A Gentile Account of Life in Utah's Dixie, 1872-73

Gentile Account, page 087

he didn't try to live his religion and to keep from sin; but that Joseph was a better man-a natural prophet with the gifts of foresight and insight. The latter he possessed himself, but he was no Prophet, only an apostle. When had they ever known his words to be falsified. They could not be, for God spoke by him. He reproved the people of St George for craving riches in mines, etc, and not cultivating those beneath their feet-Not a brother or sister but would rush after a picayune-stumbling over the twenty dollar pieces under their feet.s9 He pictured the wealth that w[oul]d result from the conversion of pitch pine into coal, of making rope from the top of the yuse (yucca?)90 and of washing powder from its root; from the raising of cotton and sugar and the weaving of cotton cloth. Gold, Gold! They hankered for Gold! The Gentiles were getting out gold from the hills? True, but it was all for the Saints! When the set time should come, and God h a d given them flocks and herds and houses; they would purchase the land of Zion, and the earth would open her bosom and they would dig out gold for plates and dishes, yes, even for paving the streets of Zion. X'This paragraph and the next four are typical of Brigham Young's unceasing preaching against the evils of mining and gold-seeking. Developing farms, homes, and businesses would produce lasting wealth, he continually emphasized. His remarks were timely in St. George inasmuch as the nearby Nevada mining towns of Pioche and Panaca were at their peak. "`Several varieties of the vucca plant are found in the arid southwest, including the arborescent variety or Joshua tree, so named by the Mormon pioneers who likened the upturned hmbs to arms lifted in prayer. Its soft fibrous wood is light when dry. Indians use it for making baskets and sandals. Other species, yucca baccata (Yucca Bwt$Aa) and glanea, are called soap plants because their roots can be used for soap. IMorgan, Utah Guide, 19, and Columbia Encyclopedia, 2 190. 87