The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-12-13
DIXIE FOREST FAST
BEING DEVELOPED
Two Sawmills Operating and
Applications for Home
steads Made.
Special to The Tribune.

|
OGDEN, Dec i2.-The establishment
Of two sa awmills within tho past year.
sixty-three applica tions for forest homo
steads and the opening OF gold mining In
tho Bull valley are some OF the indica-
| tons OF development In the Dixie ma
| tionnl forest as reported By Supervisor
John Raphael. who has arrived from ST
George for his annual detail at the Og-
| den headquarters OF the Fourth district
| Mr.. Raphael will also consult with the
I district officers concerning numbering.
fence building and land matters pertain
Ing to the Dixie reserve.
The Dixie forest comprises an irregu-
| laT-shaped body about thirty miles long
and twenty miles wide In the hill and
mountain country between St George on
the south. New Harmony on the east
and tho Nevada state line on the west,
Including the Pine valley mountains, In
Washington county; also two detached
areas bordering on the Grand canyon In
northeastern Arizona. the combined area
OF which is s06.2 200 acres. so that the
entire area Of the Dixie forest 10 more
than 100000 acres
The new sa@mills OF about 1000 feet
daily capacity have been installed on the
Trumbun division In Artzona-one by
Blake brothers and one by John II. and
Walter Stout. The timber is yellow pine.
The lumber. like that from the Gardner
mill on the Paushaunt division. must be
hauled across the desert eighty miles 10
St George. Washington, Leeds. and the
other valley towns. This trip Is q tax
Ing one. since 1, Is necessary to carry
forage as we'll as grain Tor feeding. and,
in certain times Of the year. water also.
On account OF tho distance from base
Of supplies and other difficulties. II is
impossible to log and saw the lumber
here for less than sll per thousand. II
is thus difficult for the focal sawmiIl men
TO compete successfully. even consider
lns the sixty-seven- mile haul over
equally bad roads from the Salt Lake
Route at Modena to ST. George, with
sellers OF Oregon timber. Two other saw
mills are operated In tho Dixie forest In
the Pine valley mountains.
Several years ago five miles OF gov
ernment fence was built 70 protect the
ST. George City water supply from con-
tamination By forest ranged cattle. Other
stretches OF good five barb wire fences
have been built IN the last two years. so
that with total OF thirty miles In con-
nection with the rocky lodges, which are
equally good barriers against the passage
Of stock, practically the southern boun-
dary Of the Utah division Is stock proof
except at the gateways. With this fence
II Is not only possible to more easily and
effectively count the stock as II enters
in the spring. as required by forest regu-
lations. but also to prevent the stock
from drifting from tho valleys northward
INTO tDe Al!lS and mountains DeIOrG the
grass starts In the spring and thus ira mp
the ground while II is very damp to an
extent that has previously greatly him
dered the start Of the grass Oak browse
Is the principal source Of feed even for
the cattle on this forest. yet the alfilaria.
fruit stalk OF Spanish bayonets, gray
dock, wild carrot and native bunch grass
are also plentiful and very nourishing
early In the spring. a total OF $500 cat
tie are ranged on the Utah division.
The new towns Of Enterprise and Cen
trnl on the Modenn-St. George stage
route, which were founded five or six
years ago, are growing. Although there
is considerable dry farming. the prnci-
pal farming at Enterprise Is made pos
s!ble by irrigation from the Enterprise
reservoir. covering about q square mile.
which collects water from the Bull VAL
ley mountains.
The town OF Central was founded by
settlers In Pine valley. who moved to the
lower situation OF the Santa Clara creek
shortly after the law OF June H. 1906,
which made IL possible 10 take up for
est honesteads.
Mr.. Raphael reports continued activity
In the recently discovered Bull valley gold
mining prospects. there being about
seventy prospectors In the camp, a short
distance west OF tho Enterprise reser-
voir