Possession of tracts of land on which the greater number of families located were acquired by personal entries, while some were purchased from individuals who entered large areas and divided them into small farms for resale purposes In some instances, those who made an outright purchase of property enjoyed advantages, as some did, in being able to locate in close proximity to a source of water that supplied domestic and irrigation need and within reasonable distance of prospective sight for a church and school. Many of these farms remained in possession of an immediate or distant member of a family after the demise of the original owner, while several estates changed hands early and several times after first ownership was acquired. A situation of this kind presents a vexing problem in attempting to establish identity of individuals who had owned, one time or another, a specified tract of land. The number of families that settled the extreme eastern part of Slaterville were not many. Enumberating them in their order westward were those of William Baird, Charles Jay, and Herman Vause that settled to the South and the families of Daniel Thomas, Mr. Layman, and Francis Romrell settled north of what was known later as Second Street. James, William, and Joseph Field, were members of this group located north of Second Street and east of the road running north and southwest of the Government installation. WILLIAM FIELD Born Jan. 15, 1836, Herefordshire. Eng. Came to Utah Oct. 11, 1862, Warren Snow Company. WILLIAM HEBER FIELD Son of William Field and Charlotte Bult. Born Jan. 1, 1865, Slaterville, Utah. Included in this area is the territory extending eastward between the road west of the war installation, and a line extending from Marriott settlement a short distance below the Oregon Short Line Railroad, north to the west boundary of Harrisville. The greater part of the land within these limits at that early date was what we would term today marshy, or swampy, because of excessive amounts of water that soaked from spring-fed sloughs and streams which made it an undesirable place for establishment of homes and unsuitable -12- for general agricultural purposes. However, it produced a thrifty growth of various kinds of grasses which made it adaptable for grazing purposes and for production of abundance of native or wild grass hay so essential in maintaining the family size herd of cows which contributed so largely to family living and well being. Almost three quarters of a century elapsed after settlement of this area commenced before its true value as a rich agricultural spot was realized. The normal flow of Four-mile Creek supplied enough water for crop production on land along both sides of the stream below the Utah General Depot from the time a system of irrigation was commenced until increased acreage was cleared and cropped in later years when need for more water became evident. Streams leading from the natural reservoir of marshy meadows above were dredged and drains opened between the creek and overflowing ponds increased the volume flow of the stream sufficient to provide water for future needs in this locality for many years. Benefits to water users and to owners of the meadow region could not be estimated at that time. Uncertainty that plagued crop producers along the creek was supplanted with assurances of sufficient water to supply growing needs and the swampy meadowland, rich in humus, was mellowed by removal of excess water which rendered it adaptable to production of any agricultural crop. The history of this section has only partly been told. In the opinion of this writer, an account of the sad fate of this spot, and the tragic injustice perpetrated on a loyal group of citizens, should occupy a prominent place in its final chapter. Expulsion of families from cherished possessions by their Government was only the beginning of a tirade that disrupted the calm and peaceful surroundings of this locality and terminated in pecuniary losses to property owners and to our community a loss of a number of faithful Church members and a strip of territory covering several hundred acres. After the beginning of the second world war in which we later became embroiled as a war measure, our Government planned the establishment of war installations for our defense throughout the nation. States desiring a war plant were granted one, or as many as they wanted and as a result, some states obtained several. Land confiscated in states that were foolish enough to accept an installation ran into millions of acres, the greater part of which in each state is not in use other than producing, unrestricted, as in our state, crops of hay and grain amounting to several hundred acres to sell in competition with farm crops to further depress an already glutted market. The remaining parts of land in each defense area are covered with heaps of steel and cement in the form of office buildings, warehouses, barracks, shops, repair buildings, storage plants, snackbars, and almost a countless list of other things, nearly all of which represent a staggering waste of material and a ruthless expenditure of billions of dollars. Unfortunately, through deceitful, underhand maneuvering of a Chamber of Commerce, working in secret and behind closed doors with the Federal Government, several of these war Plants were forced on an unsuspecting public surrounding Ogden. The Chamber supposedly working to advance the welfare of Ogden and vicinity, bargained off property belonging to old-time residents to our government, which under the strong arm of the law, had power to condemn and take regardless of who -13-