Philip DeLaMare facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Philip DeLaMare |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | April 3, 1823 Isle of Jersey, England |
| Died | October 16, 1915 (aged 92) Tooele, Utah, United States |
| Resting place | Tooele City Cemetery 40°31′25″N 112°17′44″W / 40.5237°N 112.2955°W |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Parkin Mary Chevalier Jeanette Mickeljohn |
| Children | 21 |
| Parents | Francis DeLaMare Jane Esther Hier |
Philip DeLaMare (April 3, 1823 – October 16, 1915) was an important person in the history of Utah. He became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as the LDS Church. He is best known for trying to bring the sugar beet industry to Utah in the late 1800s. The well-known area in Salt Lake City called Sugar House is named after the sugar factory he helped build.
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Philip DeLaMare's Early Life
Philip DeLaMare was born in 1823 on the Isle of Jersey. This island is located off the coast of France. His parents were Francis DeLaMare and Jane Esther Hier.
A Sweet Idea for Utah
Philip DeLaMare joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1849. Two years later, in 1851, he went on a mission to France. While there, he traveled with Apostle John Taylor to a city called Arras.
Arras was famous for its many beet sugar factories. Philip DeLaMare carefully studied how these factories worked. He wanted to see if growing sugar beets and making sugar could be a good business for Utah. Taylor and DeLaMare, along with others, bought special machinery to make beet sugar. They then shipped this equipment to America.
The Long Journey West
The sugar factory machinery was first sent from Liverpool, England, to St. Louis, Missouri. From there, the heavy equipment had to be moved to Utah by wagon. This was the very first time beet sugar machinery was brought to America.
Philip DeLaMare led a group called the Philip De La Mare Company. They left for Utah Territory on July 4, 1852, with more than 80 people. They arrived in Utah on November 10, 1852. DeLaMare guided 52 teams of oxen that pulled the heavy equipment to Salt Lake City. Some wagons broke down during the long trip because the machinery was so heavy. They also had problems with their oxen dying, so they had to get more animals along the way. It is believed that some important parts of the machinery were lost during this difficult journey. This loss would later cause problems when they tried to make sugar.
The Sugar House Factory Mystery
On March 5, 1853, leaders like Brigham Young and John Taylor chose a spot for the new sugar factory. They picked the southeast corner of 21st South and Highland Drive in Salt Lake City. Today, this area is known as "Sugar House."
Before the factory was ready, seeds were sent ahead. About 300 acres of land were planted with sugar beets. The factory finally started working in February 1855. It used a water wheel in Parley’s Creek to power its machines. However, by the end of summer in 1855, Brigham Young decided the factory was not working. He ordered it to be shut down. The factory could not produce real sugar; it only made molasses.
There are a few ideas about why the factory failed to make sugar.
- Some people think that parts of the machinery were lost during the trip to Utah.
- One historian, Leonard Arrington, thought the problem was with the beets themselves. He believed the beets grown in Utah's soil had a different chemical makeup, which made them hard to turn into sugar.
- Another idea was that the Utah beets had too much salt compared to those grown in France. This imbalance might have caused the problem.
- Others believe the factory simply could not figure out the special method needed to make sugar crystals.
It is thought that about $100,000 was spent trying to make the sugar factory work.
After it stopped making molasses, the factory building was used for many other things. It became a paper mill, a roundhouse for trains, a place that made buckets, a wool factory, and a machine shop. It was also used as a coal yard office and a weighing station. The factory building was completely taken down in 1928.
See also
- Deseret Manufacturing Company
- Utah-Idaho Sugar Company
