WASHINGTON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY (Washington County, Utah)

SANTA CLARA, UTAH

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Miscellaneous

Histories

Jacob Hamblin and some other Indian missionaries came down the Santa Clara area in 1854 and established a fort in 1855. They were sent by the LDS President Brigham Young to teach and work with the native Paiute Indians. Slowly, families from Fort Harmony and San Bernardino settled the area. In 1861, a contingent of Swiss Mormons were sent down to establish a colony. They cultivated the land and it became the fruit and vegetable garden for Washington County.

LOCATION

TBD

HISTORY

In 1854 Santa Clara was started and was the headquarters of the "Indian Mission." Jacob Hamblin was the leader of the group.

The "Cotton Mission and Settlement" period was one of expectation for the continued viability of Santa Clara and surrounding communities. After visiting the region in 1861, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints'(LDS) President Brigham Young called several hundred families to settle in the area to assist with the production of cotton which was found to grow well in the warm region. A large percentage of these families were Swiss converts to the LDS Church who had recently emigrated to the state and had a knowledge of raising grapes, another plant found to grow well in the area, for the production of wine for the sacrament and for sale. The Swiss immigrants settled in the area which would become the present-day community of Santa Clara. Just weeks after the their arrival a long period of rain struck the region causing extensive flooding which destroyed the fort and original settlement. The earlier English speaking settlers then moved into the area occupied by Swiss immigrants which incited minor cultural clashes that took years to resolve. Cotton production, which was the impetus for settling the region, declined for various reasons in the following decades until it was almost nonexistent by the turn of the century. But the warm climate was found to be ideal for raising fruit, and fruit production became the main occupation of the residents of Santa Clara. In fact the raising and selling of fruit would remain Santa Clara's chief resource for more than the next half century.

The "Early Twentieth-Century Development" period saw little change from the previous period in Santa Clara. Fruit production was the chief occupation and source of income for the residents. The population grew but at a very slow pace. Because of its remoteness and climate, few people were attracted to Santa Clara as a place to live. But families expanded enough to require a larger replacement for the meeting house and the construction of a new school in the early part of the century. The fruit industry expanded greatly as means of transporting the produce improved. Trucks were purchased by some shippers to sell the fruit in out of state markets. Although the railroad never made it to the region, a major highway, the "Arrowhead Trail" was constructed right through Santa Clara in the 1920s. This brought many travelers to the area who bought fruit in the city at roadside stands. With the highway also came increased tourism which brought more business to the area, although mainly to St. George, the largest settlement in the region. Santa Clara thrived on the fruit industry until the lnterstate-15 project bypassed the area in the 1970s.

Year
1880
1890
1900
1910
1920
1930
1940
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010

Population
194
202
358
390
305
249
283
319
291
271
1091
2322
4630
7260

PHOTOS

REFERENCES

Santa Clara official website

Santa Clara Utah Historical Society

Santa Clara Utah Historical Society Museum

Wikipedia article about Santa Clara

A history of Santa Clara

History of Santa Clara, Utah: a Blossom in the Desert
Compiled and edited by Joyce Wittwer Whittaker
Published by the Santa Clara Historical Society, 2003.

Under Dixie Sun
Washington County Chapter, Daughters of the Utah Pioneers
1950 with 1978 Supplement.
Pages 145-176, Supplement Pages 40-44.

St. George and Santa Clara Centennial Celebration 1861-1961
Program - Souvenir Edition

History of Santa Clara, Utah
By Nellie M. Gubler, December 14, 1965

Early Schools of Santa Clara
By Bonnie Lynne Graf, February 27, 1981

Pioneer influence in Santa Clara shows history of Southern Utah
By Margo Bartlett Pesek, Las Vegas Review-Journal, November 10, 1991

Santa Clara plans for growth
By Bill Heaton, Color Country Spectrum, October 3, 1976

Old customs still strong in Santa Clara
By Dorothy, Deseret News

Santa Clara City Historic District Design Guidelines
A Supplement to Chapter 17.76 Historic District Zone
Draft 3/18/2016