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Show Many of the farms had field after field of row crops such as peas, corn, tomatoes, onion, lettuce, and sugar beets. They also raised grain and hay in their field for their live stock. I'm sure during these years, the farmer experienced much of the same misfortune as the early settlers. There were years of drought, years when the growing season was too short, and then years when there was so much moisture they had problems getting their crops in and harvested. Each family, during these years, would raise their own cows, chickens, and pigs. This would supply them with their meat, and other substances for food. This trend of farming and family existence has gradually passed away. As the years have passed by, Slaterville still remains a farming community, however, each family does not have their own little farm anymore. There are only three large dairy herds left in Slaterville and one smaller herd. These dairy farms are owned by Alma Slater, Kim Slater, Art Storrer, and Ronald Smout. The farms are gradually being divided and homes are being built. There are, however, some large farms still being farmed besides those of the dairy men. Julian Powell, Mr. Yoshida, and Perry Slater still plant many acres of beets, grain and hay every year and usually reap a good harvest. William J. Smout plowing (1939) Clem Ekin's Threshing at A.B. Cowan A.B. Cowan hauling sugar beets (1918) -58- Chapter 7 SCHOOLS They recognized education and religion as indispensible to an enlightened, progressive, and prosperous society. Out of this conception, they adopted, as did other colonies surrounding Ogden City, a simple educational system that has grown and developed with changing conditions through the years to attain to our present-day standards. The first school that we have any knowledge of was held in a private home located in the vicinity of the writer's home, under the supervision of a teacher named Hastings (first name not known). A yean or so later, another private school under the supervision of a teacher named William Burton was started in the south part of the settlement. Attendance at either school was not very large, though reports have it that "Mr. Burton had an attendance at his school of about forty pupils." In 1857 a log building that stood on what is now the Farr West Stake Welfare Farm located in what was known as Harrisville at that time, but later and is now known as Farr West, was purchased from Dudley Chase, original owner of the farm, and moved to the corner of property in Slaterville belonging to Edwin W. Smout, located north of Pioneer Road opposite the old home of the Wheeler family and present home of the writer. School held in this building, supplemented by private schools, took care of the educational needs of a growing community until 1860 when the school population had outgrown educational accomodations. Joseph Hall taught school during the winter of 1857-58. However, during the March term of the county courts in 1861, the Slaterville School District was organized. The community elected and sustained a Board of Trustees composed of Thomas Thomas, Edwin W. Smout, and John Hudman, who were authorized to take action to provide greater and more efficient educational facilities; and during 1861 an adobe building was erected a few rods south of our present ward chapel at a cost of $950 (this is the old church where the bowry now sits.) My father, William Wheeler, a young man in his late teens, came to Ogden with his parents, my grandparents in 1857. The parents, after a few months, moved to Slaterville where they lived continuously afterward. Father, who had completed work in the higher grades in schools at Council Bluffs, Iowa, was employed and served as a teacher before and after the school district was organized, but the exact number of years he taught is not definitely known. From information in possession of the writer, we are informed that Henry Bartholomew was the first teacher employed at the new school. (See figure. 7-1) It is understood that Mr. Bartholomew taught two or probably more years, and it is possible my father and those who previously held private schools, taught during the years until 1870, as there are no available records to indicate otherwise. In 1871 the adobe building burned down and new frame building, familiar in memories of many in our ward, was immediately erected on the corner where the Bowman family home is located at a cost of $1100. (See Fig. 7-2) -59- |