I was doing some online research while working on a DitV town, and found this.  It's an online copy of a Utah history book written in 1889.  It seems like it would be a good source for background historical information, descriptions of living conditions, and for finding authentic period character names.

In particular,  I think chapter thirteen, which talks about the establishment of different branches might be helpful/inspirational when creating DitV towns.  http://www.utlm.org/onlinebooks/bancroftshistoryofutah_chapter13.htm

It gives cool Dogs-worthy descriptions like this:

In the autumn of 1847 one Thomas Grover arrived with his family on the bank of a stream twelve miles north of Salt Lake City, and now called Centreville Creek. His intention was to pasture stock for the winter; and for this purpose a spot was chosen where the stream spreading over the surface forms plats of meadow-land, the soil being a black, gravelly loam. Here Grover, joined by others in the spring, resolved to remain, though in the neighborhood were encamped several bands of Indians, and this notwithstanding that as yet there was no white settlement north of Salt Lake City. Land was ploughed and sown in wheat and vegetables, the crops being more promising than those to the south. But in May of the following year the settlers were startled, not by the war-whoop of the Utahs, but by hordes of black monster crickets, swarming down from the bench-lands, as at Salt Lake City, and bringing destruction on field and garden. They turned out to do battle with the foe; ditches were dug around the grain-fields, and the water of the stream diverted into them, while men, women, and children, armed with clubs, checked the advance of the devouring host. Enough of the crop was saved to supply the wants of the settlers, and their energy, on this occasion, coupled with a supposed miraculous visitation of gulls, probably saved a foretaste of the disaster of 1848

With the addition of some sins, I think that's a DitV town right there!