St. George in Washington County, Utah — The American Mountains (Southwest)

Utah-Idaho Sugar Company

Former site of the

— c.1934-1979 —

Utah-Idaho Sugar Company Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bill Kirchner, August 28, 2012

1. Utah-Idaho Sugar Company Marker

Inscription. The Utah-Idaho Sugar Company after determining that sugar beet seed was a good cash crop, bought these grounds and started production that would last for nearly fifty years.

Sugar beets were planted in the fall in the Bloomington and Washington Fields. Due to the mild winter climate in Utah's Dixie, the crop could stay in the ground over winter. In the spring, the beet stalks would sprout and grow several feet high and then fall over. The plants would be harvested and hauled by horse-drawn wagons to the factory where they would undergo a process to remove the seed and sort it into different sizes and varieties, then be stored in large sacks in the adjacent warehouses.

This block was vacated after 1979 and became home to mice and pigeons and an eyesore to the community. Through the vision, generosity, and hard work of the community and city officials, the ultimate dream to restore the grounds as part of St. George's Historic District was realized, beginning with the Opera House (1995), the Art Museum, Adobe Building and Plaza (1997), and ending with the St. George Social Hall(1998).

side note

These plaques are dedicated to our community and its generous donors who have given of their time and personal resources in promoting the arts and preserving our history in Southern Utah.
List

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this page online

of donors:
Residents of Washington County
Russell C. and Joyce M. Taylor
George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Foundation
Sun Capital Bank
US Bank
Washington County Historical Society

Erected by Washington County Historical Society.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1979.

Location. 37° 6.7′ N, 113° 34.959′ W. Marker is in St. George, Utah, in Washington County. It is on East 200 North, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 47 East 200 North, Saint George UT 84770, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Utah’s Color Country. It is also in the American Southwest,

in the Mountain West,

and in Colorado Plateau.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Rocky Mountains,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Pioneer Center for the Arts (here, next to this marker); St. George Opera House (a few steps from this marker); The Jones Adobe Home (within shouting distance of this marker); Watermaster (within shouting distance of this marker); Albert E. Miller - Dr. Pike Home (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Gardner House (about 300 feet away); Samuel Miles Jr. Home (about 400 feet away); Julia Graff Home (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in St. George.

Utah-Idaho Sugar Company image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bill Kirchner, August 28, 2012

2. Utah-Idaho Sugar Company

Photographed by Bill Kirchner, August 28, 2012

3. Utah-Idaho Sugar Company

Credits. This page was last revised on December 6, 2020. It was originally submitted on September 6, 2012, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona. This page has been viewed 811 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 6, 2012, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.