Wards and Branches of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in St. George Stake, Utah

This page includes the boundaries of wards and branches around 1930's, a timeline history, and how to obtain the records.

Source for this page: p. 728-730.

St. George Stake
Stake boundaries as of about 1930 See Encyclopedic History..., p. 728-730.


 * Area of the County:St. George, the seat of Washington County, Utah, and the headquarters of the St. George Stake of Zion, is the principal town on the main highway between Cedar City, Utah, and Las Vegas, Nevada. It is located near the junction of the Rio Virgen and the Santa Clara Creek, about seven miles north of the boundary line between Utah and Arizona.
 * Headquarters in (town):St. George
 * Boundaries of stake:

The stake extends north to the Parowan Stake, Utah east to the Zion Park Stake, Utah south to the boundary line between Utah and Arizona, and including one ward, Mt. Trumbull, in Arizona, and west to the boundary line between Utah and Nevada.

History Timeline up to about 1930


 * 1854 - Indian Mission at Santa Clara established.
 * 1857 - Settlement of town of Washington.
 * 1858 - Founding of town of Toquerville.
 * 1860 - Founding of town of Grafton.
 * 1863 - Founding of town of Rockville.
 * 1877 - A general reorganization of the settlements of the Saints in the Rocky Mountains took place, and the whole territory of Utah, as also the adjoining territories of Idaho on the north, and Arizona on the south, were organized into stakes of Zion.
 * 1877 - St. George Stake of Zion was organized on April 7.



Obtain the Records

 * List of church and other records at the FamilySearch Library.
 * For additional resources, see Church History Library.

Wards and Branches
Consisted of 12 organized bishop’s wards, viz., Central, Enterprise, Gunlock, Leeds, Mount Trumbull, Pine Valley, Santa Clara, Saint George East, Saint George South, Saint George West, Veyo, and Washington. Besides these 12 wards there is the Ivins Branch.

Central Ward
See Encyclopedic History..., p. 130-131.

Boundaries:

Consists of the Latter-day Saints residing in a small settlement situated on the Santa Clara Creek, about nine miles west of Pine Valley, and 25 miles by road northwest of St. George.

History timeline


 * 1918 - Central Ward is an outgrowth of Pine Valley Ward and was organized as a separate ward April 24.

Obtain the Records


 * List of church and other records at the FamilySearch Library.
 * For additional resources, see Church History Library.

Enterprise Ward
See Encyclopedic History..., p. 232-233.

Boundaries:

Consists of Latter-day Saints residing in a small settlement of that name situated on the edge of the Escalante Desert, near the base of the Pine Valley Mountains, about 24 miles by road southeast of Modena, on the Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad, 45 miles northwest of St. George, and 40 miles southwest of Cedar City.

History timeline


 * 1896 - New settlement of Enterprise was located and settled. During the next two years it was settled primarily by former residents of Hebron.
 * 1898 - Enterprise was organized as a branch of Hebron Ward on May 1.
 * 1905 - The settlements of Hebron and Enterprise were amalgamated and organized under the name of Enterprise Ward in October.

Obtain the Records


 * List of church and other records at the FamilySearch Library.
 * For additional resources, see Church History Library.

Gunlock Ward
See Encyclopedic History..., p. 307.

Boundaries:

Consists of Latter-day Saints residing in the small village of Gunlock, situated on the Santa Clara Creek at a place where the canyon widens out a little. Gunlock is 15 miles northwest of Santa Clara, 22 miles southwest of Pine Valley, 22 1/2 miles southeast of the Mountain Meadows, 20 miles northwest of St. George, the headquarters of the stake, and 40 miles southeast of Modena, the nearest railroad station on the Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad.

History timeline


 * 1857 - First settled by William Hamblin, brother of Jacob Hamblin. Being an expert hunter and splendid marksman, William was called "Gunlock Will." Gunlock was named in his honor.
 * 1862 - Other settlers arrived.
 * 1862 - Floods washed out most of the old town, so the present location was chosen three miles further up the Santa Clara Creek.
 * 1877 - Gunlock was organized as a branch of the Santa Clara Ward on June 7.
 * 1879 - Gunlock Branch was organized as a ward on February 16.

Obtain the Records


 * List of church and other records at the FamilySearch Library.
 * For additional resources, see Church History Library.

