18 A GAZETTEER OF UTAH. [bull. 166. 
Mormon in overwhelming proportion. More than half of the total 
population, and three-fourths of the persons 10 years of age and over, 
are of this denomination; indeed, the communicants of other denomi- 
nations are so few in number that it seems scarcely worth while to give 
any statistics in regard to them. 
The population of Utah is not distributed uniformly over the State, 
but is grouped, forming a rather dense population in comparatively 
few localities, including the most fertile valleys. This is a result of 
the policy of the Mormon leaders, who controlled absolutely, so far 
as their people were concerned, the establishment of settlements and 
their character, with the purpose of forming a community which 
should be essentially agricultural, with only such manufactures and 
commerce as were essential to well-being. They pursued, from the 
beginning, a consistent plan of exploration and colonizing. Instead 
of scattering the people over the farm area, they built up many small 
towns, around which were grouped the farms of the inhabitants, thus 
securing to the people the advantages of social intercourse, which is 
so lamentably wanting among the gentile settlers upon our public 
lands, where each man is required to live upon his holdings. In this 
way they have settled the valley of Bear Lake and River, Cache, and 
Malade valleys, and settlements extend in a strip along the west base 
of the Wasatch throughout its whole extent. The valley of Sevier 
River is occupied, and many small settlements have been placed upon 
the Virgin. When the gentiles first came into the country in any 
numbers they found nearly all of the irrigable lands occupied in this 
manner. 
INDUSTRIES. 
Utah is preeminently an agricultural State. Of the total number 
of wage-earners in 1890 — viz, 60,900 — 24,083, or 38 per cent, were 
engaged in agriculture or mining. The latter class are relatively few, 
and it is safe to say that fully one-third of the wage-earners were 
engaged in farming. In trade and transportation were engaged about 
one-sixth of all wage-earners, and in manufacturing industries about 
one-fifth, the remainder being engaged in personal service and in the 
professions. 
The following statistics, from the Territorial census of 1895, sho^ 
the condition of the farming industry at that time: The total numbei 
of farms was 19,816. These comprised 806,650 acres of improves 
land, besides a much larger area unimproved. Irrigation was practices 
upon 117,455 acres, and 50,000 acres were cultivated without irriga 
tion. The average farm comprised 90 acres, being much less in siz 
than the average farm in the United States at large. The farms o 
