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 St.
George, the county seat of Washington County,
is the largest of all the towns founded during
the LDS Church's Cotton Mission of 1861. Located
in the southwest section of Utah at an elevation
of 2,880 feet above sea level, St. George has
an average annual temperature of 59.9° F with
summer temperatures well into the 100s and the
average maximum winter temperature around 55°
F. The average annual rainfall is 8.30 inches,
and the normal growing season is 196 days. All
these factors made the area a suitable location
for the early settlement.
Earlier Native American inhabitants of the St.
George area included the Virgin River Anasazi,
who left evidence of their presence in the rock
art and archaeological sites that remain. The
first recorded Euro-Americans to visit the area
were the Dominguez-Escalante Party in 1776;
they were followed by fur trappers, including
Jedediah Smith, and still later by government
survey parties.
By 1854 the LDS Church had established an Indian
mission at Santa Clara, two miles north of the
St. George Valley. In 1857 and 1858 experimental
farms were set up to the east and west of where
St. George was to be built. While touring the
experimental desert farms in May 1861, Brigham
Young predicted the settling of the area. Five
months later, in October 1861, 309 families
were called by church authorities to the what
was called the Cotton Mission. Most of those
sent had abilities that were deemed essential
to establishing a successful community.
 When
the Civil War broke out in 1861, Brigham Young
thought it would be necessary to raise cotton,
if possible. Many of the early settlers of St.
George originally came from the southern states.
They came to the "Cotton Mission"
to grow cotton, but they also brought with them
a phrase for the area which has become widely
adopted--they called the St. George area "Utah's
Dixie."
St. George itself was named in honor of George
A. Smith, who, although he did not participate
in the town's settlement, had personally selected
most of the company of the pioneers of 1861.
The first years in the new outpost were difficult.
Great rainstorms almost destroyed the farmlands,
and intense summer heat and lack of culinary
water made life far from pleasant.
 ...In
1863 St. George became the county seat for Washington
County. That same year the construction of the
St. George LDS Tabernacle began. It was completed
in 1875. Before the tabernacle was completed,
on 9 November 1871 work commenced on the St.
George LDS Temple. Construction of the temple
was a cooperative effort of many communities
in southern Utah. The area was suffering from
a monetary depression, and a work project was
needed in which employment would mean food for
families. The building cost $800,000 and was
dedicated on 6 April 1877. Other important area
buildings from the pioneer era include the historic
courthouse (1870) and the social hall and opera
house (1875).
Silk was produced in the area as early as 1874
but did not add to the material prosperity of
the city. Nevertheless, the mulberry trees,
which were planted to feed the worms, have continued
to provide shade to the city's residents. Other
early pioneer endeavors included producing molasses,
dried fruit, and wine.
 To
mark the fiftieth anniversary of the settlement
of St. George, the Dixie Academy Building was
constructed in 1911. The academy was operated
by the LDS Church until 1933, at which time
it became a two-year college within the state
higher education system. In the 1960s the new
Dixie College campus was opened in the southeast
corner of the city. Today enrollment at the
college is approximately 2,500 students; however,
the college reaches most of the community with
its programs and activities.
Since the 1960s, St. George has continued to
grow as a retirement location and as a haven
for "snowbirds" seeking to escape
from the colder winters in the rest of the state.
Tourism and recreation have become primary industries
for St. George. The population of the city has
grown at a rapid pace during the last quarter
of the twentieth century. In 1950 the population
stood at 4,562; it nudged up to 5,130 in 1960,
moved up to 7,097 in 1970, climbed to 13,300
in 1980, and exploded to 28,500 in 1990.
While most of the residents are members of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
other denominations in St. George include the
Catholic Church, Dixie Assembly of God, Community
Baptist Church, Christian Science Church, Episcopal
Church, Lutheran Church, Presbyterian Church,
New Covenant Christian Center, St. George Christian
Fellowship, and First Church of Religious Science.
The community is served by six local radio stations,
a local daily newspaper, The Daily Spectrum,
and an airport with commercial connections to
Las Vegas and Salt Lake City.
Bart C. Anderson
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