In
1862 the 339 were strengthened by the calling of 200 additional families,
who were chosen for their skills and capital equipment so as to balance
out the economic structure of the community, the center of which was
at St. George. All told, nearly 800 families, representing about 3,000
persons, were called to Dixie in the early 1860s. At least 300 additional
families--upwards of 1,000 persons--were called in the late 1860s and
1870s. The Cotton Mission was not the only phase of the calculated drive
toward diversification and territorial self-sufficiency. Three other
colonies were established with a similar purpose. The town of Mantua,
in Box Elder County, was founded as part of a campaign to stimulate
the production of flax. Twelve Danish families were appointed to settle
in what was originally called Flaxville, to produce thread for use in
making summer clothing, household linen, and sacks for grain. Similarly,
the town of Minersville, in Beaver County, was founded for the purpose
of working a nearby lead, zinc, and silver deposit. With the encouragement
and assistance of the LDS Church, many tons of lead bullion were produced
for use in making bullets and paint for the public works. The town of Coalville, in Summit County, was also founded as part of a church mission
to mine coal. Soon after the discovery of this coal in 1859, it was
being transported to Salt Lake City for church and commercial use. Several
dozen persons were called to the region in the spring of 1860; improved
roads to connect with Salt Lake City were built; new mines were discovered;
and scores of church and private teams plied back and forth between
Coalville and Salt Lake City throughout the sixties. These mines were
of particular importance because of the increasing scarcity of timber
in the Salt Lake Valley.