The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-01-03
PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE
HER CLAIMS TO IMPORTANCE
MUST BE RECOGNIZED.
Entertaining Story Concerning the
Early History of This Northeast
ern Utah Town-Her Beautiful
and Romantic Location and Ad
vantages As a Trade Center.

of the state that live along the shores
of the great INLAND sea-" and along
the great steel thoroughfares, over
which the worlds trade surges, with
ever increasing force, that over beyond
the great Wasatch range, where the
lofty Uintahs rear their snow capped
peaks, and where the waters flow muir
muringly on, to mingle with the waters
of the Colorado, there exists a busting,
wide-awake little city that is springlng
into prominence as the great distribut-
ing point, for a section destined to
figure very prominently in the public
eye in the not far distant future.
The town of Vernal, sitting amid her
beautiful surroundings, as if conscious
of her commercial supremacy, would
hardly suggest the idea that in the
early days of it's history, it waged
long and bitter fight for its existence.
The old maps will show the county seat
of Uintah county on the bank of Ash
ley creek, which circles around the
northern edge of the valley, on its
winding course to the Green.
The town of Ashley, with its memo
ries of the wild and woOlly past, is no
more Vernal has long since wrested
the scepter from her hands. The fond
dreams that were INDUCED in by tn
old pioneers, of a city where the streets
and where the hunblest citizen might
enjoy the grateful shade of the waving
trees, that reached out so generously
bidding all welcome, have faded away.
1t was in the year 1878 that Uncle
jerry Hatch, as he is Familiarity known,
immigrated to the valley, pursuant to
a cali from the church authorities.
Others soon followed, and Uncle"
Jerry was installed as president of the
Uintah stake" He is credited with
being the father of the Central canal"
scheme. which covers the ground upon
which Vernal now stands.
This, important event transpired in
1879 and the center of population
slowly but surely drifted southwark.
The landscape was soon dotted with
the settlers cabins, and farming on
the "bench" soon became an estab-
lished fact
The original Iocators of the ground
now included in the Vernal townsite
were Uncle" Jerry Hatch, who is still
a resident, now rs years of age, and
getting quite feeble: A J. Johnson.
community; "Davy" Johnson, who long
ago left for other parts, but whose
sons have since returned, and A. G.
Hadlock. who still retains a small por-
ton Of his original claim, and Tan
crum Kempton, now dead
Up till the winter of 1882 the only !
stores in the country were over at the |
town of Ashley. During that winter |
the Hatch brothers. sons of Uncle" |
Jerry, started a small store in an old /
log house on the site where now stands |
the building occupied by S. D. Cotton |
& Co.
PIONEER PRICES.
In those days prices were out of |
sight. Flour sold frequently for S. per |
hundred, sugar sold 5 and pounds for |
81, two packets of coffee, and three of
tea were dealt out in exchange for |
that unit of value, bacon sold for % |
cents per pound and tobacco for 81.
The little old log store, with its low
roof and high prices formed a nu-
cleus around which in after years,
sprang up the town of Vernal, as it ap-
pears today.
Following the lead of the Hatch store
came the Blythe Mitchell company in
1885, which became the Blythe Mease
company in 1890, and in 1891
by the Ashley Coop. These companies,
with the exception of the Coop, have
long since gone out of business but in
their places spranS up others.
Settlers were pouring over the divide
and were locating all along the bench
the upper canal had been completed
across the upper or western edge of
the valley, which brought thousands
If acres under cultivation, and the
bench population was increasing at a
rapid rate.
In the fall of 1898 a petition was pre-
sented to move the county seat. In
November the election was held, which
'esulted in victory for the ''benchers,"
md on Dec. IA of that year the records
we're removed and the county seat
transferred, finally, to Vernal.
From that time Vernal continued to
grow in Importance and population. In
S94 the town was incorporated, a town
council was elected with S. M. Browne
is president, who may really be con-
iidered as the father of Vernal."
ASHLEY'S STRUGGLE.
Over the creek the old town was still
against the inevitable, there
we're those who were loath to bury
he Ratchet" and with it the cherished
lopeS that were entertained of a thirty
ng metropolis over on the north. Aw-
III tales were told of the fate in store
or the luckless denizens of the town
N the bench. Pictures were drawn of
streets white with alkali dust, and
where the inhabitants died like rotten
heep, poisoned by the foul waters that
trained from the lands above.
The clink OF the almighty dollar ]
however, is great factor in determin-
ng the actions of men. 1t soon be- ,
anne evident that Nernal was not only
he center of population, but of trade
lso, and despite all the dismal predic-
ions, one by one its old antagonists
rifted sullenly with the tide and were
ound doing business upon it's streets.
Six years ago the first issue of the
'apoose, little sheet which put in a ]
imid appearance as a chronicler of
peal events, was printed, under the
Management of Kate Jean Boan. There
Tere not wanting those who predicted
hat the venture would prove a failure
he editor and manager stuck man .
ully'' to her post, however, until the
usiness was finally transferred to it's
resent owner and editor, j. NJ Bar
er, who has parked through it's col
INNS ever since, under the more eu-
honious name of the Vernal Express.
VERNAL OF TO-DAY.
Vernal today can boast of six general
torres, doing a business variously esti-
mated at from 100000 to 100000 an
uaIly. There are five saloons doing
usiness that testifies to the fact that
Te are fast becoming 'civilized;"
rst-class drug store. two meat mar
cts, a well stocked furniture store, a
ance hall, an opera house, two planning
Hills, and an up-to-date roller Touring
ill that is doing a rushing business.
here are several hotels and restaur-
nts, that are well patronized; barber