 Fearing that the war would take away the cotton supply, he began plans for raising enough in this southwestern country to supply the needs of his people.Enough favorable reports had come to him from this warm region below the rim of the Great Basin, that he was convinced cotton could be raised successfully here.At the general church conference in Salt Lake City on October 6th, 1861, about three hundred families were "called" to the Dixie mission to promote the cotton industry.