Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1859-09-16
LIFE IN UTAH,

Horace Greedy. whose description of his iour-
neyings across the plains have 30 much inter
ested the readers of the Tribune, gives us the
following account of his observations among
our fellow citizens of Utah:
These MOrmOns are in the main An ;ndps.
triOus, frugal, hard-working people. Few of
them are habitual idlers; few live by profess
slonaI pursuits that require no physical exer-
ton. They make work for but few LAWYERS
know but four among them-their differences
aud disputes are usually settled in and by the
Church; ihey have no female Outcasts; few doc.
tors, and pay no salaries to their preachers-at
least, the leaders say so. But a small portion
of them use tea and coffee. Formerly they
drank little or no liquor; but since the army
came in last year, money and whisky have
both been more abundant, and now they drink
considerably. More than a thousand barrels
OF whisky have been sold in this city within
the last year, at an average of not less than 50
per gallon, making the total cost to consumers
over S25O,O 600, whereof the Mormons have paid
at least half. If they had thrown instead
Sl5O,OOO In hard cash into the deepest part of
Salt Lake, it would have been far better for
them. The appetite they are acquiring or re.
newlng Will cling to them after the army and
ls lnfuL OF cash shall have departed; and the
saints who now drink little, will find them
selves as thirsty as their Valley, before thew
suspect that they care anything for liauor
As yet, believe, they have few or no drunk
ards; but there is nothing more deceitful than
the appetite for liquor. As yet, Utah has not
single export Of any kind; the army supplies
her with cash; when that is gone the peoIJe
Will see harder times. She ought to manufac-
ture almost everything she consumes. or for
elgn debt will overwhelm her. Yet, up to this
hour, her manufacturing energies have been
most unhappily directed. Some 5000. 900 was
expended in preparations for iron-making at a
place called Cedar City; but the ore, though
rIlsh rnpIA A. 4 IL
he totally abandoned leaving the capital A
dead loss. Wool and fax can be grown here
cheaply and abundantly; yet, owing to the
troubles last year, no spinning and weaving
machinery has yet been put in operation-i
believe some is now coming up from st. Louis.
An attempt to grow cotton is likely to prove a
failure, as might have been predicted. The
winters are long and cold here for the latitude.
and the Saints must make cloth or shiyer.
trust they will soon be able to clotbe them
selves.
Sugar is another necessary of life which thew
have had bad luck with. They can grow the
beet very well, but it is said to yield little or
no sugar-because, ii is supposed, of an excess
OF alkali in the soil. The Sorghum has not vet
been turned to much account, but it is to be
common brown sugar sells here at Gee per ID ::
coffee about the same; in the newer settle
ments, they are of course still higher All sorts
OF imported goods cost twice or six or eight
medicines 80 called) and yellow covered novels
are sold at double the prices borne on their la
bells or covers. Consider that the people came
hlther over thousand miles mainly of desert
after reaching the Missouri, which was MANY
hundreds If not thousands of miles from their
former homes-that they generally reached
these valleys In the fall, which afforded them
excellent chances OF starvation before they
could raise crop-thst they have been con-
stantly invested and begged or stolen from by
the Indlans whose game they killed or scared
away, and who feel that they have a right Ia
lave here so long as there are cattle or erops 10
live on-that these valleys are lofty. narrow.
and parched by intense drouth from May to
November - that implements and seeds are
scarcely to be obtained short of three-montbs
journey, and then at an enormous cost-that
they have had one year of virtual and costly
hostIlltIes with the Federal Government. in
which very little could be DONE and improve
ment was out OF the questiOn-and am amazed
that SD much has been well done here in the
way of building. tilIing. fencing. plantino
trees, &c Of course this city is far ahead Of
any ryal, being the spiritual metropolis and
the earliest settled; but / am assured that the
valley OK Utah Lake is better cultivated than
tins, though Provo. its county seat, is far be-
hlnd the city, which, with its broad. regular
streets. refreshed by rivulets Of bright spark
ling, dancing water, and shaded by rows of
young but thrifty trees, mainly locust and
bitter cottonwood, is already more attractive
TO IN eye than an average city Of like size in
the Seates The houses (Of adobe or merely sun
drlet orIck) are uniformly low and generally
700 small DQt there Is seldom more than one
FAMILY to dwelling and rarely but one dwell
ling on lot of an acre and a quarter The
gardens are well filed with peach, apple and
other fruit-tree, whereof the peach aIreadv v
bears profusely, and the others begin to follow
me example Apricots and grapes are grown,
though not yet abundant; So of strawberries
ruins are In profusion, and the mountain cur
rants are large, abundant and very good.
Many OF the lots are fenced with cobbIe stones
laia In clay mortar, which seems to stand very
well. That Of Brigham YOung's garden and
grouods Is nine or ten feet high. three feet
thick at the base, and cost some $50 per rod
cndou6edly this people are steadily inc reasing
IN wealth and comfort.
Stu the ayera ,e life in Utah ia n hard ,ns
many more days faithful labor are required To
support family here than in Kansas. or anv of
the states. The climate is severe and cs1ri
eloqs-now intensely hot and dry; in winter
cold and stormy; and though cattle are usu.lIv
allowed to shirk for themselves in the valleys.
they are apt to resent the insult bv DIVING
Crlekets and grasshoppers swarm in myriads.
ana often dsvour all before them. Wood is
scarce and poor. Irrigation is laborious and
expensive. as yet, it has not been found prac-
tlca6ie 70 irrigate one fourth Of the arabIeIand
a, an Ultimately, the valleys will be gener-
any Hrlgsted; bat this will require very costly
uams 1 ana canals Frost is very destructive
mere; Indian corn rarely escapes it wholly. ard
wheat of'en suffers from it. Wheat, oats, corn.
Sarey' rye, are grown At about equal cost per
onsnei-S2 may be taken as their ayerage price;
wheat Ia unusually heavy, though this wear II
threatened TO be relatively light / estimate
Una. one hundred and nifty days faithful labor
"a - .s hsnsas wiz produce as large an aggregate
ci the nscesssriss Of life-foOd clothing fnsI-.
As As three hundred just such days work In Utah
Hence, the adults here generally wear a toll.
worn, anxious look, and many of then, are
cider IN frame than in years ardentIy hone
1t may not always be thus ~