From Barrels of Water to Thriving Orchards: The Legacy of Edwin Pettit in Hunter
The Pettit Farm in Hunter
Before the Bello family settled in Hunter, the land was first owned and developed by the Pettit Family
The Pettit name is tied to Hunter’s earliest days of farming and orchard development, but the story involves three generations of “Edwins,” which can be confusing unless carefully sorted.
Edwin Pettit Sr. (1834–1924) was a Utah pioneer who crossed the plains and raised a large family in Salt Lake County. His son, Edwin Pettit Jr. (1872–1932), became the member of the family most directly connected to the Hunter farmland.
As his own family grew and land in the city grew scarce, Edwin Jr. purchased forty acres in Hunter from William and Mary Price on May 3, 1887, for $700. Eight years later, on January 5, 1895, he added another twenty acres from Charles Wilkins. When first purchased, the canal from the Jordan River had not been completed, and Edwin Jr. hauled water in barrels to establish his orchard. He planted peach and apricot trees, some grafted from seed, and was especially proud of a large freestone peach variety that he believed could have won prizes at the State Fair.
In April 1895, Edwin Jr. expanded again, purchasing a 160-acre tract already under cultivation for $3,999. This gave him a sizeable farm that supported hay, grain, pork, beef, and fruit production. A well and windmill were dug, barns and a two-room brick house built, and the family thrived.
When his eldest son, Edwin Leslie Pettit (1895–1977), married in 1894, he and his wife moved into the small brick home on the farm and helped work the land. (At this time, “Ed” as he was often called, was effectively managing much of the farm with his father’s help.) Severe drought around 1900, however, made farming difficult. By 1902, Edwin Leslie sought work at the Highland Boy Smelter in Murray, then moved briefly to Taylorsville. In 1903, with water conditions still poor, he went north to Raymond, Alberta, Canada, later entering the building business. In 1906, Edwin Leslie reconveyed forty acres of Hunter farmland back to his father, Edwin Jr.
That same year, with water prospects still uncertain, Edwin Jr. sold the balance of 160 acres to Luis F. Bello for $7,450. This transaction marked the transition from the Pettit orchards to the Bello fruit farm, which would become one of the best-known in the area.
Through these years, the Pettit family contributed not only to Hunter’s agricultural base but also to its civic life. Edwin Jr. invested in canals, loaned money to neighbors, and helped struggling farmers, including Dan Hunter, secure their lands
The Pettit family’s Hunter farm was centered at 3500 South and 7200 West, forming the heart of their orchards and agricultural operations
