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Tag Archives: Centerfield

Sugar Mansion

14 Monday Dec 2020

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Centerfield, Historic Homes, Sanpete County, utah

Located at 630 S Main Street in Centerfield, Utah, this beautiful 1923 home was nicknamed the Sugar Mansion being across the street from the sugar beet processing plant.

Related:

  • The house that sugar built

This charming property was developed in the mid-1920’s by William Wrigley (1861-1932) of Chicago, the millionaire whose name appears on Wrigley Field and the chewing gum. This house and garage are excellent examples of the English Tudor Revival style, popular after World War I. The steeply-pitched roof gables, half-timbering, narrow dormers, ornamental chimneys, slanted bay windows, and light-colored stucco are typical of this picturesque style. English design elements also were used inside, including low ceilings and archways between rooms. Inside and out, fine design and craftsmanship are evident. The carefully landscaped grounds continue the European theme with a ‘fence’ of concrete posts and chains, masonry walls, meandering paths and exceptional plantings.

Mr. Wrigley built this home for the superintendent of the Gunnison Sugar Factory, a million dollar factory which he owned and established locally in 1917. Set on one acre of ground, this property’s artistic landscaping harbored many varieties of birds in trees such as locust, Chinese elm and fruit trees, accompanied by distinctive privet hedges. The manicured yard was simultaneously watered and fertilized by built-in sprinklers that sprayed run-off water rich in beet pulp and piped in from the sugar factory across the highway. Later, the home was purchased by Frank and Betty Ginder so sold it to the present owners, Juan and Vicky Larson in 1975.*

The photos below are from Charlotte L Christiansen‘s real estate listing.

Centerfield, Utah

29 Monday Dec 2014

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Axtell, Centerfield, Gunnison, Sanpete County, utah

centerfield

From wikipedia:
Centerfield was first known as Skin Town. It seems that about 1880, a new method for tanning cowhides was discovered and implemented in New York. At the same time, Sanpete suffered a terrible winter with such deep snow that many cattle couldn’t find enough forage and died. In order to keep their operations from being a total loss, the ranchers skinned the cows, used the new tanning method on the hides, and hung them out on their fences to dry. The fact that all the fences were draped with cow hides led to the name “Skin Town”. It was also called South Gunnison or Twin Town. When the town was incorporated in 1907, the residents chose the more dignified name of Centerfield because of the community’s central location.

Centerfield is an 1860’s offshoot of Gunnison that evolved two miles south on US 89. Gunnison Field or Gunnison South was a natural site for farmers who worked small “squatters rights” plots of about five acres with oxen and hand plows. After the Indian troubles subsided, log and adobe houses began to appear. A late 1876 petition to ‘build a school convenient to our location’ was an early sign of independence from the mother colony. In 1882 a log cabin was built to serve as school, church and social hall. The 1886-87 church was built of stone and a front tower was added in 1897. Community spirit was strong by that time, and Canute Peterson chose a committee of four who named the place for its location in the fields between Gunnison and Axtell.

The Gunnison Valley Sugar Company built a 500-ton factory in Centerfield, Utah in 1918. The Centerfield factory equipment came from the Washington State Sugar Company plant in Waverly, Washington. The Waverly factory, opened in December 1899, was considered unprofitable and inferior. The Utah Sugar management, including Cutler, advised Washington Sugar in 1901 for the 1902 season, but the factory closed in 1910. It was sold to Gunnison Sugar for $100,000, installed in Centerfield in 1917, and was ready for the 1918 campaign. U-I went on an aggressive anticompetitive campaign (including spreading rumors, leading to U-I’s investigation by the FTC) against Gunnison Valley Sugar Company. In 1920, the William Wrigley Jr. Company purchased the factory to supply their chewing gum production. U-I acquired the Centerfield factory and company in 1940. They proceeded to close the factory in 1956, re-opened from 1958 to 1961, then sold it as scrap in April, 1966.

Related:

  • Centerfield (historic marker)
  • First Public Buildings (historic marker)
  • Sugar Mansion
  • Centerfield posts sorted by address

Sugar Plant
39.1215152-111.8193389

Centerfield

29 Thursday May 2014

Posted by Jacob Barlow in Uncategorized

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Centerfield, DUP, historic, Sanpete County, utah

ARP09 060

Centerfield

Gunnison settlers began farming the land to the south in the early 1860’s, each claiming his acreage under “Squatter’s Rights” and later paying a filing fee of $1.25. Water was obtained from the Sanpitch River and fresh mountain springs. By 1877 Michael Nielsen, Chris Sanders, and William D. Child had constructed homes and others soon followed. School was first taught by Marie Gribble in her home. Joseph Christensen later taught the first public school and Harriet Higham served as the area midwife. Primary and Sunday School branches of the Gunnison L.D.S. Ward were formed in 1882. The Centerfield Ward was organized in 1897 wit Andrew Fjeldsted as bishop. The town name was chosen at that time due to its central location in a fertile field. A post office was established in 1898 with Loraine Anderson as post mistress. Centerfield was incorporated in 1909 with Lars C. Myrup serving as town president.

No. 428 – 1984 – Centerfield Camp

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First Public Buildings

29 Thursday May 2014

Posted by Jacob Barlow in Uncategorized

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Centerfield, DUP, historic, Sanpete County, utah

ARP09 060

No. 198
Erected 1954
FIRST PUBLIC BUILDINGS

In the Early 80’s Centerfield was known as “The Field” or “South Gunnison”. The thirty families living there erected a public building in 1882 made of red pine logs with a slab roof covered with clay. A stone fireplace furnished the heat while the light came from a coal oil lamp. The building was used for school, social, and religious meetings until 1888 when a rock building was erected. N.C. Tolstrup and Gustav Nielsen cut and laid the stone. A stage was built in the west side of the building and a pot bellied stove furnished the heat. Both buildings were erected on a community basis.

Centerfield Camp South Sanpete County

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Check out all of the historic markers placed by the Daughters of Utah Pioneers at JacobBarlow. com/dup

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