Ivins Branch
See Encyclopedic History..., p. 369-370.

Boundaries:

Consists of a few families of saints residing on a bench about three miles northwest of Santa Clara. The branch embraces a farming district and constituted originally a part of the Santa Clara Ward.

History timeline


 * 1926 - The saints who had located on the bench northwest of Santa Clara were organized into a branch of the Santa Clara Ward named Ivins.

Obtain the Records


 * List of church and other records at the FamilySearch Library.
 * For additional resources, see Church History Library.

Leeds Ward
See Encyclopedic History..., p. 422-423.

Boundaries:

Consists of Latter-day Saints residing in the villages of Leeds and Harrisburg. Leeds is pleasantly situated on the sunny side of a ledge of white rock, or rather in a narrow valley lying between two ridges. The valley extends from northeast to southwest, which is also the course of the principal street of the village, which is situated 18 miles northeast of St. George and five miles west of Toquerville. Quale Creek, on which the settlement relies for water for irrigation purposes, is tapped by the settlers two miles from the settlement. The site of the once flourishing mining camp of Silver Reef is 1 1/2 mile north of Leeds.

History timeline


 * 1867 - Town of Bennington(now Leeds)was surveyed three miles north of Harrisburg.
 * 1867 - Harrisburg and Bennington(now Leeds)were organized as a ward.
 * 1869 - Name of Bennington changed to Leeds. Harrisburg and Leeds were organized as branches and became part of the Toquerville Ward on May 9.
 * 1874 - Leeds Branch was organized as a ward, having formerly been a part of Toquerville Ward.
 * 1891 - Leeds Ward now included Harrisburg as of July.

Obtain the Records


 * List of church and other records at the FamilySearch Library.
 * For additional resources, see Church History Library.

Mount Trumbull Ward
See Encyclopedic History..., p. 549.

Boundaries:

Mount Trumbull Ward, St. George Stake, Mojave Co., Arizona consists of about 25 families of Latter-day Saints living in a mountainous country covered with cedars, about 65 miles southeast of St. George and about 15 miles from the north rim of the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River. The families live very much scattered on farms made in the openings between the cedars.

History timeline


 * 1874 - Mount Trumbull Branch was organized on February 8.
 * 1892 - The Mount Trumbull Branch belonged to the St. George 1st Ward.
 * 1922 - 1922 - As a number of the LDS exiles from Mexico settled in the Mount Trumbull area, as branch was organized on October 11.
 * 1928 - Mount Trumbull Ward was organized from the Mount Trumbull Branch on November 11.

Obtain the Records


 * List of church and other records at the FamilySearch Library.
 * For additional resources, see Church History Library.

Pine Valley Ward
See Encyclopedic History..., p. 654-655.

Boundaries:

Consists of the Latter-day Saints residing in Pine Valley proper and in Grass Valley. It also includes some ranches on the Santa Clara Creek below Pine Valley, extending about 12 1/4 miles in a southwesterly direction. The town or village of Pine Valley is situated in the romantic Pine Valley Basin, near the top of the Pine Valley Mountains. The Basin is about five miles long from east to west and about two miles wide. The mountains are quite lofty immediately south of the valley. The Santa Clara River heads in the mountains south and east of Pine Valley in what is known as the Pine Valley crest. The Pine Valley settlement is 13 1/2 miles south of Pinto, 34 1/2 miles northeast of St. George, and 35 miles southeast of Modena, the nearest railroad station on the Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad.

History timeline


 * 1859 - Pine Valley Branch organized for settlers in area.
 * 1867 - Pine Valley Branch was organized as the Pine Valley Ward on July 6, 1867.

Obtain the Records


 * List of church and other records at the FamilySearch Library.
 * For additional resources, see Church History Library.

Santa Clara Ward
See Encyclopedic History..., p. 775-777.

Boundaries:

Consists of the Latter-day Saints residing in the town of Santa Clara, which is situated on the left bank or the east side of the Santa Clara Creek, about five miles northwest of St. George, in a narrow valley, which at the place where the village is situated is only three-quarters of a mile wide.

