It was during
the drive for a town government that a real sense of community developed.
A large new school building, a larger Mormon meetinghouse, stores, a
dance hall, and improved roads, canals, and groves of trees (where residents
gathered for recreation) were developed by the people under the direction
of their new leaders. By 1911 they had a new recreation center in town,
built by public donation. Utah Power and Light Company was granted a
franchise to supply electricity to the town by 1913, and a new water
system was developed by 1918. In 1930 the town celebrated the establishment
of a new culinary water system. Still, the officials never found a way,
even after Mapleton became a third-class city in 1948, to provide enough
local jobs for the residents. Lack of water, especially in drought years,
ditches, canals, size of building lots, maintenance of roads, a shortage
of recreation programs, and lack of a sewage system, still plague the
city and challenge the local inhabitants.
Mapleton has
had a few stores and small industries since the 1890s, but it has never
had any large stores or shopping malls. There is little industry to
provide jobs and a tax base to help the community deal adequately with
its problems. The city has always had to depend upon a great deal of
donated help and innovative ideas to solve its problems; but, amazingly,
the community continues to thrive.