The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-02-18
MOAPA MAKES READY
FOR GREAT GROWTH
Rich Section Renowned for
Melons Rejoices at Com
ing of Railroad.
CONDITIONS ARE IDEAL
Semi i-Tropical Fruits Grown
Side by Side With Grains
and Apples.
CONDITIONS ARE IDEAL
Kv w. z. HARRISON.

Everyone who has patTonl5ed tue
hotel cafes or the dining cars of the
Salt Lake Route during the spring or
early summer has beard of Moapa
nelons-delicious captaloupes that come
from somewhere in Nevada And
perhaps good many have looked out
Of the window as the Salt Lake Route
train passed the station called by that
name and had wondered, particularly If
1t happened to be summertime, why
1t Was that men ever chose to farm
in such a. place and how it was that
they succeeded.
Now, as a matter of fact. Moapa
melons are not grown in Mospa at all,
but in the MUDDY river valley. twelve
miles away, though the name Moapa,
has Of late years been applied TO the
valley, as well as the town, Tor con
venience sake. II is q narrow, lrreg
nlar bit of country about. flfteen III cen miles
long. and containing about 10000 acres,
a little more than half of which can be
irrigated at present, and was settled
lust after the civil war by a colony
sent ont by Brigham Young. BY 1870
there were shout 100 persons in the
valley, but in the following year the
valley was deserted, and for a most
uuUSu5l 1edSpn.
Meet Unexpected Crisis.
Moapa is not very far over the line
pears that the settlers had supposed
that they were still IN Utah. They
not only wished to be in Utah for rea,
sons of sentiment. but also they had
been paying the regular taxes under
that suppositiou. Imagine then their
surprise. Indignation and disgust when
a sheriff came from Carson City and
served process papers on them, threat.
ening to sell their land for 2 large total
of back taxes, and adding, as A last
straw, an item of $17 900 for his own
services in the matter. The whole sum
was one they were totally unable to
{ pay and they responded by trekking
out Of the valley en- masse, leaving
their land to whomsoever might take IT.
1t was 1884 before another real be
ginning was made in repopulating tho
. valley, end since that time its agri-
cultural possibilities have steadily at
tracted settlers Within the last two
or three years several small groups of
outside capitalists have acquired and
are developing portions Of the valley,
recognizing its unusual adaptsbllity to
the purposes of highclass fruit and
vegetable growing.
Valley Beautiful Spot,
Tie valley itself is beautiful
place-a long, narrow. irregular bot
tom, completely surrounded by the pre-
cipitous walls which mark lhe boundary
line between valley aud mesa. The
surrounding mesas arc from fifty 10
perhaps two hundred feet higher
than the valley and eXtcni back for
an apparently short distance to the
mountains, which are high on every
side and especially high aud beautiful
on the east aud south The nearby
a5cenfs to the mesa are red. while the
mountains, rising high above them. have
gray as the predominant color, though
they possess all those drifting purples.
blues aud greens which characterize
mountain secepery wherever the atmos.
pbere is clear and dry. The walls Of
the valley are curiously couvoluted by
the weather Of the centuries, assuming
in one place the appearance Of gigau-
tic fist clenchei into the level Of the
valley floor
No vegetation could he more varied.
Where upcultivated, IT is d Jungle of
thorns, scrubby trees and underground,
almost impenetrabe except By aid Of
a handaxe. But where the land has
been cleared and cultivated, one may
run the gamut Of growing things. from
wheat TO palms, and scarcely miss au
item. IT is indeed strange to drop into