First Successful Industry in Santa Clara - First of its Kind on Waymarking.com

Santa Clara Granaries

The pioneers of southern Utah had little access to food outside of their immediate area. Therefore, they had to be inventive about acquiring, storing, and preparing food for their families. In the beginning, raising livestock often proved a frustrating venture because local Paiutes were very adept at taking them—and with good reason. The Paiutes were hungry too. The pioneers were diverting water sources for crop ikrrigation, and native vegetation that had sustained the Paiutes in the past was being consumed by the pioneers' cattle. Eventually, the problems were worked out and a bit of sharing probably occurred.

The pioneers, meanwhile, continued to cultivate. They grew fruit trees, and planted vegetable gardens. In fact, the vegetable and fruit growing market produced the first successful industry from the area. Santa Clara became a produce peddling center, and different families began to sell their produce to a wider and wider market, eventually traveling many miles north through Utah and west into Nevada.

Some of the produce the pioneers grew and acquired from others—fruits, vegetables, and grains—was stored for the winter season in small storage facilities on their individual properties. In Santa Clara, some homes had root cellars, but most had a separate granary. The granaries looked like small houses and could be found to the rear of nearly every home or at the field where produce was grown. Grains were generally stored in the warmer, upper section of the granary, and fruit and root vegetables were stored in the cooler basement or at ground level.

In 2007 few of Santa Clara's granaries remain intact. Some were expanded into larger buildings, while others were removed to provide space for other structures. The ones remaining are unique to this area's pioneer lifestyle, and as they provide storage space for homeowners, they also bring a historical ambience to the property. Most are pictured here.

Marker Placed in 2007

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