This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
There's nothing like an official post office to put a city's name on the map. It's not as if Utah's early Mormon settlement, formerly known as South Cottonwood, didn't have one with the same moniker. It also had its share of postal problems befitting a rough but ready-to-be-honed Western town.
In the 1880s, the community along State Street was a "scattered little burg" thriving in commerce, industry, agriculture and neighborhoods. It was also a "place that everyone in the valley at least knew of, but a place not easy to put a name to," wrote Judson Callaway in The Faces of Murray.
While correspondence and packages were addressed to the South Cottonwood Post Office, "the corresponding railway destinations were Big Cottonwood, Lovendahls and Francklyn," with a network of mines in between.
In 1883, liquor distributor and South Cottonwood's appointed Postmaster Harry Haynes petitioned U.S. President Chester A. Arthur for a new, memorable name. The choices offered were George Armstrong Custer, the recently deceased Indian fighter, or Eli H. Murray, the unliked but well-respected territorial governor.
One of the youngest brigadier generals at age 23, Murray was a supporter of the Liberal Party of Utah. He opposed the practice of polygamy and questioned how one could be a "faithful Mormon and a loyal citizen of the United States." The president chose Murray, and Custer lost another battle.
From the onset, the future city of Murray was destined to succeed with its clean spring water, accessibility to railways and sophisticated smelter operations, which began in 1873.
Along with imported refractories made of stellar brick able to withstand extreme temperatures, Murray smelters used clean burning coke and an extraction process that historian Thomas G. Alexander said, "functioned as fluxes, which combined with impurities to free the valuable metals from the ore."
In South Cottonwood, 40 saloons whet many a whistle and tax assessments, licensing and bonding rose accordingly. Postmaster Haynes balked. "We're willing to be taxed," he said, "but not to be robbed." Digging in his heels, Haynes sold liquor without a license, was cited for civil disobedience and served a brief stint in jail.
Haynes then joined John P. Cahoon and other prominent businessmen to build Murray's commercial district with a general merchandise and liquor distribution, the Salt Lake Pressed Brick Co., a large Commercial Building (also called Murray's Opera House). Add to that the far-reaching Progress Co., which provided electricity to Murray farms, homes and shops, which was later bought out by D. Branson Brinton, who sold many of the town's first electric appliances.
In 1897, a confrontation between sheep men and smelter workers turned ugly. A fire was started. A brewery and dance hall were burned. For Martin Willumsen, editor of The American Eagle, it was the last straw. For years, he had been advocating "for incorporation through intense editorial campaigning."
Although Cahoon was concerned about unwarranted city regulations, Murray incorporated in 1902 but was unrecognized as a city until 1905. Apparently the county and city were at odds with the election results.
Chilion Miller, a cattleman and Democrat, was the city's first mayor. Ordinances were prescribed. Pool tables were allowed, slot machines were not. As for intoxicants, from 1914 until the repeal of the national prohibition laws in 1933, the town was officially dry.
Galvanized by the city's commerce, smelters, mills and granaries, Murray quickly established a school district, volunteer fire station, water works and power plant. Its handsome 1912 public library was partially funded by the Carnegie Foundation. It still stands but in private hands.
The smelter industry increased and diversified the town's population. Latter-day Saint congregations swelled in attendance. Methodist, Baptist and Catholic churches joined the neighborhood.
Rounding the character of this young city, LDS Stake Relief Society President Amanda Bagley set up a "free-baby and pre-school" clinic in 1922 and with her Relief Society partners effectively advocated for safe birthing rights.
In 1924, Cottonwood Maternity Hospital was established and many a "Murrayite" was born.
Eileen Hallet Stone, an oral historian, can be reached at ehswriter@aol.com. Additional sources: Historic Resources of Murray City, 1850-1950, U.S. Department of the Interior