Yavapai County Pioneer Trails

A group of pioneers, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was called by President Brigham Young to go south and establish a settlement, Daniel Webster Jones, an explorer who had served a mission to the Southwest and Mexico, was chosen to lead, Henry C. Rogers, who was called to be a counselor, had experienced a vision of the place they would settle, Isaac Turley was elected wagon master. This party of eighty-four Saints left St. George, Utah, on January 16, 1877, and began their journey south along what would become known as the Yavapai-Lehi Trail.

The wagon train went through a corner of Nevada and crossed the Colorado River into Arizona at Stone’s Ferry, paying $10.00 a wagon. Climbing out of Detrital Valley into the present town of Kingman, they passed through Chloride City, a mining town, and continued on the McHarty Toll Road to Chino Valle and Williamson Valley. After passing north of Prescott, the territorial capitol of Arizona, they traveled southwest into Skull Valley.

From Skull Valley they journeyed on to camp on the Kirkland Creek, an area described as grassy and peaceful. The company stayed for nearly a week in Peeples Valley, resting their animals, washing, mending wagons, and preparing to cross the desert. On February 27, they started on their way passing by Congress, Arizona; crossing the Hassayampa River; and finally arriving at Phoenix, Arizona, March 3. The entire town turned out to watch these twenty-two wagons travel through on their way to what is now Scottsdale.

When the party camped on the Salt River at McDowell Crossing, Henry C. Rogers recognized the area as the place he had seen in his vision. Here they established a settlement called Utahville. Later it was named Jonesville, and finally Lehi, which grew to become part of the city of Mesa, Arizona. On August 27, thirty-four of the group left to settle on the San Pedro River. Here they founded the town of St. David, Arizona

The LDS pioneers continued to use this trail into early 1900 as they traveled to and from St. George, Utah.

2006 No. 543 Yavapai Company, Thumb Butte Camp


29 Nov 2016