Telegraph Street / Millcreek Mills

Telegraph Street, also, Millcreek Mills. . Telegraph Street. When Washington was laid out in May, 1857, there was not a street named or located where Telegraph Street is today. It was not until the resurvey of January, 1873, ordered by Wm. Snow, Judge of the Probate Court dated December, 1872, that Telegraph Street was shown on a city map. The Telegraph was completed between St. George and Logan, Utah on January 10, 1867, and the wire for the telegraph was located about where Telegraph Street is today. , Millcreek Mills. Machine Creek was the original name of Millcreek. John M. Chidester sold the water rights from Machine Creek to Brigham Young in 1864 so that the cotton factory could be built. It must have been after all of the mills were built along the creek that the name Millcreek came into existence. There were at least 8 mills built along the creek: #1 James Richey’s cotton gin was built in May, 1858. The first cotton gin built in the area. #2 Thomas W. Smith’s corn cracker mill was built in 1857 about halfway between Telegraph Street and the mouth of Millcreek where it enters the Rio Virgin. #3 Theodore Turley had a gristmill a few hundred yards below where the cotton factory is. John D. Lee purchased this mill and later sold it to Henry Barney of Grafton before 1860. #4 John D. Lee’s grist and lumber mill was finished in the fall of 1861 on the east side of the reek near the Turley’s mill site. #5 Snow’s gristmill on the west side of the creek opposite Jon D. Lee’s mill was built in 1866. #6 Hawley’s cane mill near the mouth of Millcreek was built before 1859. This mill was obtained by John D. Lee and his new replacement mill #7 was finished in September 1859. #8 The Cotton Factory was started to be built in 1865 and completely finished in 1870.