Honoring Military Service

Virgin Valley has a rich history of those who made a vow to protect, honor and defend the United States Of America. We honor those who chose to stand up and defend the defenseless and preserve the freedoms we all hold dear.

Honoring Missionary Service

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a rich history from its founding to call members to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15) Missionary service is an essential part of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Education

Virgin Valley High School motto:  Be Clean and Growing.  From the very beginning of the settlements in the Virgin Valley from Littlefield/Beaver Dam to Mesquite, Bunkerville and Riverside, the education of their children was a high priority.

Medical Care

Life in the Virgin Valley Basin was harsh, with limited access to medical care. Early settlers relied on home remedies, faith and community support. Medical care for injuries was basic, with local men setting bones and pulling teeth. For healing, members of the church often gave priesthood blessings, relying on their faith in Jesus Christ.

Rio Virgin Telephone Co

The invention of the telephone finally reached Virgin Valley in 1908, thanks to the vision and efforts of local farmer Hubert A. Leavitt.

Electricity

Before electricity reached Virgin Valley and Moapa Valley, life was tough and chores were labor-intensive. Homes were lit with candles, oil lamps, or carbide gas lights. Laundry involved scrubbing boards, hand-powered wringers and heating water over open fires. Cooking was done on wood stoves, which made summers especially uncomfortable—many families even moved their stoves outside during the hot months.

The push for electricity began well before it arrived. In 1935, just before the completion of Hoover Dam, Overton Power District 5 was established. Lincoln County made the first application for a power district, followed by Overton and Logandale. They later withdrew their application so Bunkerville and Mesquite could be included. The reapplication resulted in District 5 being assigned.

Bringing electricity to Virgin Valley and Moapa Valley was a long and challenging process, but on May 20, 1939, the lights finally came on. The impact was immediate and transformative. Residents were thrilled. Many strolled through their neighborhoods, visited neighbors and admired the new electric lights. Some sat on their porches reading under their new porch lights. Electricity dramatically changed daily life and quickly set the region on a new path of progress.

Bridges & Roads

Travel through the Virgin Valley has undergone dramatic changes over time. Over the years, settlers and travelers carved out shorter, more efficient paths; first by wagon, then by automobile. Key milestones included the opening of U.S. Highway 91 in 1935 and the completion of I-15 in the 1960s, especially through the Virgin River Gorge. These roads cemented the region’s importance as a major travel corridor.

Before 1921, crossing the Virgin River was a risky endeavor. Travelers had to drive through water and mud or pay 50 cents for locals to pull their cars across with horses. During floods, cars were transported across on wagons for a dollar. One notable incident involved Cora Leavitt, who towed Nevada’s Governor Boyle and U.S. Senator Henderson across the river, despite the driver disobeying her instructions and damaging their car.

On March 18, 1921, the “Pile Bridge” between Bunkerville and Mesquite was completed, marking a significant milestone for the valley. Residents celebrated with a large “Bridge Day” event, featuring dancing and a “Golden Spike” ceremony led by Emma Abbott, the Bridge Day Queen.

New bridges followed, including a cement bridge for Riverside and Bunkerville/Mesquite in 1935. These roads and bridges transformed life in Virgin Valley, making river crossings safer and more reliable, connecting communities and supporting the region’s growth.

Agriculture

Farming in Virgin Valley and Moapa Valley was vital but challenging for early pioneers. Despite hardships, they developed efficient irrigation systems and began growing crops for personal use. 

As the population grew, farming shifted toward commercial production. Co-ops were formed to help compete with outside markets. One of the first was the Mesquite Grape Farm Co-Op, where farmers sold grapes collectively. Row crop farmers in Beaver Dam and Littlefield, Arizona, organized to sell radishes, onions, tomatoes and melons. 

Dairy farmers in Virgin Valley built shared milk barns and later private ones to control schedules. Milk was stored in ten-gallon cans and shipped to Anderson Dairy in Las Vegas. Eventually, dairy farmers from both valleys formed Lake Mead Milk Producers Co-Op to access higher-paying markets. 

Other co-ops included an egg co-op run by Victor Knight and a thoroughbred horse co-op started by Johnny Jensen, which used a prize stallion for breeding. Valley farmers produced prize-winning fruit and livestock, with Mesquite grapes winning first place at the San Francisco World’s Fair. Their crops and milk reached cities as far as Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Denver and even Nogales, Mexico. 

