Development of the Grazing Industry in Utah

Development of the Grazing Industry in Utah By Dr. George Stewart, Agronomist, Utah Agricultural College and Experiment Station Pioneer Settlement The Mexican War ended in 1846 but the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was not signed until 1848. Meantime, Utah was occupied by the "Mormon" pioneers, who, having no land laws to guide them, took land according to a plan furnished by Brigham Young. In Salt Lake City 10- acre blocks were divided into 8 building lots of 1 J4 acres each. Just at the edge of the city were "five-acre lots to ac- commodate mechanics and artisans; next beyond were ten-acre lots1, followed by forty and eighty acres, where farmers could build and reside." By October,1 1848, there had been 863 applications for allotments of various sizes, amounting in total to 11.005 acres. When Brigham Young arrived with his emigrant train in the fall of 1848, he urged settlers to fence, and accordingly all the farms were enclosed within one large fence, the area being designated as "the big field." Previously, however, in the fall of 1848. Thomas Grover decided to pasture his stock for the winter on some grassy flats 12 miles north of Salt Lake City. Though there were Indians nearby, Grover, joined by the others next spring, decided to re- main there. Thus Centerville was founded, as an outlying tract suitable for grazing purposes. During the next five years, exploration and settlement were undertaken on a vigor- ous and far-reaching scale. By 1852, there were colonies of settlers at Center- ville, Bountiful, Kaysville, Ogden, (the site and buildings of which were purchased for about $3,000, from Miles M. Good- 'Bancroft. H. H.. History of Utah, p. 285. year, who held the land under an old Span- ish Grant ) , Lynne, Provo, Evansville (Lehi). Battle Creek (Pleasant Grove), American Fork, Payson, Nephi, Manti, Tooele, Grantsville, Fillmore, Parowan, Cedar City, Paragonah, Forts Walker and Harmony, Brigham. Willard, Wellsville, and Logan. All of the settlements were near mountain streams which afforded nat- ural irrigation for flat areas of wheat- grass and of giant rye-grass. Grazing for cattle and the possibility of mow- ing grass with scythes for hay were important factors in choosing the sites for settlement. Provo, for example, was moved in order to afford better facilities in these respects. Utah territory between 1848 and 1861 constituted, in addition to the present area, all of that part of Nevada which lies north of Utah's southern boundary as well as western Colorado and southwestern Wyo- ming east to the main ranges of the Rockies. Utah had its present northern and southern boundaries and was 650 miles long from east to west. An effort to place settlements throughout the western region brought about the starting of settlements in what is now Idaho, Wyoming, Arizona. Nevada and California. During the next few years population increased rapidly and settlement was ex- tended into all other important areas in the present state of Utah. However, in 1856. Utah, with a population of about 25,000 people, was denied statehood. The on-coming Civil War precipitated the formation of the territory of Nevada from western Utah in March, 1861, two days before the accession of Lincoln to the pres- idency of the United States, Shortly Nevada was to become a state and to enter on control of her land along with other

DEVELOPMENT OF GRAZING 247 rights of statehood, before which, however, Utah was reduced to her present boundaries by two additions to Nevada in 1862, and 1868. one to Colorado in 1861, and two to Wyoming in 1863, and 1868. In 1868, Utah was reached by the tele- graph, and in 1869, by the Union Pacific railroad. By 1870, the Utah Central rail- road connected Salt Lake City with the transcontinental line at Ogden. Mines were opened, settlements grew, and popu- lations increased. The census of 1880 showed 9,542 farms in Utah including an area of 655,000 acres of which about 416,000 were cultivated. Alfalfa had be- come widespread and livestock had multi- slied. The first Utah cattle were primarily grade Shorthorns. The overland emigrant trains in '49 and the '50's traded weak and footsore animals of high quality and good breeding for provisions. Thus Utah ob- tained good cattle far earlier than would otherwise have been the case. By 1885, or soon thereafter, all the Utah ranges were occupied. It is estimated that there were 160,000 cattle in Utah, largely of Shorthorn, of Devon, and of Hereford stock in various crosses on Spanish Long- horns, though these were never so pro- portionately numerous in Utah as in the surrounding regions, to the east, the south, and the west. Beginning about 1870, sheep began to be brought into the state in numbers, though there were a few herds, largely from New Mexico previous to that time. Spanish merinos were introduced from California and fine-wooled rams from Ohio. Long- wooled animals came from Canada, Ken- tucky, and other parts. In 1883, there were about 450.000 sheep sheared, aver- aging probably 5 pounds to the fleece. About one-fourth of the wool was used locally by the "woolen factories." The remainder was export wool of fair quality. Since sheep were tax exempt, capital was rather freely invested, some of the largest herds being in Cache Valley. A profit of about 40 per cent was estimated for Cache Valley sheep in 1883. Sheep were found generally throughout Utah, extending into the Rio Virgin area. After about 1885. there no longer were any unoccupied ranges, at least in central Utah. Sheep grazing developed a "tramp" aspect, as a result of which there was a more or less frenzied struggle, especially for early spring ranges. Five or six years of unremitting competition on crowded ranges greatly reduced the vegetative cover. In regions where the intensity of over- grazing was cumulative, great areas of bare, dusty hillside replaced previously well-covered forage areas. Spring freshets came with sudden and augmented volume. Heavy summer showers poured down the gullies and flooded the neighboring farm lands and towns. For example, Manti. which had no serious flood before 1889, experienced real difficulties in 1889, 1893, 1901. and 1906. In 1904, the Manti National Forest was organized and graz- ing completely prohibited from 1905 to 1909. In 1909 a heavy storm barely flooded Manti, whose range had greatly recuperated under protection; whereas, un- protected Ephraim canyon was seriously eroded by the same storm. Between 1904 and 1907, the other National Forests in Utah were all organ- ized under National Forest protection. Pre- mature spring grazing was guarded against, and proper distribution of livestock was encouraged. A few stockmen resented control, but the majority were well pleased to exchange the permit fees for greater security and for a mending range. Forage convalescence was slow at first, but gradu- ally acquired momentum in which the progressive graziers could see more sub- stantial prospects. Importance of Grazing Industry in Utah Although Utah is thought of primarily as an irrigated state, the total land area utilized for irrigation in 1919 was only 1.3 71,000 acres', or 2.6 per cent of the area of the state. Dry-farming is also usually thought of as an important con- tributing phase of agriculture, and yet somewhat less than 500,000 acres, or less than 1 per cent of the total area is so utilized. Most of the remaining land is used for grazing, there being perhaps 5 million acres that is pure desert, bare rock.

