The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-12-25
OF PROVO.
The Little Boom Now
Going On.
A YEARS PROGRESS.
The Garden City Of Utah and
Her Attractions.
THE NEW BUILDINGS ERECTED.
The Future Outlook is Decidedly Rosy-Provo's
Advantages as a Residence and
Business City.
The Garden City of Utah and
Her Attractions.
THE NEW BUILDINGS ERECTED.
BY E. A. WILSON.

For years past Provo mas Deen known lar
and wide as the Garden City, of Utah.
Well does she deserve the appellation, is the
verdict of all who have had the pleasurein
spring time of drinking the rich perfumes
of her blossoming orchards, or who, in
summer, have Dasked within her umbrage-
GUS bowers, or from a neighboring hill
viewed the sylvan scene.
But of late as some of these gardens
have given place to business blocks, manu-
featuring establishments, railroad marts,
and homes for the people, the old name is
giving way, both among strangers and
denizens, to the more appropriate one of
''Gem City"
BY whatever pet names she has been, is
now, or may in the future be called, Provo
is Provo and so will remain through the
coming years as she marches on to fame.
As to
THE ORIGIN OF THE NAME
Provo there is some uncertainty and dis
pute even at so early date from its settle
ment, and several the cries are advanced.
None, however, seems to be better authen-
ticated than the following by local histor-
ian. He was probably one of the winged
visions on the occasion:
The great Messiah, in His wanderings, passed
over the great waters and stepped upon the far
famed White mountains. Another step onward
brought Him TO the Green mountains. Thence
He passed onward to the celebrated Adiron-
daclzs. But He did not rest content even here.
Onward! Onward TO the great Rockies; He
plants His foot in the midst of the sublime seen
cry of the Wasatch. Here He stands entranced,
beholding the lovely Utah valley with the clear
crystal waters of Utah lake glistening like
mirror. He turns to his royal train and ex
claims: Here will build great city; her
people shall be my people, and they shall dwell
in peace and prosperity; her waves shall be
known all the busy marts Of the world
The angels looked up and said: What shall
be the name of this great city, He answered
them, Provo And the voices of the angels
echoed provo! Provo! Provo!"
Utah valley is conceded to be one of the
most picturesque wales of the west. 1t is
some thirty-five miles in length and twenty
to thirty miles wide. 1t is skirted on the
east and north by the Wasatch mountains
extending in a semi-circular form. Their
snow-crowned tops rise to height of al
most six thousand feet above the level of
the valley nearly it's entire length, except
where broken through by the broad, deep
cafons, from whence flow
THE CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN STREAMS.
The water from these, after irrigating and
fertilizing the rich soil, turning mills and
furnishing nectar for the populace, finds
its way into the largest fresh water lake
in the inter-mountain region. Here it rests
for a little season before flowing on
to the Jordan, giving life to the
millions of the finny tribe that live
within its placid bosom and furnishing
home for the myriads of wild fowl that in
habit its iungles. This beautiful sheet of
water occupies the western portion of the
valley, and is about twelve miles in width
by thirty in length. Between this and the
mountains on the east and north is the
valley proper, a crescent-shaped strip of
land averaging about eight miles in width.
Near the centre of this crescent, and
nesting at the base of 10 mount is
Provo, the natural centre of the rich val
lev. The Timpanogas river energies from
the mountains about five miles north of
Provo, and flowing past it on the west
empties into the lake three miles
below. 1t is voluminous stream,
and is always cool and pure as
the SHOWS from whence it comes.
Bv turning the main body of the river into
a canal near the mouth of the caflon and
bringing it by the ordinary grade to a short
distance above the city, it is estimated that
it could be divided into several streams
and each one be utilized for three success
sive water powers and finally be used to If
rigate nearly all the land that is now under
cultivation, so great is the fall. With
THIS IMMENSE WATER POWER
and her other advantages it is no wonder
Provo is looked to as the coming manu-
featuring centre of Utah. Already we
have the famous Provo Wooden Mills, run
ming their thousands of spindles, reels, looms
dressers, fringers, gigs, fullers, etc, etc,
and giving employment to hundreds of
laborers; and the Provo L. NJ. q B. Co.,
which supplies the surrounding country
with building material, and does good
portion of the building in and around
Provo. There are also two large foundries
and machine shops, each doing thriving
business We have warmed our fingers
bya stove wholly made in our own town and
it appears to have all the good qualities of
the imported article. A fruit cannery is
another of our enterprises. Many more
manufactures of lesser Importance might
be named Still we are just in our infancy
in this line
ONE EASTERN SYNDICATE
of capitalists is established here for the
purpose of investing in different enter
prises in Provo, and another, a New York
firm, has its attroneys here employed to
secure a site for an immense manufactur-
ing structure. Another large wooden mill,
even more extensive than the one men
toned, is one Ct the PROBABILITIES of the near
future.
Situated as she is in the very heart of
the rich valley before described with such
fiourishing towns as Lehi, American Fork,
Pleasant Grove and Alpine on the north and
Springville, Spanish Fork, Payson, Salem,
Santaquin and others on the south, all
within a radius of twenty miles of Provo,
and being the city ut which the D.
g. R. G. railway, as it enters the
valley from the east, connects with the
Utah Central railway from the south, and
withal being nearly in the centre of the
territory, Provo is the hub of commerce.
Moreover, as is well known, the Utah, Ne
vada a. California Railway company is
about to make Provo its initial point for
the construction of a road extending to the
coast. Here let US quote from a recent
editorial Salt La Ike paper:
Provo is destined to be distributing point