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Show HISTORY OF EMERY COUNTY. 596 cated the same spring at Blake, now Green River, and were joined by several others, who located claims and The built irrigation canals for reclaiming- the desert. several attempts at settlement were more or less successful, and in the fall of '78, fair crops having been harvested, many families removed from Sanpete and joined their husbands and parents, who had paved the way to new homes in the chosen valley of future prosperity. The settlers had harvested fair crops, and their families* were not invited to entirely destitute homes or empty granaries. In the fall of made a second '78 the Mormon church authorities call for Castle valley settlers, at a confer- ence held in Manti, and several men responded. Among these were J. K. Reid, Andrew Anderson, Samuel Jewkes and son, Peter Hansen, Hyrum Cook, Christen Jensen and many others from Manti, Ephraim, Mt. Pleasant, Spring City, Fountain Green and Fairview. Some families were from American Fork and other Utah county points. During this year an overland mail route was established between Salina and Ouray, Colo., the mail going over the Gunnison trail, through Castle valley, a distance of 250 miles, with no settlement in this section A committee consisting of J. K. Orange Seely, Jasper Peterson, David Latimer and James Peterson formulated a petition and sent to Washington, D. C, asking for the creation of a postomce, to be except at Wilsonville. Reid, known as Castle Vale. The department recognized the necessity for a postoffice, and on June 1, 1879, J. K. Reid received a commission as postmaster, but the name was changed to Castle Dale. The office was located eight miles from the mail route and the postmaster was compelled to go to Wilsonville and open the mail sack, for some time, until Xovem- |
