Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-12-19
etween q bend in the Wasatch
mountains and Utah lake is one
Of the most prosperous cities
In the yyest--American Fork,

etween q bend in the Wasatch
mountains and Utah lake is ono
\ of the most prosperous cities
In the west-American Fork,
the Home of Reviving Mines.
resume of its activity is q summary
of the business conditions of much
of that district lying between Salt
Lake and Provo. for though American
Fork is not the only city intervening,
Its four thousand population makes
possible greater strides than some
other towns are capable of. Pheasant
Grove Is three miles to the cast, and
Lehi tho same distance at the north;
and IN fact there is already nlunici-
pal economy existing between the
three cities.
1t is not generally known that the
earliest settlers of American Fork
went first to what is now Springville,
and becoming dissatisfied with pro-
epccts there returned to this CITY.
They had been called out by Prest.
Brigham young under the colonizins
system original with that astute.
leader In the year 1850, three years
inter the Mormous had entered the
valley. Among them, wero stephen
and Washburn Chapman, ARA Adams.
John Singleton, William Greenwood,
John and Horace Eldredge.
Rude huts OF logs, thatch and dirt
Were constructed; defense was made
against the Indians; the meadow
grass and the sagebrush were disturb
ed: seeds were planted and the village
I. life begun. The first white child
born in the vicinity was Ann Singleton,
who died last year in Emery county.
A small store was started by Thomas
Mckenzie and even though butter.
eggs and grain constituted the legal
tender, lively business was estab
lished.
CITY FIFvrY-FIvE YEARS OLD.
On Juno 4, 1853, the city was in
corporated, the first mayor being L.
E. Harrington, who was at the time,
a representative in the state legisIa-
ture, which position he held until
1852. VIM. Greenwood, ARA Adams
and others We're members Of tho first
CITY council.
Through the influence of l.. E.
Harrington a peculiar provision APP
peared in the first city charter-one
which for o years gave American
Fork q unique position among the
cities of the stutc. The city was
granted the power to run schools by
local taxation.
In the original charter. this para
graph appears:
Sec IL. The city council shall have
power and authority to establish, sup
port and regulate common schools; to
borrow money on the credit of the city;
provided that no sum or sums of money
be borrowed on a greater interest than
8 per cent per annum, nor shall the In
terest on the aggregate of all the sums
borrowed and outstanding ever exceed
one-half OF the city revenue arising
from taxes assessed on the real estate
within this corporation
CENTRAL sCHooLHOUsES.
The present school system OF Arneri-
can Fork is one of the best in the
state. Following the method chosen by
other districts the city has done away
with the old small scattered school
buildings and has brought all the
grades together under supervision I'M
possible by the old system. There are
three large school buildings which oc-
.cupy central block, all OF them
heated by steam and equipped with
modern improvements. The primary
building Is known rs Harrington Hall;
the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS building is
called Forbes hall, SO named in honor
OF Joseph B. Forbes who was the first
teacher in the free school, and who has
taught school In American Fork for
AZ years; and the high school building is
known us Science hall. American Fork
has spent over 10000 in school buildings
"a fact which shows partly why Utah
has come third in the educational honor
of the United States. Other cities
have done just as we'll; but this shows
what q city OF 1000 people can do.
The present board OF trustees is COM
posed of men long instrumental in per-
fecting the educational system OF the
city-George B. Cunningham, Ell j.
Clayson and Joseph B. Forbes
IL