Timeline for Southern Utah and surrounding area

500 to 1500 AD Thousands of years ago, the Anasazi and Freemonth Indians made their homes among the lands of southern Utah hills and rivers.
1776 Fathers Domingues and Escalante explored ash creek to the Rio Virgin.
1826 Jedediah S. Smith came down Ash Creek to the Rio Virgin and then down the Virgin
Through the gorge on the way to California.
1827 Jedediah Smith came down Ash Creek to the Virgin River to Corn Creek (Santa
Clara), up to where Santa Clara (City) is today, up the mountain on what became known as
Utah Hill, down to Beaver Dam then on to California
1849 Parley P. Pratt was sent by Brigham Young to explore the Virgin Basin. They left Salt
Lake City in December 1849 when the weather was extremely cold. They had six
days where the temperature went below zero. They came down Ash Creek to the
Virgin and then down to the Santa Clara, up to the Santa Clara and back to Parowan
where they met part of the group who returned by way of Ash Creek. They reported
that there was land and water to grow crops.
1851 San Bernadino (City)was settled by Mormon missionaries.
1851 January 13, 1851 Parowan (City) was settled.
1851 November 2, 1851 Cedar City was settled.
1852 December 1852 Harmony (Kelsey's Ranch) was settled by John D. Lee and Elisha
H. Groves.
1852 John D. Lee and eleven men came down Ash Creek to the Virgin, then to the Santa
Clara over to Utah Hill, to Beaver Dam back the gorge and back to Harmony. They
reported to Brigham Young in glowing terms the good qualities of this land. It would
grow cotton!
1853 Fort Harmony was built.
1854 Jacob Hamblin and a few missionaries settled Santa Clara (City).
1855 Families came to Santa Clara to settle. Fort Clara was built.
1855 The first cotton was grown at Santa Clara. Jacob Hamblin was ill and A. P. Hardy
was sent to Harmony to get some medicine. Arranging for the medicine he traveled
to Parowan and while there, Nancy Anderson gave him a quart of cotton seed She
was a southerner. This seed was planted and a crop of cotton was harvested, the
first in southern Utah.
1855 On April 6 missionaries were called to settle Las Vegas( Nevada). Collville on the Colorado River was
 prepared for boats to dock.
1856 The cotton seed produced the year before in Santa Clara was planted and a new
crop was harvested. Thirty yards of cloth was woven from this cotton. A hand cranked
cotton gin was made.
1856 Las Vegas lead mission was started.
1856 Pinto (Utah) was established.
1856 Tonaquint was started. Rufus C. Allen and Hyrum Burgess built three cabins there. It was known as
 Seldom Stop, Never Sweat Lick Skillet.
1857 Washington City settled by 38 southern families led my Samuel Adair and Robert
Covington. They were called by Brigham Young to grow cotton and settle the area.
The mission was called the Cotton Mission or Southern Mission. They soon called
the area "Dixie" after their old homes.
1857 A bowery was built of poles placed vertically in the ground with brush as a roof. The
sides were open and it had a dirt floor and was built in the meeting house block. It
was used for church and civic programs until an adobe building was built in 1861
near the same location.
1857 Gunlock (Utah) was started.
1857 The Mountain Meadows massacre occurred September 7-11.
1858 In the Spring, Toquerville was started.
1858 Pintura (Ashton, Bellevue) was started.
1858 Heberville (Price City) was started mostly as an experiment
1858 Virgin City (Virgen, Pocketville) was started.
1858 Springdale (Joseph's Glory) was started.
1859 Harrisville was started by Moses Harris who came from San Bernadino.
1859 Covington's home was built and is still standing. It is the oldest standing home in
Washington County.
1859 John D. Lee's mansion was completed.
1859 62 Washington City was the county seat.
1860 Rockville (Adventure) was settled.
1860 First county fair was held in Washington City.
1861 February The Civil War Started
1861 Mount Carmel (Windsor) was started.
1861 October Conference. LDS (Mormon) Church leader and Prophet Brigham Young called 309 Families
from northern Utah to settle the St. George area. His challenge was this: Help make the Utah Territory
 Self-sufficient by producing cotton.
1861 Duncan's retreat was started by Chapman Duncan. It was pretty much destroyed
during the flood of 1861_62.
