Former site of the

The Utah-Idaho Sugar Company after determining that sugar beet seed was a good cash crop, bought these grounds and started production that would last for nearly fifty years.

Sugar beets were planted in the fall in the Bloomington and Washington Fields. Due to the mild winter climate in Utah's Dixie, the crop could stay in the ground over winter. In the spring, the beet stalks would sprout and grow several feet high and then fall over. The plants would be harvested and hauled by horse-drawn wagons to the factory where they would undergo a process to remove the seed and sort it into different sizes and varieties, then be stored in large sacks in the adjacent warehouses.

This block was vacated after 1979 and became home to mice and pigeons and an eyesore to the community. Through the vision, generosity, and hard work of the community and city officials, the ultimate dream to restore the grounds as part of St. George's Historic District was realized, beginning with the Opera House (1995), the Art Museum, Adobe Building and Plaza (1997), and ending with the St. George Social Hall(1998).

side note

These plaques are dedicated to our community and its generous donors who have given of their time and personal resources in promoting the arts and preserving our history in Southern Utah.

List of donors:

Residents of Washington County

Russell C. and Joyce M. Taylor

George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Foundation

Sun Capital Bank

US Bank

Washington County Historical Society

Marker is on East 200 North, on the right when traveling west.

Courtesy hmdb.org

Credits and Sources: