St. Thomas Alive Day

March 3rd 2012 was the St. Thomas Alive celebration. The community came together and contributed to help bring St. Thomas history come alive for a day at the historic town site.

The opening ceremony was started off with a posting of our nations color, a hymn Come Come Ye Saints, sung by attendee's led by Robin Maughn and organ played by Connie Whitney, (this was the same organ that was played in the 1965 celebration), a prayer by Donald Whitney and opening remarks by President Mathew Messer.

Many historical drama's were performed at the foundations of the St. Thomas School house bringing to life different events that took place in St. Thomas and people who lived there.

Entertainment was also provided between plays by local residents of the Moapa Valley

Scenes from Ron Dalley's play, One For The Muddy were also performed at the St Thomas School House that depicted different events that took place in this early pioneer settlement. The above picture is when the Lincoln County Tax Collector told the residents to pay their taxes or get out. It was not well received

Other scenes from plays depicting the harsh realities of settlement in the desert

A Senatorial commendation from Senator Heller was presented to the Logandale Nevada Stake, Partners In Conservation (PIC) and the Park Service.

The Maypole was also braided down at St. Thomas. A tradition which began in St. Thomas and is still carried out by the school children in Moapa Valley in the May Day Dances.

A view of some of the attendee's at the St. Thomas Alive celebration

Many of the participants in the days events wore period dress adding to the historic setting at St. Thomas

The event closed with remarks by Logan Call, a descendant of Anson Call the namesake of Callville, remarks by Susan Whipple, a descendant of the pioneers who lived and settled in St. Thomas, the hymn God Be With You Till We Meet Again, and a prayer by Berkley Marshall.

Till we meet again

St Thomas Mill

Mining was an integral part of the economy of St. Thomas. Gold, silver, copper and other precious minerals were shipped in from all the surrounding mining camps. Silica sand however was also an important resource that helped this economy grow and is still a part of the community today.

   

The St. Thomas spur once ran all the way down to the town of St. Thomas. With the times most technologically advanced mode of transporting freight, mining began to flourish in this community. However the tracks were pulled up with the advancing waters of the newly created Lake Mead. The terminus of the St. Thomas railroad was now roughly five miles north at what is today the Simplot sand mine.

The remnants of the old sand mill can be seen as the water of Lake Mead have receded and have exposed the foundations of this once growing  mining operation.

Traces of the silica sand can still be found in the old bins of the sand mine operation

Albert Frehner Home

This is the foundations of the Albert Frehner home in St Thomas

Railroad & Mining at St. Thomas

Railroad and St. Thomas

On June 7^th, 1912 the Union Pacific Railroad connected a spur off of the Los Angeles & Salt Lake line down to the town of St Thomas. The rail line provided the main means for transporting goods including ore and agricultural commodities as well as providing another means of transportation for people during this time. This was a busy time in this frontier town.

Mining Around St. Thomas

With a railroad spur right into the town of St. Thomas the ability to transport goods and materials was modernized with the time periods main means of large scale transportation. The extension of the railroad into St. Thomas allowed for other economic opportunities to develop and expand within the region.

Gold Butte, Savanic, and Grand Gulch were only a few of the mining interests that greatly benefited from the rail access. The railroad provided a streamlined means of transporting ore to the mills. Prior to this extension all the ore had to be shipped even greater distance by team and wagon.  It provided not only faster delivery but also provided access into a larger market network.

During the First World War the price of copper rose greatly. This contributed to the excitement and development of this region as mining prospects developed to help supplement this need.  St. Thomas was the hub for most of these activities providing a means to transport supplies and ore for these mining camps.

Before the waters covered the railroad going down to St. Thomas the tracks were pulled up and the terminus of the St Thomas line was now, at what is today Simplot.

Schedule for the Day's Events

10:00  Opening Ceremony at School House

            -Opening Song: Come Come Ye Saints

            -Invocation: President Donald Whitney

            -Remarks: President Matthew Messer

10:10  Ruth Chadburn Drama

10:20  Vicki Willard

10:30  Marva Rae Perkins Sprague Drama

10:40  Zila Johnson

10:50  One for the Muddy Drama

11:20  Bill Bunker

11:30  Emmiline Huntsman Drama

11:40  Nelson Family

11:50  Berkley Lloyd Bunker Drama

12:15  Moapa Tribal Performance

12:30  Braid the Maypole

1:00    Welcome Youth Conference

1:10    Ruth Chadburn Drama

1:20    Ken Marshall

1:30    Marva Rae Perkins Sprague Drama

1:40    Song by Youth

1:50    One for the Muddy Drama

2:20    Song by Youth

2:30    Emmiline Huntsman Drama

2:40    Nelson Family

2:50    Berkley Lloyd Bunker Drama

3:00    Closing Ceremony at School House

             -Remarks: Logan Call

             -Remarks: Susan Whipple

             -Song: God Be With You Till We Meet Again

             -Benediction: Bishop Berkley Marshall

Alive in Our Communities Today

St. Thomas, Nevada was an early pioneer settlement in what was originally believed to be the Utah Territory. This early Mormon village was settled near the confluence of the Virgin River, whose source flows from Southern Utah and the Muddy River whose waters flow from the warm springs in upper Moapa just north of the Old Spanish Trail. The water of these two rivers then joins the Colorado River, a meandering 24 miles to the south. The early years of St. Thomas were that of hardship for those early settlers. Yet, in spite of the hardship over time the settlement and exploration of the area expanded from the original settlement. Farming, Mining, ranching and the other economic and business activities that followed the early settlement period took root in the hills and valleys of this blossoming desert.

In the late 19th century and early 20th century St. Thomas was the hub for most all activities in the general area. It provided the goods and services to the farmers, ranchers, miners, townsfolk and weary traveler. Due to its location and differing modes of early transportation and routes, St. Thomas was also the main hub for most types of early travel. It was a stop along the way on the Arrowhead trail that connected Los Angeles and Salt Lake for the emerging automobile traffic. St. Thomas had a spur off the Los Angeles & Salt Lake Rail Road which provided the main means for transporting goods including ore and agricultural commodities which was vital to this budding landscape. St. Thomas was not far from the Old Spanish Trail which traversed much of the western territory. It also provided another means for the shipping of goods by ferry due to the close proximity of St. Thomas to the Colorado River.

The history and stories of St. Thomas are full of character, cultural milestones, and pioneer heritage which are still alive in our communities today. Though the chapter of St. Thomas in our history books may have seemed to draw to a close in the late 1930’s as the waters of the monumental reclamation project that was the Boulder Dam covered this once blossoming town, its legacy and cultural values are alive and well in the towns and villages where its descendants still reside.

Please join us on March 3rd, 2012 at St. Thomas for a community celebration as we bring this historic town alive for a day. We will have many of the descendants of those early pioneers as well as those who remember visiting St. Thomas there to reconnect. There will be music and dramatizations of the early days being performed live, where they would have been performed then, at the old St. Thomas School. There will be maps and displays as well as pictures taken in the early days displayed where they were taken to help visualize the then, now. If you have history or stories please contact me so we can share and make the most of your stories to help bring St. Thomas alive.

As parking space is limited, and a four-wheel drive is required, if you plan to attend please carpool with your neighbors so we can have room for as many as want to attend.

Finding St. Thomas

The following are general directions on how to find the town site of St. Thomas. If you are going here for the first time please have a good map and be prepared for the adventure. A spare tire, water and thick soled boots are a must and knowing where you are going, with the help of a map, helps.

Head south out of Overton, Nevada on Highway 169. (shortly out of Overton it turns into Northshore Road)
Drive past the Lost City Museum.
Continue driving past the turn off to Valley of Fire State Park turn off.
Shortly after the Valley of Fire turn off you will see the Park Service Toll booth.
The turn to St. Thomas is directly after the toll booth heading east.
From here it is dirt road, somewhat maintained by the park service.
Drive roughly 3.5 miles down the dirt and you will arrive at the parking area.
From here it is hiking

From the parking area to the top of main street at St. Thomas the trail is roughly 0.62 miles

From the top of main street it is up to you to see how much you want to see and how much you want to hike and fight the overgrowth. Please take the time and read the Watch Your Step post. Some of the foundations on Main Street of St. Thomas have been cut back for better accessibility but the stumps of the cut off tamarisk bushes pose somewhat of a hazard.

Above is Roxton Whitmores home on Main Street St. Thomas

The most accessible part of St. Thomas is from the top of Main Street roughly at Roxton's home down to the St. Thomas School house. From the school house you can go south to the Gentry Hotel site and loop back into the main hiking trail.

View Larger Map