1861 Harrisburg was started when the citizens of Harrisville moved to this location.
1861_62 St. George settled. The cotton mission was augmented by 309 families.
1862 Shunsburg Settled.
1862 New Harmony was settled about four miles north of Fort Harmony.
1863 Middleton was started. It is half way between Washington and St. George.
1863 14 January St. George was designated as the county seat for Washington County. This area was, and
 still is an invaluable resting place for travelers in route to Salt Lake City and Southern California.
1863 Jacob Hamblin's home completed.
1864 Glendale (Berryville) begun.
1865 Cotton Factory started to be built.
1866 Hebron was settled
1866 Snow's grist mill was built.
1867 Leeds (Road Valley, Bennington) was settled December first.
1867 Telegraph from St. George to Logan Utah finished January 10.
1868 Pine Valley Church Built.
1868 Road on the east side of Ash Creek was started, used until early 1920's.
1869 Kanab (Utah) was settled.
1870 Southern Utah experienced Major Change when Iron was discovered. Brigham Young soon organized
 missions to settle the area and several mining camps were established. In the years that followed, rich mineral deposits yielded several thousand tons of gold, zinc, tungsten and iron.
1870 Cotton Factory finished three stories high.
1870 Pipe Springs (Windsor Castle) was started.
1870 Brigham Young first wintered in St. George.
1871 Jan 31. Brigham Young stated we will build a Temple here (St. George) to the local
 Priesthood Leadership.
1871 April 5 Same statement to membership of the church.
1871 Nov 9 Temple Site rededicated. This site was dedicated by the Nephite leader prophet - General Moroni.Because of the spring of water the brethren asked if the foundation could be moved 20 feet to the South, so the spring of water would be on the outside of the Temple. "Not so...." We will wall it up and leave it here for some future use. But we cannot move the foundation." To this day the water is still running though a drain. That very day, the foundation was dug 20 feet below grade level.
1872 Mar 10. Corner stone laid for the foundation.
1873 100 men from Sanpete arrived to lay the block.
1873 Brigham Young's Home (Addition) built.
1874 October Conference. 300 more men were asked to winter in St. George to finish the Temple walls.
1875 Relief Society Hall's east wing was finished. 
1875 Aug 11 Baptismal Font dedicated, then used.
1876 St. George Tabernacle finished. 
1877 Jan 1. Baptismal Room, Main floor, the Assembly Room, and East Sealing Room were dedicated, then used..
1877 The Stone Church in Washington was built. It was also used as a school. 
1877 March 23. John D. Lee was executed 
1877 April 6. St. George Temple completed and dedicated. A Girl was born in the Temple. 
1877 August 29 Brigham Young died.
1877 - 1883  Wilford Woodruff assisted by David H. Canon wrote the complete ordinance from baptism to the endowment. 
1880 Mesquite (Nevada) was started.
1891 Washington Fields Dam completed. 
1893 Washington Fields Dam Canal completed. 
1893 La Verkin (Utah) was started. 
1893 Hurricane (Utah)was started. Named Hurricane in 1904. 
1903 March 27 - April 24. Renovation - carpets, screens, white wash, repair ceilings in the assembly room. 1909 Sandstone school was built mostly with donated labor. (Millcreek High School) 
1911 Veyo (Utah) was started. 
1928 Nov. Fire destroyed annex - waiting room, patrons assembly room, and boiler room. 
1937 - 1938 Sept 12. Temple was completely resurfaced, the large assembly room was divided into Endowment rooms, Elevator added, and the chandler added to the Celestial Room. Murals were painted. 1937 Six cottages built with four apartments in each. One for each Stake. 
1939 Temple Landscaping. 
1941 New Temple recommend form used. 
1947 Old plaster removed by sandblasting on the outside of the Temple. 
1957 New Annex built. 1973 "Old" Visitor Center was built. 
1974 - 1975 Temple remodeled as we know it today. 
1993 New Visitor Center built. Old visitor Center removed two years later. 
1994 Eight week closure for new carpets, furniture, and wall covering on the main floors.
 1996 Annex added to the Visitor Center. 
1998 Elevators remodeled. 
1999 Feb 1 Carpets replaced. Inside painted all white, new chandlers added. 
1999 Mar Exterior prepared and refinished.

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10 Apr 2005