Complex sentence: While early settlers did manage to grow cotton, it was never produced at competitive market rates; consequently, cotton farming was eventually abandoned, and its place in the economy was taken by tourism as the railroads began to bring visitors to the nearby Zion National Park.
Split into simpler sentences: While early settlers cultivated cotton as a commodity crop, they did not succeed in producing it at competitive market rates; consequently, cotton farming was eventually abandoned. More important to the economy was tourism, which developed as the railroads began to carry visitors to the nearby Zion National Park.