| OCR Text |
Show Iron County, cont and as the first settlement in southern Utah, pi •• t~~ acted as a proving ground for various men who in turn were again called to establls)(a more than a dozen awlpataxxx comminities not only in Utah, but also Arizona, California, and Colorado. The Saints made a dedicated effort towards the success of the Iron Mission, but numerous problems beset them, and by 1857 the ironworks were al.ost completely at a standstill, although the communities continued. The eastern pa.t of the county today abuts Garfield County and the forested plateaus of the Markagunt Plateau held in common. Broad,xallaJXX and Escalante Valhl]tx Desert ferti Ie faUeys stretch westerly to semi-arid mountains/to JdItxx the west • .6.1though approximately 27% of the county is allocated to farmlands made possible in part by extensive use of irrigation, much of the land is devoted to livestock raising, and some interest again has developed in the iron ore fields near Cedar City. |
