The 'Manna' of the Cotton Mission (Sugar on the Leaves)

In 1864, during a period of extreme food scarcity and economic hardship in the Cotton Mission, settlers in the St. George area discovered a sweet, white substance covering the leaves of the cottonwood and willow trees along the Virgin River. The settlers gathered this 'sugar,' which they compared to the biblical manna, and used it to sweeten their food and sustain their families during the famine. A. Karl Larson notes this as a providential event that provided relief when supplies were exhausted and the community was on the brink of starvation.