UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones 5-1-2012 Reclaimed from a Contracting Zion: The Evolving Significance of St. Thomas, Nevada Aaron James Mcarthur University of Nevada, Las Vegas Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/thesesdissertations Part of the History of Religion Commons, Social History Commons, and the United States History Commons Repository Citation Mcarthur, Aaron James, "Reclaimed from a Contracting Zion: The Evolving Significance of St. Thomas, Nevada" (2012). UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones. 1595. http://dx.doi.org/10.34917/4332576 This Dissertation is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Dissertation in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/or on the work itself. This Dissertation has been accepted for inclusion in UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones by an authorized administrator of Digital Scholarship@UNLV. For more information, please contact [email protected]. RECLAIMED FROM A CONTRACTING ZION: THE EVOLVING SIGNIFICANCE OF ST. THOMAS, NEVADA By Aaron James McArthur A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Department of History College of Liberal Arts The Graduate College University of Nevada, Las Vegas May 2012 THE GRADUATE COLLEGE We recommend the dissertation prepared under our supervision by Aaron McArthur entitled Reclaimed from a Contracting Zion: The Evolving Significance of St. Thomas, Nevada be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History Department of History David Wrobel, Ph.D., Committee Chair Andy Kirk, Ph.D., Committee Member David Holland, Ph.D., Committee Member Eugene Moehring, Ph.D., Committee Member Ronald Smith, Ph.D., Graduate College Representative Ronald Smith, Ph. D., Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies and Dean of the Graduate College May 2012 ii ABSTRACT Reclaimed From a Contracting Zion: The Evolving Significance of St. Thomas, Nevada By Aaron James McArthur Dr. David Wrobel, Examination Committee Chair Professor of History University of Oklahoma Historians tend to treat Mormon history separately from the larger patterns of western American and U. S. history. The history of St. Thomas, Nevada, the remains of which are within the boundaries of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, show that this segregated treatment is inadequate. St. Thomas was established in 1865 by Mormon missionaries after the Mormon leader Brigham Young sent them to the Moapa Valley in what is now southern Nevada to grow cotton. The town, like a few other Mormon sites in the region, was abandoned by the LDS Church, taken up by other people, and assigned new meanings. This dissertation serves as a general history of the town from its establishment, abandonment, and recovery to a place of regional importance. It also discusses it demise under the waters of Lake Mead and the evolving interpretations of the place in the present. Through its location in a national recreation area and the lens of civic engagement, the National Park Service has interpreted it as a place significant for all Americans, regardless of religion. It iii highlights those historical themes that show how this little Mormon community was a fully integrated part of the history of the American West. iv Acknowledgments I want to thank Dr. David Wrobel, who has served as chair for both my Master’s and Ph. D. committees, and Dr. Andy Kirk and Dr. Ronald Smith, who also served on both committees. I am very grateful for all they have done for me and my career as a historian. Thanks also go to Dr. Holland for a very close reading and careful editing. Though I never took a class from him, I also want to acknowledge the late Dr. Hal Rothman, who recruited me to research and write the history of St. Thomas for the National Park Service. Gratitude is also due to Dr. Peter Michel for allowing me the time to finish revisions . I want to thank my wife Xela for being willing to spend the last eight of our eleven years of marriage as a grad-school widow so that I could pursue my dream. I wish to thank my dad for teaching me how to work. Finally, I thank God for granting me the means and wisdom to see this through to completion. S. D. G. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract .............................................................................................................................. iii Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................... v Table of Contents ............................................................................................................. vii List of Tables..................................................................................................................... vii List of Figures .................................................................................................................. viii Chapter One: Introduction ................................................................................................. 1 Part I: Planted Chapter Two: Physical Setting, Native American Usage, and Pre–Muddy Mission Mormon Movement .......................................................................................................... 24 Chapter Three: Establishing an Outpost of Zion ............................................................ 60 Part II: Ebb and Flow Chapter Four: Now That We Are Here, Where Are We? Boundary Disputes and the Abandoning of St. Thomas ....................................... 120Error! Bookmark not defined. Chapter Five: “Not a town of the past…” From Zion to the Silver State ........................139 Chapter Six: The Mountains Brought Down and the Valleys Exalted ........................... 175 Part III: Drowned Chapter Seven: Not With a Bang, but a Whimper .. 216Error! Bookmark not defined. Chapter Eight: Coup de Grace? ...................................................................................... 255 Part IV: Reclaimed Chapter Nine: Sodden Phoenix ...................................................................................... 273 Appendix A: St. Thomas Today Photo Essay ................................................................. 294 Appendix B: St. Thomas Population .............................................................................. 309 Appendix C: Petitions ...................................................................................................... 310 Appendix D: Register of Graves Moved from St. Thomas, Kaolin, and Rioville Cemeteries ........................................................................................................................ 313 Bibliography ..................................................................................................................... 321 Curriculum Vitae ............................................................................................................. 328 vi LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Irrigation Canals on the Muddy. ....................................................................... 110 Table 2: Post Office Establishment Dates ....................................................................... 123 Table 3: Summary of the Syphus Appraisal.................................................................. 240 Table 4: Summary of the Crain and Creel Minimum Appraisal. ................................ 240 Table 5: Appraisal Comparison ..................................................................................... 240 Table 6: Appraisal Comparison Detail ..........................................................................244 vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Nevada in 1866. The Moapa Valley is in the lower right .................................. 25 Figure 2: Petroglyphs in Valley of Fire, near St. Thomas ................................................28 Figure 3: Lost City reconstruction, 1939 ........................................................................... 30 Figure 4: Detail of Fremont’s 1848 map. UNLV Special Collections ............................... 36 Figure 5: Proposed State of Deseret ............................................................................... 44 Figure 6: Thomas S. Smith ................................................................................................58 Figure 7: View of the Virgin River ....................................................................................65 Figure 8: Joseph Smith’s Plat of the City of Zion. ........................................................... 71 Figure 9: Detail of Wheeler’s 1869 map ......................................................................... 103 Figure 10: Pioneer irrigating ditch in the Moapa Valley. ............................................... 108 Figure 11: Salt mine near St. Thomas. The white areas are pure salt ............................ 116 Figure 12: Map of southern Utah showing St. George, Glendale, and Orderville ........ 141 Figure 13: Jack Longstreet. Tohopah (Nevada) Daily Sun 13 August 1905, 1:3-5. ........ 149 Figure 14: Proposed vs. Current Reservation