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  • Essay / Southern Utah Community and History - 1477

    The formation of Southern Utah is fascinating. The Anasazi of Virgin River were the first residents of St. George, occupying the area for over twelve hundred years. They left behind rock art and the ruins of their homes. Their disappearance from the region and the abandonment of their homes and their works of art still remain a mystery today. The Paiute people arrived shortly after and have lived there ever since, using the area as a hunting ground for deer, rabbits and other animals. The Paiutes also grew crops along riverbeds, including corn, wheat, and melons. In 1776, the Dominguez-Escalante party became the first recorded European-Americans to visit the region. Fur trappers and government investigation teams followed. The first permanent settlers who headed to what is known as St. George, Utah, passed through a harsh and hospitable land, none of them expecting to cause them so much trouble. In 1854, settlers were sent by Brigham Young, the president of the Mormon Church. Scouts were sent out first to attempt to establish an early relationship with the Paiute Indians. The most famous of these early scouts was a man named Jacob Hamblin. He was the one who helped establish the most peace and connection with the local Indians and helped the later settlers who were to come to live and prosper in the harsh new land they decided to colonize. The first settlers sent out were actually, the settlers' names were chosen at random from a top hat and drawn at random to see who went. More than three hundred and nine families were called to settle and create what was then called the Dixie Cotton Mission. Although early settlers were successful in growing cotton, it was very difficult trying to keep...Middle of Paper...one of the 100 safest places in America. In conclusion, the southern Utah region has a long and rich culture and history that would intrigue anyone. Works Cited Alder, Douglas D. A Century of Dixie State College of Utah, Dixie State College, c2011. Arrington, Leonard J. St, George Tabernacle and Temple: The Builders, St. George: Dixie College, c1993. Cannon Brian Q. Utah in the Twentieth Century. Edited by Jessie L. Embry. Logan, Utah: Utah State University Press, c2009.Comeaux, Malcolm L. “Attempts to Establish and Modify a Western Boundary.” Association of American Geographers, 2006-2009: 254-271. Lyman, Edward Leo. Relations of the Southern Paiute with their Dixie Mormon neighbors. St. George, Utah; Dixie State College of Utah, c2010. Wilson, William Albert. Dixie Folklore: Past and Present. St. George, Utah: Dixie State College of Utah, 2005.