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Washington Cotton Factory
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
The Washington Cotton Factory in 1940
Location within Utah Location within the United States
Location	On U.S. 91 (Frontage Rd. West), Washington, Utah
Coordinates	37°7′45″N 113°30′53″W
Area	7 acres (2.8 ha)
Built	1867 (1867)
Architect	Harmon, Appleton
NRHP reference No.	71000864
Added to NRHP	April 16, 1971

The Washington Cotton Factory was built in 1865–67 on Mill Creek near Washington, Utah by Mormon settlers to process locally grown cotton for use by the settlers. The region of the Virgin River valley became known among Mormons as the "Cotton Mission," a project envisioned by Brigham Young to establish Mormon self-sufficiency.

The mill encountered difficulties in finding a reliable supply of raw cotton and suffered from an erratic water flow. It operated on and off until 1898, when it was permanently closed. It was subsequently used as a warehouse.

The sandstone building was initially completed with one story. Two more stories were added by 1870 to meet demand. A reservoir near the mill could provide ten hours of operation from fourteen hours of stored water.

The Washington Cotton Factory was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 16, 1971.

Further reading

• (1994) "The Cotton Mission" article in the Utah History Encyclopedia. The article was written by Georgene Cahoon Evans and the Encyclopedia was published by the University of Utah Press. ISBN 9780874804256. Archived from the original on March 22, 2023 and retrieved on April 13, 2024.

External links

• Media related to Washington Cotton Factory at Wikimedia Commons
• Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. UT-1, "Washington Cotton Mill, on Mill Creek near State Highway 212, Washington, Washington County, UT", 6 photos, 3 measured drawings, 6 data pages