Dates

• Existence: 1867 - 1895

Biography

The Deseret Mill (approx. 1867-1895) was a cotton fabric mill that operated in Salt Lake to keep Utah’s economy closed to outsiders.

Established in the 1860s with James W. Cummings as its first superintendent, the Deseret mill was the first mill established in the territory of Utah. Along with the Provo mill, established in 1873, the Deseret mill consumed about one million pounds of wool per year. It was most known for selling blankets, yarn, and other fabric goods at ZCMI. In 1895, the mill consolidated with the Provo mill. While partnered with the Provo mill, the Deseret mill worked intermittently due to a lack of demand. The Deseret mill closed in 1895, but its parent company planned to reopen the plant when orders increased. It never reopened, and in 1896, its owners sold its machinery to a factory in Orchard, Idaho. In 1935, the building was used by the to manufacture burial vaults, and later that year was renovated into a feed mill.

Citation:

Citation: Deseret Mills Ledger Book, 1870-1872 (mill sold blankets, yarn, and other fabric goods) Utah Digital Newspapers, via WWW (Deseret Mill, 1891 mill consumes one million pounds of wool per year with Provo mill; 1893 blankets made at the mill were sold at the co-op; 1895 consolidating with Provo mill; 1903 Deseret Mill established approx. 1867, first mill established in Utah, first superintendent was James W. Cummings; 1935 building was used by Interstate Automatic Sealing Burial Vault; 1935 Old Deseret Mill building renovated into feed mill)

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