Exodus from The Virgin Valley to las Vegas

Between 1901 and 1912 there were rather dramatic surges in the history of southern Nevada. First and most important, the railroad between Salt Lake City and Los Angeles was constructed and opened to business. 

On Sunday, June 9, 1912, at a stake conference held in Overton, Nevada, the sustaining vote of the saints to create the Moapa Stake from the St. George Stake was proposed and accepted. Willard L. Jones was called as stake president. 

Young men just starting their families but with no real desire to farm, moved from Virgin Valley, Moapa Valley, and Lincoln County, to Las Vegas. These men were raised on hard work, honesty, and dependability. Soon, the population boom of Las Vegas was sprinkled with the salt of hard pioneers from the Virgin Valley and Moapa Valleys, and Lincoln County, Nevada. 

President Jones of the Moapa Stake formed the Las Vegas Branch in 1915, with Charles C. Ronnow as the branch president. 

In 1916, the Las Vegas Branch became a dependent branch of the Bunkerville Ward. On April 30, 1922, the Las Vegas Branch became an independent branch of the church with Ira J. Earl as branch president. 

In 1939, the Moapa Stake was moved from Overton to Las Vegas, with Bryan L. Bunker as stake president. Because of large growth in Las Vegas, 1954 saw the creation of the Las Vegas Stake. 

The Moapa Stake boundaries were reorganized and the stake headquarters moved to Logandale, Nevada. Grant Martin Bowler was sustained as the Moapa Stake president. 

Exodus from Mesquite to Idaho

The period from 1941 to 1950 brought significant changes to Virgin Valley, as global and national events such as World War II, the Great Depression, and economic hardships impacted the local community. Over 125 men from the valley were sent to fight in World War II, while at home, farming and dairying reached their peak. Meanwhile, with no available farmland or employment opportunities, young families faced a bleak future. 

Many families left the valley to seek better prospects in places like Las Vegas, Southern California, Moapa Valley, and even as far reaching as Idaho. A large group, consisting of more than 25 families from Mesquite Flats, moved to Idaho to purchase farmland and establish new lives, a migration known as “The Mesquite Flats Exodus.” Among the notable families who left were Leavitts, Waites, Earls, Hardys, Abbotts, Toblers, and Knights. 

TURNING THE PAGE TO A NEW TOMORROW

Although this later exodus was a significant loss for the area, eventually the communities recovered and continued to grow towards what we see here today in the Virgin Valley communities. By the middle of the 20th century, this area would gain attention of the entire world as a vacation thoroughfare directing thousands to visit the giant Navajo sandstone cliffs and arches and appearing on the covers of the Nation’s most prominent magazines. 3 LDS towns captured early 1950s Southern Utah life for the masses