PART 3 History of Slaterville Slaterville, as most areas in Utah, was settled under the auspices of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The availability of arable land, water and timber made the area attractive. The combined Ogden and Weber Rivers form the south boundary of Slaterville. Mill Creek flows through the central portion and Four-Mile Creek through the north central part. Good cropland and pasture ground were available1. The first settlers, Alexander Kelly and his wife, built a cabin on the north side of Mill Creek in the eastern part of the area in the fall of 1850. Thomas McCann, Thomas Virgo, John Phelps, and Stephen Perry moved their families here in 1851-52. During the period of 1853 to 1860 many more settlers arrived, including some hand cart pioneers.2 At first, many living quarters were dugouts. A dugout was a three to four foot deep excavation in the ground with a roof made of rocks, willows, straw and dirt. A tall person would have to stoop to enter through the door.3 These were replaced by homes of cottonwood and box elder logs, obtained from trees along the Weber River. Richard Slater, for whom Slaterville was named to honor his service with the Mormon Battalion, arrived in 1853. He had volunteered for Battalion service at Winter Quarters, Nebraska, and marched with them to California4. In 1853, fearing Indian attacks, the settlers left their homes to enter Bingham's Fort (near present 4th Street and Wall Avenue). Another exodus was made in 1858 when most of the population moved south during the advent of the U. S. Army, under Albert Sidney Johnson, entering the territory. Most of the settlers returned when a peaceable solution with the Army was made5. Water was a major factor in pioneers locating in this area. The North Slaterville Irrigation Company was formed in 1853, filing claims on Mill Creek and Ogden River. The South Slaterville Irrigation Company filed on the waters of Weber River. Exceptionally good irrigation rights, still existing today, were obtained through these actions. In 1855 a three-mile canal was dug from Mill Creek for irrigation, at a cost of $3000.6 Life was difficult for the settlers. Springs and sloughs provided water for animals in good pasture land. Culinary water was carried from streams and springs. Some settlers dug cisterns and filled them once or twice a year. Water was run through sand to purify it, as they filled them. Rain water was collected in barrels for washing clothes and hair as it was softer than stream water. Ground was cleared of sage brush and was under cultivation. However, hordes of grasshoppers destroyed most of the grain and hay in 1854 and 1855. A severe winter in 1855-6 caused the death of large numbers of stock. The year 1856 brought a serious drought. Flooding from the Weber River in 1862 drove many from their homes and delayed planting so long that few crops were harvested. Repeated flooding occurred over a number of years. As sagebrush was depleted for use as fuel, a day long trip had to be made to Little Mountain to obtain fuel for cooking and heating7. School was held in two private homes at first. In 1857 a tag building on a farm owned by Dudley Chase in what is now Farr West was purchased and moved to the bank of Four Mile Creek, north of the present Texaco Service Station, for use as a school. In 1857 it was moved to the southeast corner of what is now the Slaterville Park. In 1861 the Slaterville School District was created by the Weber County court, and three trustees, Edwin W. Smout, Thomas Thomas and John Hudman, were elected. At that time, an adobe building was erected at a cost of $950. It was destroyed by fire in 1871. A new frame school building was erected across the street to the east. About 1876 religious differences and the ensuing ill feelings resulted in the establishment of another school known as the New West or Congregational School, with children of the dissenting population attending it. In 1893 after reconciliation of the residents, under agreement with county officials, the Slaterville School District was divided and two schools established. A building was erected east of the "New West" School, on present Pioneer Road, across from the Ned Allred home, and was known as the Slaterville School. The other district was known as the Perry District (probably named to honor Stephen Perry). The Perry School building still exists as a 14