The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1884-05-24

ing of the markets for their produce.
1t looks as though the people of southren
Utah were destined to return to the Ter
rtorial currency again as circulating
medium among them. In those good old
days, before the ungodly came to Phoebe,
the currency in Utah was the produce
and stock raised by the people. When
young lady wanted piece of cloth or
calico for gown, she would take some
potatoes, onions, eggs, pumpkin, or
any produce whatsoever, to the Coop.
store and exchange it for cloth. If the
pumpkin happened to be large one, and
was worth more than the article given in
exchange, the storekeeper would return
as change some potatoes, or anything else
that the customer might desire. MANY
OF these people had never seen any coin
till they hauled produce to Phoebe and
sold it, while others had not seen any
money since they settled in the Territory.
When the Mormons first came to peddle
produce in Phoebe, they did not know
how to sell for coin, and would sell at
the prices articles sold for back in the
States before they left there. But they
soon learned and the price of butter was
elevated from two-bits to 81 a roll,
eggs from one-bit to four.bits per dozen,
,inlra txun fn L..
price Of all other produce in proportion
Phoebe was the market for Utah produce
from Nephi to st. George. When Phoebe
started on the decline in '76. then the
silver reefs of sandstone of Washington
county, Utah Territory, was just begin.
ming to be brought into prominence by
Phoebe prospectors and ore shipped here
for reduction. After the founding and
building up of the town of Silver Reef
that town became the market for the pro.
duce raised in that section; but now
Silver Reef is under cloud and may re.
main so forever. and Phoebe is very lin.
tied market, our Utah neighbors will be
deprived of market, consequently coin
will be scarce with them. While down
on our last trip in Utah, over three years
ago, an old gentleman in Toquerville,
who was since summoned to meet his
Maker, told us the following amusing in.
cident, under the admonition that we
were to say nothing about it, but as he is
dead and gone to heaven, and we are not
likely to ever meet again, we will tell it,
After Silver Reef got well under way,
and the Gentiles got coming to our Stakes
visiting the girls" said the old gentle
man, eve done all that was possible to
prevent it, and Notwithstanding some
rebukes to the girls from the Bishops,
they would seek the company of these
strangers, who not only made the girls
presents of little trinkets, but handsome
dresses, shoes. etc., and the girls COM
menced marrying the Gentiles, in spite
Of the protests Of US old people. You
know, before the Gentiles appeared at
Silver Reef, our people were very poor,
and the girls went bare.footed and wore
nothing but plain, cheap dress, without
frill or founce on it. The dressing up of
the girls in good clothing by the Gentiles
so turned their empty heads that they
become silly and vain. They would
not pack vegetables to the Coop to trade
unless they were covered over with some.
thing, if stranger was in town. We
were to have dance one evening, and
a stranger happened to be in town.
The store having received some ribbons,
the girls, to put on airs at the dance,
kept running over to the store during the
day to get ribbons, and so as not to let
the stranger see that they were packing
pumpkins for trade, they put on aprons
and carried the pumpkins under their
aprons. The stranger noticed the girls,
and in the evening he remarked to the
host OF the house at which he stopped,
You Mormons, l should Judge from
what l witnessed while strolling through
your village, are very prolific people.
was extraordinarily aston;shed. What
makes your girls marry so young!' The
host acknowledged that our people were
profile, but not knowing the the cause of
the strangers question, replied that the
girls didn't marry here any younger
than in other countries" After this,
when strangers visited Toquerville, the
young girls never wore pumpkins under
their aprons.
FRUIT Crop. The fruit crop through.
out the county, according to reports, will
be good and abundant. The Eagle Valley
people claim that they will have a much
larger crop this year than they ever have
had. The fruit trees of various kinds
will be loaded to their utmost. The
Pahranagat crop will also be immense.
The orchards on the ranches owned by
Eisenmann and Wilson in that valley
will be great. The only locality that we
have heard where any damage has been
done by cold and frost to the fruit, is at
Panaca, and there only the peach trees
have been injured by the late frost.
Our at the Big Trees, in the Highland
range, the snow is yet three feet in
depth, and is so solid that it bears up the
weight Of horse. The trees, although
surrounded at the bottom with three feet
OF snow, are green with foliage. They
look pretty.
MucH damage has been done by the