The Mormons may have been singing "I wish I was in the land of cotton" when 390 families first settled St. George, Utah beginning in 1862. They had all left their fertile farms and nice homes in northern Utah, having been "called" by their leader to settle these dry, hot alkali flats in an attempt to grow cotton. Colonizer Brigham Young in the previous year had prophesied, "There will yet be built between those volcanic ridges a city with spires, towers...and homes with many inhabitants" which he envisioned as exceeding 30,000 inhabitants, causing more than a few raised eyebrows by his contemporaries.

Though the cotton growing venture failed within ten years, "Utah's Dixie", as Young nicknamed the area and as it is still known today, survived through trying and difficult times, a tribute to the Mormons tenacity and endurance. As a demonstration of encouragement from their leader, Brigham Young became Utah's first snowbird, when he began building his winter home here in 1869.

THE HUB

With the help of Utah's dry (only eight inches annual rainfall), and mildest winter climate, St. George, the county seat of Washington County, has become a popular base for an expanded area of exploration. Within easy driving distance (see mileage sidebar) are some of the country's most outstanding natural features, historical sites, and recreational areas, and the influx of snowbirds, tourists and retirees, has pushed today's population toward 50,000.

Wide, RV friendly streets and the many fine RV and Motorhome destination resorts, keep the snowbirds coming. Dry camping in the surrounding Dixie National Forest, from the drier pinyon and juniper hills to the mountainous ponderosa pine forests, as well as in regional, state, and national parks offer the RV'er a choice of environments, side trips, and base camps.

Finding your way around St. George, and most cities in Utah, is one of its unique features. The street name and numbering system, devised by Young, consists of few streets with normal names, in the downtown area only three Tabernacle St. and St. George Blvd., running east and west, and Main Street, running north and south. The intersection of St. George and Main is "0", and all the streets and numbers radiate from there. The streets are named by the block number, such as 200, 300, 400, etc. If you are in the second block east of "0", you will be at 200 East, and if you are three blocks south of St. George, you will be at 300 South. That corner is described as 200 East 300 South. The street address could be 286 East 300 South With this system, to find any location one needs know only the coordinates. No map is needed.

HISTORY

A good place to start your visit is with a trip to the Old Washington County Court House, begun in 1866, and now the home of the Chamber of Commerce's Visitor Information Center. Their Stroll Through History Downtown Walking Tour map and guide will transport you back to pre-turn-of-the-century public buildings and private homes, through more than 135 years of Mormon pioneer settlement.

Among the more than two dozen sites on the tour are Brigham Young's winter home which is open for tours, the Seven Wives Inn Bed & Breakfast where suspected polygamists were hid in the attic, and the Mormon Tabernacle, begun in 1863 and which took 13 years to complete. Individual chisel marks can still be seen on each sandstone block.

If you believe that the city was actually named after St. George of dragon slaying fame, think again. The actual name comes from either George A. Smith, a first cousin of Youngs, who cured many of the early pioneers of scurvy by advising them to eat raw, unpeeled potatoes, or Phillip St. George Cooke, a non-Mormon friend of Youngs who supposedly donated a large share of the equipment and wagons needed for the settlement of St. George. Though historians can't agree, in a practical and diplomatic effort, maybe it was named after both.

The nine golf courses in the area are known for their challenging designs, the immaculate fairways and greens, and the magnificent scenic features.

For the exercise conscious, two swimming pools--the municipal pool and the pool in Dixie College--are open to the public.

Pah Tempe Hot Springs, 18 miles east, is surrounded by richly colored canyon walls, and the rejuvenating hot spring water flows into several dipping pools of various depth and temperature, finally cascading into the Virgin River. The early Spanish explorers praised these mineral waters and people from all over the world have repeated their visits. Day use, a Bed & Breakfast inn, and camping are available.

Silver Reef, a former silver mining town of 2000 inhabitants is just 15 miles north and once supported over 40 businesses. Ten and one-half million dollars in silver was extracted in the late 1800s. But the boom was short lived. By 1891 all the big operations were shut down and by 1910 the town was deserted. The Wells Fargo Building has been restored and now houses a museum and gallery. Several ruins consisting of only stone walls remain, the wood having been taken for use in other boom towns.

Southwest along I-15, toward Las Vegas, the Virgin River has scoured out a scenic steep-sided gorge. The ruggedness of the canyon took the road builders ten years to complete the 23 miles from St. George to Littlefield.

North on state route 18 is Snow Canyon State Park a mixture of sand-colored rocks, white cliffs, and green foliage in a setting used for many western movie makers. Campgrounds and hiking trails are worth this side trip.

Perhaps the major attraction in southwestern Utah, and only 43 miles from St. George, are the deep canyons and precipitous cliffs of Zion National Park. Through the combined efforts of Mother Nature's most awesome examples of power, faulting, upllifting, rain, ice, wind, and the raging Virgin River, Zion has been carved into dimensional proportions that are difficult to comprehend without actually seeing them. Standing in the depths of canyons, craning the neck to see the top of seemingly endless cliff faces, or standing face to face and touching the surfaces of the intricately carved sandstone and limestone monoliths reveals the humbling truth that even seeing is difficult in believing. As many photos as you have seen of Zion, its scope and size must be seen to experience fully.

If Zion isn't enough to confuse your sense of proportion, a side trip to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon should finish the job. From the lodge at North Rim view point, the canyon is 10 miles wide and a mile down to the mighty rampaging Colorado River. The variety of colors in the rocks and the vastness of the views are spellbinding, especially in late afternoon to sunset as the colors deepen with the last of the sun's rays, and shadows in the deeply gouged crevices and canyons change and deepen with the falling sun. Throngs of tourists with still and video cameras shoot numberless images in this nightly attraction.

A completely different scene, though in the same grandiose scale, is Bryce National Park. Most of the 18 mile park road winds along the rim of the west side of the canyon and numerous pull-outs and view sites afford the visitor exceptional views to the hoodoos. Hoodoos? Though the word means "to cast a spell" it is also the name given to the results of the wind, ice, and water eroded pillars of rock that fill Bryce Canyon with their unique shapes. Over 50 miles of hiking trails access the hoodoos from many of the view points. Two campgrounds are in the park, both on a first-come, first-served basis.

Resembling a miniature Bryce Canyon, from Cedar Breaks National Monument's 10,000 foot elevation the canyon drops 2000 feet to the valley floor. Closed in winter, the monument is a high altitude showcase for summer wildflowers and fall color of the aspen grove's turning leaves.

St. George is a rapidly developing resort and retirement area, not only because of its hub location for some of our most scenic wonders, but also because of the fine local amenities, like the symphony orchestra, golf courses, restaurants, and a complete medical center. Plan a visit. You won't be disappointed.

Snow Canyon SP 10

Pah Tempe Hot Springs 18

Zion National Park 43

Cedar Breaks NM 74

Lake Mead 90

Las Vegas 120

Bryce Canyon 126

N. Rim Grand Canyon 135

St. George Area Chamber of Commerce

97 East St. George Blvd.

St. George, UT 84770

Phone: (801) 628-1658

Fax: (801) 673-1587

Pah Tempe Mineral Hot Springs

825 North 800 East 35-4

Hurricane, UT 84737

(888) 726-8367

Bryce Canyon National Park

Bryce Canyon, UT 84717

(801) 834-5322

Grand Canyon National Park

P.O. Box 129

Grand canyon, AZ 86023

(801) 638-7888

Zion National Park

Springdale, UT 84767

(801) 772-3256

Cedar Breaks National Monument

P.O. Box 749

Cedar City, UT 84720

(801) 586-9548