indians were a relatively small tribe
and
were made up of smaller bands of a few hundred native Americans in each
band. The Paiutes hunted for deer, rabbits, mountain sheep and
other animals. They added seeds, roots, berries and nuts to their
food source. Later they raised crops along the rivers
using irrigation. They
planted corn, wheat, melons, squash and various other vegetables.
The first known contact between Europeans and Paiutes was
recorded by the Spanish Dominguez-Escalante group who passed through
southwestern Utah in 1776. There is a historical monument of their
crossing located past the
dinosaur tacks in Warner Valley.
Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter Day Saints, also known as Mormons, entered and settled the
Salt
Lake Valley in 1847. In 1861, Brigham Young, the leader of the
Church, called 309 families to the
St George area for the express purpose
of growing cotton, grapes and other produce conducive to the warmer climate.
 One
of the key players in the settlement of St George and the southern
territory was Jacob Hamblin. In 1854 Brigham Young assigned Jacob
Hamblin to be a
missionary to the Indians in the southern Utah. He was considered a
great friend by the Indians because of his unquestionable integrity, and was heavily involved in keeping the
peace between the early settlers and the Paiute Indians. His home on
Santa Clara Drive in Santa Clara is a favorite tourist attraction.
The area became known as "Dixie"
because of the warm climate, southern location and the products the area
was
able to produce. The Utah Territory was officially declared a state
in 1896 and the St George area is
still generally known as "Utah's
Dixie."
Life was very difficult for these early settlers and pioneers. Intense summer heat,
with little rainfall made it
difficult to raise crops and flash floods would
often destroy their crops and buildings. However, they stayed
and persevered and built their city. These pioneers built the first
Mormon temple completed in the west. The
St. George Temple dedicated in 1877 at a
cost of $800,000. Intense labor and hard work by all resulted
in the
Temple as it stand today as a monument to those first settlers. The Tabernacle
and the summer
home of Brigham Young
have been restored and are on the city's historical tour and register.
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