Bishop William Budge Report
The Deseret News, October 3, 1871
About Bear Lake-Bishop William Budge, of Rich County, who has just arrived from that part for the purpose of attending conference, called on us this morning. From him we hear the following concerning Bear Lake Valley.
"The Poles have all been put up for an extension of the Deseret Telegraph from Franklin, Cache Co, over the mountains to Paris, Rich Co. The line passes through a portion of Bloomington kanyon (sic) the timber in which, a few days after the poles were erected, took fire, and it is supposed several miles of the poles have been destroyed.
Nearly five miles in length of the timber was thought to be in flames at one time and the conflagration is still raging. There is also an extensive fire in the timers of the Paris kanyon and one has been burning in St Charles kanyon for the past three months.
As before stated in the News, the crops in Bear Lake Valley were an utter failure this year, having been entirely destroyed by grasshoppers. Notwithstanding this, the people are feeling well and have plenty of bread stuffs to last them until another harvest. For as soon as the brethren found they would be short, some made their way to this city, some to Cache Valley and others to Soda Springs, where a great amount of work has been done the past season, and by laboring in various ways, succeeded in getting the necessary supplies of the 'staff of life'. No grasshopper eggs have been deposited the present season so the prospects for another year are so far good.
Improvements are the order of the date at Bear Lake. Mesers. D P Kimball and H Duffin are finishing a fine tannery at Paris, which will soon be in working order. There is a fine planning machine also a lath and shingle machine in operation there.
Altogether Bear Lake Valley at its present rate of progress bids fair to became a very desirable place in a few years."