|
Before 1850: Early occupants and explorers.
|
500 to
1500 AD |
Thousands of years ago, the Anasazi and Freemonth Indians
made their homes among the lands of southern Utah hills and rivers. |
1776 |
Fathers Domingues and Escalante explored ash creek to the Rio Virgin. |
1826 |
Jedediah S. Smith came down Ash Creek to the Rio Virgin
and then down the Virgin through the gorge on the way to California. |
1827 |
Jedediah Smith came down Ash Creek to the Virgin River to
Corn Creek (Santa Clara), up to where Santa Clara (City) is
today, up the mountain on what became known as Utah Hill,
down to Beaver Dam then on to California. |
1849 |
Parley P. Pratt was sent by Brigham Young to explore
the Virgin Basin. They left Salt Lake City in December
1849 when the weather was extremely cold. They had six
days where the temperature went below zero. They came
down Ash Creek to the Virgin and then down to the Santa
Clara, up the Santa Clara and back to Parowan where they
met part of the group who returned by way of Ash Creek.
They reported that there was land and water to grow crops.
|
|
The Period From 1850 to 1861:
Early Mormon settlements in Southern Utah
|
1851 |
Parowan (City) was settled January 13, 1851. |
1851 |
Cedar City was settled November 2, 1851. |
1852 |
Harmony (Kelsey's Ranch) was settled by John D. Lee
and Elisha H. Groves December, 1852. |
1852 |
John D. Lee and eleven men came down Ash Creek to
the Virgin, then to the Santa Clara over to Utah Hill,
to Beaver Dam back the gorge and back to Harmony. They
reported to Brigham Young in glowing terms the good
qualities of this land. It would grow cotton! |
1853 |
Fort Harmony was built. |
1854 |
Jacob Hamblin and a few missionaries settled
Santa Clara (City). |
1855 |
Families came to Santa Clara to settle. Fort
Clara was built. |
1855 |
The first cotton was grown at Santa Clara. Jacob
Hamblin was ill and A. P. Hardy was sent to Harmony to
get some medicine. Arranging for the medicine he traveled
to Parowan and while there, Nancy Anderson gave him a
quart of cotton seed She was a southerner. This seed was
planted and a crop of cotton was harvested, the first in
southern Utah. |
1855 |
On April 6 missionaries were called to settle Las
Vegas( Nevada). Collville on the Colorado River was
prepared for boats to dock. |
1856 |
The cotton seed produced the year before in Santa
Clara was planted and a new crop was harvested. Thirty
yards of cloth was woven from this cotton. A hand cranked
cotton gin was made. |
1856 |
Las Vegas lead mission was started. |
1856 |
Pinto (Utah) was established. |
1856 |
Tonaquint was started. Rufus C. Allen and Hyrum
Burgess built three cabins there. It was known as Seldom
Stop, Never Sweat Lick Skillet. |
1857 |
Washington City settled by 38 southern families
led my Samuel Adair and Robert Covington. They were
called by Brigham Young to grow cotton and settle the
area. The mission was called the Cotton Mission or
Southern Mission. They soon called the area "Dixie"
after their old homes. |
1857 |
A bowery was built of poles placed vertically in
the ground with brush as a roof. The sides were open and
it had a dirt floor and was built in the meeting house block. It
was used for church and civic programs until an adobe
building was built in 1861 near the same location. |
1857 |
Gunlock (Utah) was started. |
1857 |
The Mountain Meadows massacre occurred September 7-11. |
1857 |
In the Spring, Toquerville was started. |
1857 |
Pintura (Ashton, Bellevue) was started. |
1857 |
Heberville (Price City) was started mostly as an
experiment. |
1858 |
Virgin City (Virgen, Pocketville) was started. |
1858 |
Springdale (Joseph's Glory) was started. |
1859 |
Harrisville was started by Moses Harris who came
from San Bernadino. |
1859 |
Covington's home was built and is still standing.
It is the oldest standing home in Washington County. |
1859 |
John D. Lee's mansion was completed. |
1859-62 |
Washington City was the county seat. |
1860 |
Rockville (Adventure) was settled. |
1860 |
First county fair was held in Washington City. |
1861 |
The Civil War Started in February. |
1861 |
Mount Carmel (Windsor) was started. |
|
The Period From 1861 to 1870:
St. George settled
|
| 1861 |
In October Conference, the LDS (Mormon) Church leader
and Prophet Brigham Young called 309 Families from
northern Utah to settle the St. George area. His challenge
was this: Help make the Utah Territory Self-sufficient
by producing cotton. George Jarvis volunteers while at
General Conference to be among the first pioneers to
settle Dixie or St. George, Utah Southern Territory. |
1861 |
Duncan's retreat was started by Chapman Duncan.
