| OCR Text |
Show HISTORY OF SANPETE COUNTY. 441 future city on a second great highway to commercial independence. This will give the best transportation, ship- ping and telegraphic service, and insure a rapid and healthy municipal growth. Gunnison was made a town under the powers of the County Court, in 1893, and elected the following officials: Anthony Madsen, President; W. H. Gribble, Austin Kearnes, F. Ludvigson and E. Sanderson, Trustees. They organized the town, appointed the several requisite officials and passed suitable ordinances for the protection of citizens and property, and the place at once assumed the airs and importance of more pretentious cities. Since then the streets have been kept clean, business blocks have become more central, and the ravages of epidemics or contagious diseases have been minimized by more thorough and systematic quarantine restrictions. Gunnison has forged ahead, with a better water system, more guarded discipline of the youth and a happier and healthier people. Salt is obtained in great abundance in the vicinity of Gunnison, and the manufacture of fine table salt will soon become an important business in this town. The quality of this pure mountain rock, from which the best commercial article is obtained, is not excelled by even the famous Liverpool salt, and wherever exhibited the home product has been accepted as possessing no superiors. The mineral is found in inexhaustible quantities, and is easily refined by boiling and crushing. In early days Gunnison salt was in demand throughout all Sanpete valley and men would visit this settlement when in need of the saline for home and domestic purposes. The solid rock as mined is taken to the mountains and used for sheep and cattle in its native state. Many official tests of soils and sugar beets grown in the vicinity of Gunnison have proven that the conditions |
