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Show although only on a limited basis. Most homes and buildings were constructed from logs and/or adobe. The flrst business was the community store, owned by a Mr. Hall, and later sold to Edward Warenski, who incorporated the store along with the flrst post office. About 1880, Mr. H. Haynes "built a store for the post office. At this time the governor of Utah was Eli Murray (who) gave it the name of Murray Post Office. The community retained the name for the city" (Rasmussen 1976: 11). The 1863 discovery of a rich vein of lead ore in Bingham Canyon by Colonel Patrick E. Connor "would forever alter the course of development of the ... Murray area. ... Connor and 24 local civic and business leaders immediately flled a claim for the discovery under the name of the Jordan Silver Mining Company" (polk et al. 1995:8). As word of the discovery spread, hundreds of prospectors poured into the area, intent on discovering their own rich flnds. Numerous discoveries of gold, silver, copper, lead and other minerals were made in the following years, leading to a strong and rapidly growing mineral industry in the area. As mining increased, signiflcant amounts of ore were removed from the canyons surrounding the Salt Lake Valley, but the high cost of transporting the ore from the mines to distant smelters was prohibitive. Consequently, the demand for local smelting facilities increased. "From a very early date Murray City and the surrounding territories (were) the center of smelting and refining. The first silver bars shipped out of Utah came from Murray. The flrst smelter was located on State Street where the Big Cottonwood Creek crossed the road" (Rasmussen 1995: 12) and was established by the Woodhull family in 1869 (polk et al. 1995). By 1880, at least eight new smelters had been built in Murray and the surrounding areas (Winterowd 1976a). Ore was hauled into the smelting facilities by ox team for several years, until a rail spur was built, connecting the mines to the smelters, making transportation much more economical. The flrst rail line into Salt Lake City from Ogden was completed in 1870 by the Utah Central Railroad Company. The line was extended down into Murray the following year, and a second line, built by the Denver and Rio Grande was constructed in 1881 (Robertson 1986). "The arrival of these rail lines heralded an economic and residential boom in the ... Murray communit(y). With the completion of these rail lines, the smelters, brick companies, and other local industries had a fast and efficient means of shipping their products to wealthy outside markets" (polk et al. 1995:8). With the quickly growing population, demand increased for other goods and services, leading to the development of additional manufacturing industries. One of the most important facilities to be established was the Atwood Brick Company, built in 1870, in order to provide construction materials suitable for both domestic and mining use. Other brick yards also developed as well. The Cahoon brothers, John P. and James W., built a second brick yard in 1878, located on the west side of Murray. The yard was so successful that it grew and moved several times. In 1891, the company moved again to 3100 South and 11 th East, renaming it the Inter-State Brick Company (Wilkinson 1976a:258). Inter-State Brick eventually became the largest brick company in the state of Utah. "Brick-making continued to play an important role in the economic welfare of the Murray area throughout the community's history" (Polk et al. 1995:9). A small silk worm industry also developed in Murray, beginning about 1868 when Brigham Young "felt the entire state had the right climate for the silk worm industry" (Wilkinson 1976b:260). Young encouraged the women of the Salt Lake Valley to raise the worms in their homes, to build and industry that "would be economically profitable in a day when money was scarce, and it would also provide mothers with some fmery that women by nature love" (Wilkinson 1976b:260). Brigham Young sent to France for the mulberry trees necessary to feed the silkworms, and had them planted in his own yard. Cuttings and seedlings were provided at no charge to any person who wanted them, and thousands of mulberry trees 23 |
