CHAPTER 6
QUESTS FOR DEVELOPMENT
A,
J t h o u g h the hopes of the first settlers rested on developing farm and livestock operations that would sustain them, other residents later tried to develop various resources and establish an industrial base to diversify the local economy. Lumber and flour mills seemed to almost sprout along the county's streams in the early days of settlement. Long before the county had a decent paved road all the way through it, there were places for airplanes to land—though most landings were emergencies. Air travel became yet another aspect of promoters' hopes of attracting tourists and boosting local businesses. Mining continues to provide a living for a few folks in the eastern part of the county, but hopes for large-scale mining in the county— precious metals, uranium, coal, and oil—have not materialized. One major industrial development that would have reshaped the county's economic destiny seemed just within reach when abruptly the prize, the Intermountain Power Project, was given to Millard County.
Gristmilling, Wayne County's First Industry Almost every M o r m o n town in Utah had a gristmill or was 193
