The Springfield herald., 1907-08-23
FIRST MAKERS OF BEET SUGAR
Beet Sugar Was First Made In the
West Fifty Years Ago.

It is probable that many people, like
those at the head of the Department
of Agriculture in Washington, will be
surprised to learn that the great indus
try of making sugar from beets had its
inception in the United States among
the Mormons over fifty years ago.
The Department of Agriculture, with
praiseworthy enterprise. some time ago
set afoot inquiries relative to the
founding of the industry on this side
of the ocean, desiring to form per
manent record for its archives. Among
certain indisputable facts which
showed that In 1852, when 1t cost $500
ton to transport freight from the
Missouri river to Utah, the Mormon
leaders had sugar plant brought from
Liverpool to Fort Leavenworth via
New Orleans and the Mississippi river.
thence by OK teams to the Rocky
Mountains 1t took fifty-two wagons
to transport the machinery, which was
of enormous weight. and over four
months were required to make the
journey.
The caravan eventually arrived, the
plant was set up, and In the spring OF
1853 the beet seed. brought from
France in the year prior, was planted
by the farmers around Salt Lake City.
The institution did not flourish at that
time. largely because of the presence
OF alkaline salts in the soil and the
fact that there was not then known
any process for eliminating them from
the beet The plant, however, was used
to manufacture sorghum, and for years
It's product was supplied to the people
of Utah as well as to the immigrants
bound for the gold diggings of Cali
fornia.
The early experience of the people.
however, was not forgotten, and when
in the eighties beet sugar manufacture
began to be talked about in California
and Nebraska, a group of Utah capital
lists formed company to thoroughly
investigate the subject. Prominent
among them was the late Elias Nor
ris. who as an immigrant in 1852 had
superintended the shipment of the pi-
oneer sugar plant, from the time 1t
was loaded aboard ship in Liverpool. to
the day 1t was unloaded from the wag-
ons In Salt Lake City. He with 9TH
ers visited the factories in Nebraska
and California, reported that the
scheme was just as feasible for Utah
as for those states, the Utah Sugar
Company was formed and Mr. Morris
was made it's president. The first fac
tory was erected at Lehi in 1890 and
the first crop of beets was harvested
in 1891. The story of the trials the
company went through before it be-
came firmly established would fill
volume. Its promoters set out to raise
million dollars capital. Less than
100000 was actually paid in and while
the company was still struggling the
panic OF 1893 came along, and Its sub
scription lists became valueless. But
for the aid extended by the heads of
the Church the institution must have
collapsed. Ultimately its bonds were
placed in the East and its floating in
debtedness paid off. The farmers. too.
who at first held back from going into
the planting of sugar beets. gradually
enlarged their acreage as they became
convinced that sure cash market for
their product could be found at their
doors-one, too subject to no such
fluctuations as attended the wheat
crop-and from an output of trifle
over 100000 pounds of sugar in 1891
the product of the Utah Sugar Com.
pany rose to over 21,000,000 pounds in
1902
Notwithstanding the fact that Utah
has had the advantage of Colorado in
longer experience in cutivating sugar
beets. the latter commonwealth
eclipsed her in the quantity and quail
ity of beets raised and converted into
sugar at the present time.