How a Mormon town disappeared twice: the strange fate of St. Thomas

The Mormon Town That Drowned Rather Than Surrender

Lake Mead National Recreation Area holds the ruins of a town that died twice. St. Thomas was founded by Mormon pioneers in 1865, but an 1870 survey put them in Nevada instead of Utah. Nevada wanted back taxes in gold, not crops.

The Mormons burned their homes and left. New settlers rebuilt the town, only to watch it drown under Hoover Dam’s waters in 1938.

Hugh Lord, the last resident, rowed away as his burning house sank beneath Lake Mead. Here’s the full story of this stubborn community that refused to bow twice.

Mormon Pioneers Planted Their Flag in Virgin River Valley

Thomas Smith led 45 Mormon families to settle where the Muddy and Virgin Rivers meet in January 1865. The newcomers quickly split 600 acres into five-acre farming lots for crops and vineyards.

Brigham Young ordered this move to grow cotton and secure a key spot on freight roads between the Colorado River and Los Angeles. The settlers planted 600 acres of crops by April 1865.

Cottonwood Trees Lined the Streets of the Growing Settlement

St. Thomas grew to over 600 residents by 1868, with hundreds of cottonwood trees shading its streets.

Farmers built an irrigation system that brought water from the Muddy River through canals and ditches to their fields. The town got its first post office on July 23, 1866, as part of Utah Territory.

Residents built homes and corrals while growing cotton, grain, vegetables, and fruit trees.

Surveyors Delivered Shocking News About State Lines

A boundary survey in 1870 placed St. Thomas in Nevada instead of Utah or Arizona Territory as settlers thought.

Nevada’s state line moved one degree longitude east, suddenly taking in all Mormon settlements in the Muddy Mission area.

For a short time in 1869, Arizona Territory claimed St. Thomas as the seat of Pah-Ute County. The Mormon settlers stayed loyal to Utah Territory and refused to join Nevada.

Nevada Tax Collectors Demanded Gold Instead of Crops

Nevada officials wanted payment of back taxes for five years, only taking gold coin.

Unlike Utah, which let people pay taxes with crops or food, Nevada wanted hard money that the farming community didn’t have. The big tax burden included a poll tax not needed in Utah.

Nevada authorities tried to arrest some residents who refused to pay these surprise taxes.

Families Voted to Leave Rather Than Pay

Mormon settlers voted almost all together to leave St. Thomas rather than pay Nevada taxes.

Brigham Young let the Saints in St. Thomas decide whether to stay or go. Every family except the Bonellis chose to leave their five-year-old settlement.

This hard choice meant walking away from cleared farmland, homes, corrals, and the community they had built from nothing.

Settlers Burned Their Own Homes Before Departing

The final wagon train left St. Thomas on February 20, 1871.

Many families set fire to their homes and crops before going, picking destruction over leaving them behind.

The Mormons moved to Utah’s Long Valley, where they started new towns including Glendale, Orderville, and Mount Carmel.

Only Daniel Bonelli stayed, running a ferry crossing on the Colorado River and working as the local postmaster.

Outlaws Moved Into the Ghost Town

After the Mormons left, outlaws, drifters, and troublemakers moved into the empty homes and buildings.

St.Thomas turned into a wild west town with saloons, horse racing, and lawlessness. The Lincoln County Sheriff put tax notices on empty homes throughout the town.

Thomas Bonelli kept running his ferry service, charging $10 for a wagon with two passengers.

A Second Wave of Settlers Rebuilt the Community

New Mormon and non-Mormon settlers found the fertile St. Thomas valley again in the 1880s.

The town slowly rebuilt as a quiet farming community growing fruit, melons, and corn. The population grew back to about 500 residents.

This new community had a school, church, grocery stores, hotel, ice cream parlor, and garage.

The Government Bought Out the Town for Hoover Dam

President Calvin Coolidge signed the Boulder Canyon Project Act on December 21, 1928, approving Hoover Dam. Federal officials started buying all St. Thomas lots at about $40 per acre by 1932.

Residents moved wooden buildings to other towns while leaving concrete structures to flood.

The St. Thomas school closed for good in 1933 as the community got ready for its underwater fate.

Hugh Lord Rowed Away From His Burning Home

Hugh Lord woke up on June 11, 1938, to find Lake Mead water lapping at his bed. As the last resident, he loaded his remaining possessions into a rowboat and set his house on fire.

Lord rowed away from his burning home as St. Thomas disappeared under 60 feet of water.

By June 25, 1938, only the tops of cottonwood trees marked the completely submerged townsite.

Visiting Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Nevada

You can explore the ruins of St. Thomas, a Mormon farming community that vanished under Lake Mead’s waters, at this recreation area 9 miles south of Overton on NV-169.

Pay the $15 vehicle entrance fee (cards only, no cash) and drive 3 miles on a dirt road to reach the trailhead.

Walk the 2.5-mile loop trail to see the old school foundation and cistern remains with interpretive signs explaining the community’s story.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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