This city's first major contribution to Utah's centennial celebration has come rolling off the press in a limited edition.

It's "High, Dry and Offside," a 365-page volume devoted to Manti's early history in the way of pictures, maps, charts and mainly writing based on pioneer days."High, Dry and Offside" contains a revised and lengthened version of a pamphlet written by Albert Antrei, a local historian and retired teacher, called the "View from the Red Point," several essays written by Antrei, and a number of excerpts from journals and diaries.

One of the excerpts is 46 pages of extracts from the personal journal of Albert Smith, one of the company who settled at Temple Hill in 1849 and served with the Mormon Battalion.

Another is the pages long excerpt from the journal of William "Red Bill" Black, builder of the first grist mill in Manti and later in several other settlements.

There are bits from the memoirs of James Hatten Carpenter, called "The Happy Chronicler," who died in Manti in 1964 at the age of 103.

Antrei compiled, edited and wrote some of the material in "High, Dry and Offside" and had considerable help from several individuals in connection with the art work, photography, and preparation of the copy for the printer.

Prepared "in celebration of the State Centennial," the publication was commissioned by the Manti City Council.

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