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Mormons settled the present-day southwest corner of Utah in the 1850s. Mormon settlers from the South were sent to settle the region and grow cotton, so they nicknamed the area "Dixie." The region is part of the Mohave Desert. Settlers built canals and dams to make the area flourish. The collection includes oral histories regarding the early settlers and the residents' irrigation efforts over the years.
Washington County was relatively isolated. The railroad never arrived, and the first oiled road was finished in 1930, linking the county to the national highway system. Despite its isolation, the community developed activities to enhance their lives, including dances, choirs, literary societies, an active theater, and bands. Air conditioning reached the region after World War II, increasing tourism and diversity in Dixie.
The collection includes oral histories from life long residents of the Dixie region. Some of the histories concern general life experiences and folklore of the region, while others discuss Dixie College's move to its new campus in 1963. Former employees of the Bureau of Land Management's Arizona Strip Office were also interviewed.
The collection includes bound copies of oral history interviews collected by the Val A. Browning Library, Dixie State College. The Utah State Historical Society funded the project, and as part of the agreement, received copies of the transcriptions. Five different oral history projects make up the collection. Their topics concern the early days of the St. George region, its people and traditions, Dixie State College, and the Bureau of Land Management's Arizona Strip Office. Transcription was completed in 2003.
Dixie State College Oral History Collection, 1994-2003, Utah State Historical Society.
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The Dixie State College Oral History Collection is the physical property of the Utah Historical Society, Salt Lake City, Utah. Literary rights, including copyright, may belong to the authors or their heirs and assigns. Please contact the Historical Society for information regarding specific use of this collection.
Alder, Douglas D. and Karl F. Brooks.