Southwestern Utah
The southwest corner of Utah is where the rugged high plateaus of the Great Basin to the north transition to the equally rugged, though much hotter and drier, Mojave Desert rising from the south. The Virgin River begins in the mountains to the east and slices across the landscape in an alternating series of narrow canyons and increasingly broader valleys as it meanders towards an eventual meeting with the Colorado River in Lake Meade to the southwest. As the only reliable source of year-round water for hundreds of miles the Virgin River Valley has been populated for thousands of years by the Southern Paiutes. In 1854 Brigham Young sent Mormon missionaries to the area to colonize the valley and begin growing cotton and tobacco, amongst other crops. This gave rise to the nickname “Dixie” (mimicking the label long used to refer to the cotton-growing southeast of the United States). The town of St. George, founded in 1861 by a group of 300 Mormon families sent from Salt Lake City (selected by the church from families already in Salt Lake City), has long been the center of commerce in the valley. The remote location, limited agricultural land, and extreme heat during the summers held back development of the area until the construction of I-15 made it a prime stopping point between Salt Lake City to the north/Denver to the east and Las Vegas/Los Angeles to the west. The local economy has erupted in the last twenty years with the emergence of St. George as a prime destination for snowbirds (the nickname for people like me who migrate from snowy climates to the area for the winter!) as well as an increase in tourism and commerce. A major lure to the area is the east entrance to spectacular Zion National Park, 40 miles to the east. Let’s explore!
St. George, Utah
“Old” St. George nestles in a triangle bordered by stunning red rock cliffs to the north and west and the Virgin River along I-15 to the southeast. “New” St. George spills out beyond that area with suburban developments blanketing the hills and canyons in all directions, serving as home to nearly 150,000 people. I-15 cuts through the cliffs to the northeast (the gap seen in the upper right of the picture below) and just beyond is the sister city of Washington where a large mall and the usual associated business cluster along the interstate.
The historical downtown area is bracketed by the red rock cliffs to the north and the gleaming white presence of the Mormon Temple to the south. The historic red Mormon Tabernacle, completed in 1871, anchors the small historic downtown area at the corner of Main Street and Tabernacle and originally served a dual purpose as church and courthouse. The clock that adorns the tower came from London. The gleaming white Mormon Temple sits about four blocks to the southeast and dominates the skyline of the valley. The building was dedicated in 1877 as the first Mormon Temple in Utah and was the only temple completed in Utah while Brigham Young was president of the Mormon Church. He died shortly after its completion.
Remembering that for most of its’ history St. George was a small town, the historic commercial center is quite compact at the corner of Main and Tabernacle near the base of the red rock cliffs to the north, Looking down Main Street to the south the older part of town spreads across a gentle descent to the river about a mile away.
While there is not much current commercial activity downtown beyond banks and government, the old town area preserves much of the historical architecture from the early years. The Opera House (built in 1875) and the old Pioneer Courthouse (completed in 1876) are two of four impressive buildings (Tabernacle, Opera House, Courthouse, Temple) completed in the first ten years after the founding families entered the desolate valley.
The corner of Main Street and Tabernacle was the center of valley life for many years, not only because of the presence of commercial and government activity, but because one of the four quadrants was reserved for the public. Now called Ancestor Square, the southwest corner is anchored by the Tabernacle, which itself sits at the edge of an open two-block park-like expanse. Standing in the middle of the square, here’s a 360 degree view. Below left is the view to the northeast towards the back of the Tabernacle (1871) and south side of the Edmonds School (1901). Below right is the back of the Dixie Academy building (1911) and the public library (built in 2006 in the style of the older buildings).
Turning to the west, the northwest is dominated by the Washington County School District Building, also a newer building built in the historic style, and the view to the southwest is of open parkland.
In the early 1900’s local education was only offered up to and including the first two years of high school. The Dixie Academy Building (1911) was designed to extend the educational opportunities to a complete high school curriculum and in 1915 course offerings were expanded to include the first two years of a college curriculum. This was the genesis of what is now Dixie State University located on a campus located east of the downtown area. The historic building now houses a children’s museum.
Not on the square itself but just north of the school district building sits the largest structure in the downtown area, the new courthouse (also recently built to mimic the historic architecture of the area.)
The early residential area lies in the northwest quadrant of the central city. Perhaps because of a combination of the stability of the families in the area in its’ first hundred years and the longevity of the local residents and the dry climate, homes are in a remarkable state of preservation. They also reflect that this was not a rich community but one where the comfortable homes of the local “wealthy” cannot be called mansions by any stretch of the imagination. A four block area (and remember that this is a Mormon designed town so the blocks are quite large) centers around the winter of home of Brigham Young. Maybe one of the first “snowbirds” seeking refuge from the harsh winters in Salt Lake City, he regularly escaped by wintering in his home in St. George (below.)
Examples of homes in the surrounding blocks include the 1873 Wooley-Foster House and the adjacent 1883 Whitehead Home, now combined as the Seven Wives Bed and Breakfast Inn.
Others include the 1880 Erastus Goddard House (built of adobe made from clay, straw and horse hair), the Samuel Miles Home (left side built 1876, right side built 1883), and the 1862 Orson-Pratt House.
While the historical center of St. George was really interesting, I have to say that the BIG draw in the end of February is the fabulous weather. After crisp mornings, it’s been in the high 60’s/low 70’s all week long under stunning blue sky. All the time looming to the east are the mountains and the tantalizing vistas of my next destination, Zion National Park.
I’m going to divide this post into two chapters due to the picture intensive nature of the visit to Zion. See you in the canyon!
Next up: Zion Canyon
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