Though these co-ops have passed into history, the valley’s entrepreneurial spirit carried farmers through difficult times.

Culinary Water

The Virgin River was vital for both irrigation and drinking water for early settlers. To make river water drinkable, settlers let mud settle by mixing cottonwood ash into barrels of water. 

Later, Stephen Bunker introduced cisterns for water storage, a method he observed while on a mission in Nebraska. Cisterns were filled each spring with snow melt that was channeled from irrigation ditches. When nearly empty, one of the younger boys would be lowered into the cistern to remove the mud one bucket load at a time. Water was drawn using a rope and bucket, which would then be taken to individual homes.

As communities grew, residents of Bunkerville and Mesquite sought a cleaner, more reliable water source. They formed a co-op to bring spring water from the mountains south of the valley. 

A spring above White Rock or Cabin Canyon was developed and piped to a reservoir five miles below. Locals would fill barrels with this clean mountain water to take them home for drinking.

However, the hike to the top became too temping for people to stop and take a refreshing swim after filling their barrels, which raised sanitation concerns. To solve this, a cement tank was built a few miles below the reservoir. Divided 60/40, Mesquite took the 60% side and Bunkerville took the 40% side. Each town piped water from the tank to a standpipe where residents could conveniently fill their barrels in their own town.

This system greatly improved the quality and accessibility of drinking water in the valley.

Next Steps

Through a long series of efforts to improve the culinary system, the two towns separated from the Bunkerville Mesquite co-op and each searched for ways to bring water into their communities. 

Bunkerville developed Dud Springs and Seep Springs and found enough water to fill a two-inch asbestos/cement pipe all the way from the mountains to Bunkerville. 

Mesquite took all the water from the Cabin Springs. Needing more water, Mesquite was the first community to drill a well. The well didn’t give drinkable water so Mesquite began looking to develop water from upper Beaver Dam Creek. This idea was dropped when Arizona would not allow water to be taken across the state line. 

Eventually, numerous wells were drilled in both communities and water needs were met. But as Mesquite continued to grow and became an incorporated city, they desired to form a Water District. Bunkerville viewed this district idea as insecure for them. However, working together the two water associations agreed and the Virgin Valley Water District was formed; which to this day has provided water for both communities.

Bunkerville Irrigation Co.

In 1893, settlers in Bunkerville, Nevada, organized the Bunkerville Irrigation Company to secure and manage precious water from the Virgin River essential for farming the desert. Through grit and cooperation, they built and maintained canals, ditches and diversion structures that transformed arid land into productive fields.

This community-run effort was more than infrastructure, it was a lifeline. Shareholders weren’t just investors, they were workers, contributing both funds and labor to keep water flowing. Strict rules and rotation schedules ensured water was carefully measured, shared and protected.

Over time, the system adapted to floods, droughts and changing needs. Though technology advanced, the spirit of shared responsibility remained central to Bunkerville’s survival.

Today, the legacy of the Bunkerville Irrigation Company lives on. These simple ditches carry the story of determination, community and the life-giving power of water in the desert. Their quiet flow fed generations and shaped a town, proof that even in the harshest conditions, cooperation can make the land bloom.

The Saddle Bridge

In the late 1800s, settlers of Virgin Valley crafted a simple yet ingenious tool to irrigate their farms without surveyors. This 16-foot-long, 4-foot-wide wooden frame, supported by trusses and topped with a beam, used strings attached with plumb bobs to show both level and slope. With it, pioneers could dig evenly graded canals by hand, adjusting the fall as they went.

Floods

Floods coming down the Virgin River, slopes from the Bunkerville Mountains and the Beaver Dam Wash are rather common. The residents of Virgin Valley often dismissed the danger because of the infrequency of the floods and became comfortable building in areas that would later be flooded out. Even in recent history homes and buildings have crumbled down washes and rivers that were unexpected and catastrophic.

Mining

Mining was a big part of the Virgin River Basin. The communities could always lean on mining during the mid to late 19th century and early 20th century when the chips were down. Some towns grew and fell as a direct result of mines in the areas.