The beginning of moapa valley
In October 1864 at a General Conference of the Church, Brigham Young called more families to move south and strengthen the cotton growing efforts and Anson Call to establish a landing on the Colorado River to expand trade routes from Southern California to the Salt Lake Valley. These families were tasked with moving approximately 100 miles southwest of St. George along the Muddy River, a tributary to the Virgin River. In addition to growing cotton, the settlers were to provided a population base to support the Colorado River shipping efforts.
On January 9, 1865, the first of the missionaries arrived at the Muddy River. Brigham Young had called Thomas S. Smith of Davis County to preside. The party consisted of 11 men and 3 women. Within a matter of days after the first party arrived, additional families came and the colony soon numbered 45 families.
As soon as the land of the Muddy Mission was surveyed and apportioned out, settlers commenced the hard work of clearing the brush, grubbing out the thick Mesquite and Mescrew trees and planting gardens and fields. A typical town was laid out with dwellings in the center of town and farmland surrounding the area. The streets ran north-south and east-west. Eighty-five lots of one acre each and about the same number of vineyard lots of 2 1/2 acres each. The same number of farm lots of 5 acres each and 10 lots on the block. The streets were 6-rods wide (99 feet), including a 12-foot sidewalk. The town was named St. Thomas after their leader Thomas S. Smith.
The mission report that summer showed 55 acres of wheat were planted, as well as considerable oats and barley. The August irrigation report show St. Thomas with a three-mile canal, eight-feet wide and nearly three-feet deep. It cost $3,840.00 to construct. They also had a small canal under construction which cost $1,160.00 to complete.
With the continual arrival of new settlers, the settlement of St. Joseph was established. More people continued to arrive, and other colonies were created northward on the Muddy River. With several colonies in the valley, the leaders created a Valley Cooperative in 1869 to help market their cotton.
Mention of the Muddy Mission evokes instant images of hardship. There were no roads, only primitive wagon trails. There was the terrible summer heat. Nighttime temperatures were so high the people soaked their sheets in the irrigation canal and wrapped the wet sheets around them to be cool enough to sleep. Some slept on their shed roofs to keep away from scorpions. Then, there was the wind; cold in the winter, hot in the summer and always blowing sand in their food, clothes, beds, and everywhere.
They struggled on. They made friends with the local Moapaite Indians. The Indians worked for the farmers and helped with their livestock and irrigation. They showed the settlers which local plants could be used for medicinal uses and an ancient salt mine where the settlers could mine salt rock for their personal use and for their livestock.
On top of the dire temporal circumstances they were having, the saints who thought they were living in Utah Territory learned that St. Thomas and the entire Muddy River Valley was, in fact under boundary determinations. Due to imperfect and swift surveying to make Nevada a State, so the Union could claim the State’s silver mines and make Nevada a free State during the United States Civil War, the area between southern Nevada, Southwest Utah, and Northwest Arizona were ambiguous and the settlers of the Muddy Mission found themselves claimed by two territories and one state, respectively Utah, Arizona and Nevada, each of which laid claim to the Muddy River Valley.
The settlers had been taxed by Utah and had paid their taxes in commodities. Nevada demanded payment of all taxes in “United States Gold and Silver coin.” Arizona demanded tax payments be settled in an agreeable manner.
After some time, the land in question was granted to the State of Nevada, which insisted on receiving tax payment, irrespective of taxes paid to Utah or Arizona.
In March 1870, Brigham Young, accompanied by others, visited the colonists in the Muddy Valley. After his visit, Bishop James Leithead of the St. Joseph Branch sent a letter of appeal to Apostle Erastus Snow, dated November 24, 1870.
“Since my arrival home, I have visited all the settlements on the Muddy. I found in all the settlements a spirit of uncertainty and doubt as to the permanency of the Muddy Mission. Very many feel since the visit of Pres. B. Young that there is little or no interest felt for the future of this country. There are many, however, in all the settlements that wish to remain. I have tried to encourage the Saints, those who feel this way to persevere [sic]. If our present crop of cotton would bring us goods, such as shoes, shirts, pants and other articles of common apparel, it would be a blessing to many now destitute…please communicate what the factory will do in this matter.”
In exactly a week from when Bishop Leithead had written Apostle Erastus Snow regarding the discouragement of the people in the Muddy Mission, he wrote another letter. This time to James G. Bleak, secretary to Apostle Snow. Bishop Leithead was feeling even more desperate. Their cotton crop was small, but it was all they had. His letter was pleading, almost prayerful:
Dear Brother,
In my letter of last week to President Snow I said something about our cotton. I wish now to say, or rather propose, to the Rio Virgin Milling Company that if they will furnish us with goods such as we will select, or rather, such as we are really in need of, such as shoes, clothing, partly homemade goods, shovels, spades, ploughs, and articles of this kind that we are destitute of, we will agree to deliver our cotton some 20 or 25 thousand pounds, at the company factory at Washington at the average price of 25 cents per pound providing we get the goods at about the same rate that we have purchased from the Southern Utah Co-Op. We will freight our goods down and deliver the cotton at the factory. I make the offer because we are destitute of such articles and our cotton is all our dependence to get them. There are many articles we are in need of such as boots and shoes and tools of various kinds to work with. Please ascertain the company’s mind on the subject as early a date as possible and communicate to me and you will much oblige.
Your Brother in the Gospel
James Leithead
After his return from his 1870 visit, Brigham Young wrote to the leaders:
“…You have done a noble work in making and sustaining that outpost of Zion against many difficulties, amid exposure and toil. We now advise that you gather together and take into consideration your future course and if a majority, after fairly canvassing the subject, conclude to remain and continue to develop the resources which abound with you, all abide the result. But if the majority of the Saints in council determine that it is better to leave the State whose laws and burdens are so oppressive let it so be done.”
The members of the Muddy Mission received President Young’s letter and a vote was held. It wasn’t a decision that required much discussion. The people were ready to leave and their vote of St. Thomas was 61 in favor of leaving and 2 in favor of staying was accepted. Daniel Bonelli and his wife choose to remain. Preparations began for the move back into Utah Territory.
Within the year more than 600 members of the Muddy Mission were once more in exodus. Many settled in Long Valley, Kane County, Utah, and some rejoined their families in Clover Valley. However, within a few years some Latterday-saints would return to reestablish the towns on the Muddy River. Visit Moapa Valley Reestablished to read the continuation of this story.
The descendants of these stalwart, hard-working people continue to speak with reverence concerning their sacrifice and devotion.