It was pretty much destroyed during the flood of 1861_62. |
1861 |
Harrisburg was started when the citizens of
Harrisville moved to this location. |
1861 |
The family of George and Ann Prior Jarvis
arrived in Dixie from Salt Lake City on December 5th. |
1861-62 |
St. George settled. The cotton mission was
augmented by 309 families. |
1862 |
Shunsburg Settled. |
1862 |
New Harmony was settled about four miles north of
Fort Harmony. |
1863 |
Middleton was started. It is half way between
Washington and St. George. |
1863 |
On 14 January St. George was designated as the
county seat for Washington County. This area was, and
still is an invaluable resting place for travelers in
route to Salt Lake City and Southern California. |
1863 |
Jacob Hamblin's home completed. |
1865 |
Cotton Factory started to be built. |
1866 |
Hebron was settled |
1866 |
Snow's grist mill was built. |
1867 |
Leeds (Road Valley, Bennington) was settled
on December first. |
1867 |
Telegraph from St. George to Logan Utah finished
January 10. |
1868 |
Pine Valley Church Built. |
1868 |
Road on the east side of Ash Creek was started,
used until early 1920's. |
1869 |
Kanab (Utah) was settled. |
1870 |
Southern Utah experienced Major Change when Iron
was discovered. Brigham Young soon organized missions to
settle the area and several mining camps were established.
In the years that followed, rich mineral deposits yielded
several thousand tons of gold, zinc, tungsten and iron. |
1870 |
Cotton Factory finished--three stories high. |
1870 |
Pipe Springs (Windsor Castle) was started. |
1870 |
Brigham Young first wintered in St. George. |
|
The Period From 1870 to 1877:
A Temple is built.
|
| 1871 |
On January 31, Brigham Young stated to the local
Priesthood Leadership: "We will build a Temple here (St. George)." |
1871 |
On April 5 in General Conference, Brigham Young
made the same statement to membership of the church. |
1871 |
On November 9 the Temple Site was rededicated.
This site had been originally dedicated by the Nephite leader
and prophet, General Moroni. Because of the spring of water
the brethren asked if the foundation could be moved 20
feet to the south, so the spring of water would be on
the outside of the Temple. "Not so...." We will wall
it up and leave it here for some future use. But we
cannot move the foundation." To this day the water is
still running though a drain. That very day, the foundation
was dug 20 feet below grade level. |
1872 |
The corner-stone laid for the foundation on March 10. |
1873 |
100 men from Sanpete arrived to lay the block. |
1873 |
Brigham Young's Home (Addition) built. |
1874 |
October Conference. 300 more men were asked to
winter in St. George to finish the Temple walls. |
1875 |
Relief Society Hall's east wing was finished. |
1875 |
On August 11 Baptismal Font of the Temple was
dedicated, then used. |
1876 |
St. George Tabernacle finished. |
1877 |
On January 1, the Baptismal Room, Main floor,
the Assembly Room, and East Sealing Room were dedicated,
then used. |
1877 |
The Stone Church in Washington was built. It was
also used as a school. |
1877 |
John D. Lee was executed for the Mountain Meadows massacre on March 23. |
1877 |
The St. George Temple was completed and dedicated
on April 6. A baby girl was born in the Temple. |
|
The Period From 1877 to 1900
|
1877 |
Brigham Young died on August 29. |
1880 |
Mesquite (Nevada) was started. |
1891 |
Washington Fields Dam completed. |
1893 |
Washington Fields Dam Canal completed. |
1893 |
La Verkin (Utah) was started. |
1893 |
Hurricane (Utah) was started, although it wasn't named
Hurricane until 1904. |
|
The Period From 1900 to (approximately) the present.
Principally changes to the St. George Temple
|
1903 |
March 27 - April 24. St. George Temple renovation -
carpets, screens, white wash, repair ceilings in the assembly
room. |
1909 |
Sandstone school was built mostly with donated labor.
(Now Millcreek High School.) |
1911 |
Veyo (Utah) was started. |
1928 |
In November, a fire destroyed the St. George Temple
annex - waiting room, patrons' assembly room, and boiler room. |
1937 - 1938 |
The St. George Temple was completely resurfaced, the large
assembly room was divided into Endowment rooms, Ean elevator was
added, and the chandelier added to the Celestial Room. Murals
for the walls were painted. |
1937 |
For the benefit of out-of-town temple patrons, six
cottages--one for each stake in the temple district--were
built with four apartments in each. |
1939 |
Temple Landscaping was re-done. |
1947 |
Old plaster on the outside of the Temple was removed by
sandblasting. |
1957 |
New Temple Annex built. |
1973 |
A visitor center--now referred to as the "Old" visitor
center--was built. |
1974 - 1975 |
The St. George Temple remodeled as we know it today. |
1993 |
New visitor center built. The old visitor center was
removed two years later. |
1994 |
Eight week Temple closure for new carpets, furniture,
and wall covering on the main floors. |
1996 |
Annex added to the Visitor Center. |
1998 |
Temple elevators remodeled. |
1999 |
Temple carpets replaced, the inside painted all white,
and new chandeliers added. |
1999 |
The exterior prepared and refinished. |