History timeline


 * 1850 - Santa Clara Valley and its vicinity were will known to the Latter-day Saint population of Utah.
 * 1854 - In June, missionaries arrived on the Santa Clara Creek and started a missionary station.
 * 1861 - Swiss saints arrived in Santa Clara on November 28, giving impetus to the settlement.
 * 1862 - Santa Clara was partially destroyed by floods in January.
 * 1862 - Santa Clara was organized as a ward.

Obtain the Records


 * List of church and other records at the FamilySearch Library.
 * For additional resources, see Church History Library.

St. George Wards
See Encyclopedic History..., p. 727-728.

Boundaries:


 * St. George East Ward, St. George Stake, Washington Co., Utah, consists of the Latter-day Saints residing in the east part of St. George.


 * St. George South Ward, St. George Stake, Washington Co., Utah, consists of the Latter-day Saints residing in the south part of the city of St. George.


 * St. George West Ward, St. George Stake, Washington Co., Utah, consists of the Latter-day Saints residing in the northwest part of the city of St. George, or all that part of said city lying north of Tabernacle Street and Main Street.


 * St. George 1st Ward, St. George Stake, Washington Co., Utah, consisted of the Latter-day Saints residing in the southeast part of St. George.


 * St. George 2nd Ward, St. George Stake, Washington Co., Utah, consisted of the saints residing in the southwest part of the city of St. George. It was separated from the St. George 3rd Ward on the north by Tabernacle Street, and from the St. George 1st Ward on the east by Locust Street.


 * St. George 3rd Ward, St. George Stake, Washington Co., Utah, consisted of the Latter-day Saints residing in the northwest part of the city of St. George. It extended east to Washington Avenue (now 2nd West St., which separated it from the St. George 4th Ward), and south to Tabernacle St. (the street running east and west, north of the tabernacle, which separated it from the St. George 2nd Ward). A number of the leading Elders of the St. George Stake resided in that ward.


 * St. George 4th Ward, St. George Stake, Washington Co., Utah, consisted of the Latter-day Saints residing in the northeast part of the city of St. George, including the business part of the city. It extended south to South St. (the street running immediately south of the tabernacle, which separated it from the St. George 1st Ward), and west to Washington St., or the street running north and south one block west of the tabernacle (which separated it from the St. George 3rd Ward).

History timeline


 * 1862 - St. George was divided into four wards, namely, the St. George 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th wards.The Bishop of St. George Ward had jurisdiction of all of the St. George wards. The southwest part of the town was designated at the St. George 2nd Ward on March 22. The saints residing there were placed under the jurisdiction of the St. George 1st Ward bishopric.
 * 1863 - St. George 2nd Ward was given its own bishop on November 29.
 * 1895 - The four St. George wards were amalgamated and organized into the St. George Ward.
 * 1902 - Ward was organized on December 14, when the St. George Ward was divided into two wards, namely, the St. George East Ward and the St. George West Ward.
 * 1925 - The St. George South Ward was organized from parts of the St. George East and the St. George West wards on September 13.
 * 1925 - The south boundaries of the St. George West Ward were changed when the St. George South Ward was organized.

Obtain the Records


 * List of church and other records at the FamilySearch Library.
 * For additional resources, see Church History Library.

Veyo Ward
See Encyclopedic History..., p. 913-914.

Boundaries:

Consists of the Latter-day Saints residing in a scattered settlement on Santa Clara Creek, about six miles north or northeast of Gunlock, and 23 miles by road northwest of St. George.

History timeline


 * 1918 - Veyo Ward, an outgrowth of Gunlock Ward and the Chadburn Branch was organized on April 24.

Obtain the Records


 * List of church and other records at the FamilySearch Library.
 * For additional resources, see Church History Library.

Washington Ward
See Encyclopedic History..., p. 928.

Boundaries:

Consists of the Latter-day Saints residing in the town of Washington, about five miles northeast of St. George, and its immediate vicinity.

History timeline


 * 1857 - Twenty-eight families and a number of young men were called by Church authorities to settle in Washington, in southern Utah.
 * 1857 - Washington was organized as Washington Branch on May 6.
 * 1857 - Washington Ward was organized.
 * 1858 - Some of the families who had moved to San Bernardino, California, relocated in Washington.

Obtain the Records


 * List of church and other records at the FamilySearch Library.
 * For additional resources, see Church History Library.