248 IMPROVEMENT ERA or inaccessible and rough slopes." Thus, approximately 45)4 million of Utah's 5iy2 million acres of land is used for graz- ing. This is about 86 per cent of the ;ntire land surface of the state. Much of this area is only partly used. The chief contributing causes to inade- quate use are: (1) lack of accessible watering places; (2) lack of roads and trails; (3) lack of fences, corrals, and similar improvements; (4) bad seasonal management and un- equal or otherwise poor stocking practices: and, (5) injured forage, resultant on all of the four preceding factors. Barnes and Jardine,3 estimated in 1916, that the carrying capacity of the public lands had decreased to only about 50 per cent of its original capacity. Erosion is further reducing this, as opposed to the controlled grazing on the National Forests which has increased in carrying capacity during the 20 years it has been under control. The table helps to show the relative im- portance of the grazing industry in Utah: Table Summary of Land Tenure and Land Utilization in Utah Tenure Acres Privately owned and state lands 9.000,000 National Forests 7,986,000 National monuments 90.000 Indian Reservations 847.000 Coal, mineral reserves, etc. 7,200,000 Unreserved public domain 26,782.000 Waste, (absolute desert, bare rough areas, bare rock.) 5.000,000 Total land area of state 52,597,760 Utilization Irrigated land 1,3 71.000 Dry-farmed land 500.000 National Forest (mostly used for grazing)- 7,986,000 Privately owned and state-owned grazing land 7,000.000 Coal and Mineral reserves (largely grazed) 7,200.000 Public domain (largely grazed) 26,872,000 Waste land, (desert, rough areas, bare rock, etc.) . 5.000.000 Total used for grazing land 45.558.000 Per Cent (about) 18.0 14.0 0.2 1.6 13.0 51.0 2.0 100.0 2.6 1.0 14.0 12.0 13.0 44.0 9.5 86.7 Since the most productive lands are farmed and the least productive grazed, whenever possible, the actual relative value of the grazing industry is better shown by the fact that the value of all crops in Utah is $26,603,000, whereas the value of all the cattle is $14,521,000 and of sheep $26,063,000, and wool $7,400,- 000. Of cattle 71,000 are dairy cattle. These are fully dependent on the farming land, in addition to which about 5 per cent of the other cattle are so dependent. Hogs and poultry are also entirely depend- ent on farmed land. Thus, as measured in value of dependent agricultural in- dustries, the range livestock industry of Utah represents about 60 per cent of the total direct agricultural returns. An industry which uses exclusively 1 0 per cent of all land and perhaps 20 per cent of the product of the cultivated land, and which in value is about 60 per cent of the total agricultural product, deserves serious attention. The intricate problems of livestock management, of forage pres- ervation, and of control of the land are involved. These three combined aspects form Utah's greatest single agricultural problem. This is variously estimated between W2 and 5 million acres. 3Barnes, Will C. and Jardine, J. L.. Livestock Production in Eleven Western States.' U. S. A. Office Secretary Ret., 110, (1906), p. 12. 'Agricultural Census, 1925.