Twelve Mormon Homes : Twelve Mormon homes visited in succession on a journey through Utah to Arizona.

Twelve Mormon Homes, page 137

What did it mean? I didn't know then; I don't know now; I often wonder. But, "placid earth! " Heigh ho! Several other mounted men now appeared and cantered along beside our carriages; but we had no further adventures. My boys had been detained by another catastrophe to Mrs. Jane's unlucky wagon ahead of them, and did not reach St. George till late. We now went on more soberly; if there had been any cause for alarm it was over. For some time we had been noticing a change in the flora. At first a general tone of green was remarked; attributed then to the effect of the contrast in color of the rich, red soil; but after- wards not doubted. Sage-bush and grease-wood gave way to cactuses like great shrubs, ilexes, acacias, and myrtles. By the time we reached the fields of Washington Factory, we saw green grass and water-cresses along the irrigating channels thereYO The carriage windows were let down, and we threw aside one wrap- ping after another, "marking how our garments were warm when He quieted the earth by the south wind." We were now m- concern for the President's safetv at this time since he was still under harassment from the federal officers in Utah. Bancroft, History of U&; Tullidge, History of Salt Lake City; Roberts, Documentary History; and Whitney, History of Utah, all give accounts of Brigham Young's difficulties of this period. 70Although work first began in 1866 on the cotton factory at Washington, it did not begin to operate until 1869. It was never a profitable enterprise, but did con- tinue in existence until the end of the nineteenth century. See Arrington, Great Basin Kingdom, pp. 218-21; Andrew Karl Larson, "I Was Called to Dixie": The Virgin River Basin: Unique Experiences in Mormon Pioneering (Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, Ig61), pp. 203-34; Andrew Karl Larson, Red Hills of Novem- ber: A Pioneer Biography of Utah's Cotton Town (Salt Lake City: The Deseret News Press, rg57), pp. 182-223; Andrew Karl Larson, Erastus Snow, The Life of a Missionary and Pioneer for the EarZy Mormon Church (Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, rg7r), pp. 4g7-215. I37