Utah communities with puzzlegacies
Orem introduction
Orem, Utah is situated in Utah Valley north of Provo City and along the foothills of the Wasatch Range. Before Orem was incorporated in 1919 the area was used primarily for farmland and orchards. The south side of Orem was most frequently called the Provo Bench as it was on the hill overlooking the city of Provo. The northern part of the current city of Orem was called Sharon, which was a reference to the birthplace of the Prophet Joseph Smith in Sharon, Vermont. When it was decided that a new city was needed in 1919, they named it for Walter Orem, a wealthy businessman from Salt Lake City, who owned the railway between the Salt Lake Valley and Utah Valley. During the Great Depression, a group of people from Orem organized the Sharon Community Educational and Recreational Association, or SCERA. They successfully developed and built community resources that helped make Orem a desirable place to live.
Orem puzzlegacies
Orem resources
Price introduction
Price, Utah is located along the Price River that flows from the Wasatch Range to the Green River in the northwest corner of the Colorado Plateau. The area has an arid climate as it lies in the rain shadow of the Wasatch mountains. It was inhabited by the Fremont people who left their rock art in the surrounding cliffs and then the Ute people. The area was settled in 1879 by LDS families looking for land they could farm. The community and the river that flows through it were named for a Mormon Bishop from Goshen Utah, William Price. He explored and wrote about the region in 1869. The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad built a line in 1883 to support the coal mines around Helper, Utah. This brought more employment opportunities and a diverse population to the area. By 1930, Price was a vibrant community with several stores, schools, churches, businesses and administrative buildings. Carbon College was founded in February, 1937 and eventually became the College of Eastern Utah. In 2010 the college merged with Utah State University to become USU Eastern.
Price puzzlegacies
Price resources
The Sun Advocate on Utah Digital Newspapers (Also found on Newspapers.com)
Provo introduction
The city of Provo is located in the beautiful Utah Valley in central Utah. It lies in between the shores of Utah Lake on the west and the steep slopes of the Wasatch Mountains on the east. The Provo River flows from Provo Canyon and through the valley to Utah Lake. Mt. Timpanogos rises dramatically to the north. The mountain was named for the native people who lived, fished, and hunted in this valley. They assisted the Spanish explorers who were the first Europeans to visit them. Mormon Pioneers took control of the valley in 1849 and established Fort Utah. The community grew quickly and was named Provo for the French Canadian fur trapper, Etienne Provost. It was also nicknamed the Garden City because of the many gardens and orchards planted there by the pioneers. By 1873 a railroad line from Salt Lake City to Provo was completed, and by 1874 the Provo Woolen Mills were constructed. The Brigham Young Academy was established in 1875 and eventually became Brigham Young University. Some important historic buildings include the Academy, the Tabernacle, the Jesse Knight House, the Maeser Elementary and Maeser Memorial, and the Downtown Historic District.
Provo puzzlegacies
Spring Canyon introduction
Spring Canyon is the name of the canyon located in the mountains about 15 miles northwest of Price, Utah, and it was home to several coal mining camps including: Peerless, Storrs, Standardville, Latuda, Rains, Mutual, and Little Standard. Storrs was established in 1912 by mining magnate Jesse Knight. He purchased 1,600 acres in Spring Canyon and organized the Spring Canyon Coal Company. He had 60 homes constructed and named the new town after his mine superintendent, George Storrs. Mr. Knight was a Mormon, and he banned saloons and gambling houses. By 1914, there was a schoolhouse and church built for the miners and their families who were mostly Mormon. By 1924, Storrs had a population of about 1,000 people, a hotel, a heated swimming pool, well-built homes with steam heat and electric stoves, stores, and offices. In 1924, the town officially changed its name from Storrs to Spring Canyon, and it can be confused with the name of the canyon or the coal mine. From 1924 to 1943, 1,000 tons of coal per day were mined, and in 1940, the Spring Canyon Mine was ranked as the fourth largest coal producer in Utah. During World War II, over 2,000 tons of coal per day were being mined.
Spring Canyon puzzlegacies
Spring Canyon resources
Washington introduction
Washington City is located in the southwest corner of Utah and along the course of the Virgin River as it flows out of the canyons of Zion National Park on its way to Lake Mead. The area was explored in 1852 by John D. Lee who reported to Brigham Young that land and water were available and that the warm climate would allow for the harvesting of cotton. President Young assigned ten LDS families to move to the area in April, 1857. Their main purpose was to grow cotton. Twenty-eight families joined them the following month, and they laid out the city. They decided to call it Washington after the nation's first President. Flooding from the Virgin River was an annual problem until they built the Washington Fields Dam in 1891, and the area became well known as Utah's Dixie. The community grew, but most people chose to live in nearby St. George. Washington became a retirement community, and continues to attract Seniors looking for warm winters.
Washington puzzlegacies
Washington resources