The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1917-12-18

MENDON TOWN
EARLY SETTLED

MENDoN, Dec. 17.-Tn point Of
age, Mendon ranks high among
Cache County towns. Only twelve
Years after the pioneers landed in
Utah group of men left Cottonwood
Salt Lake County, to seek a home in
the even then famous Cache Valley.
They looked over the valley, beauti-
ful everywhere in the May of SO, but
the west side attracted them most
They found rich soil. clear streams,
excellent range and green meadows,
and decided that they could live very
comfortably with their families in
and about the natural amphitheater
in which they stood.
1t was in the fall of so that Apos-
tie Benson visited the settlement and
called it Mendon in honor of his ma
tai village in New York. What's in
name? Not everything, of course;
but still 1t is something to know that
your town Is the only one in the
county with a distinctive name There
are Smithfields and Logans and New
tons and Nilles everywhere. But to
people in general, "Mendon" calls I'D
the ghost of no other or greater
place. and besides the word is at
tractive.
For twenty years Mendon grew
right along until it had six, then
seven hundred inhabitants and was
incorporated as city. At present.
however, the heads you can count
there number only little more than
four hundred. This decline is not
due to race suicide, for there were
from seven to eleven children in
each of the old families. The rea-
son lies in the fact that in half Of
the Mendon homes there are no
young children. The parent hives
have swarmed, simply because the
younger members of the colony have
preferred a big piece of land in Ida
ho to little piece in the old town.
o rthe spirit of the West has moved
them to get into the game of colon
izing.
You will often hear olG residents
of Mendon allude with regret to the
balmy days of the past when Willard
Richards. Michael Murphy, William
ongstroth and Andrew Bigler, bred
swift, as well as heavy horses, and
the Utah Northern used to run ex-
/, cursion trains to the race track north
Of town. Then" they say. Men
don was on the map" In q similar
vein they refer to the musical or
ganization of Tailor" Williams, the
old baseball nine. and other noted
- aggregations.
~ But after making allowance for
Or the worth of old memories, we must
D. admit that Mendon has made her
greatest progress within the last de-
cade. Art Is still alive, Profession
ally, we have enlarged upon our old
S, specialties, trained nurses and ser
lie ton foremen. From one to four
Il. modern homes have been built each
KS year. Slightly barns are noticeable
at in every part of town. Mendon has
y, installed a water system second, in
n, quality, to none in the State. There
to Is now neat fence around the
re square. In one corner of it stands
a new meeting house, which displays
nh Ia,
C. ture. Electricity came in about one
ut year ago. The new Interurban sta,
ton in the middle of town solves the
problems of transportation we used
=, to have. The only modern necessity
now wanting is cement walks, anG
IN 49,
:, they are to come next. 1t goes with
=. out saying that we have a picturt
show.
n In an industrial way Mendor
II shows growth also. When NOR,
!. people lived In the town, the chic
or sources of income were cattle. horse
81, and grain. Now, about $4,000
at year is returned to the farmers iron
the sale of beets and milk. Dairyinl
is not yet a specialized industry. an
the beet crop can be largely increas
u ed. other businesses that woul
In insure safe family incomes are tn
u raising of chickens. hogs, small
~ fruits and berries. Thus far, thes
~ industries have received but littl
or notice.
EN- Certain II is that Mendon ough
IN to have more people. Ten or twely
~ hundred could support themselve
" decently in the hospitable, patriot
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