St. Thomas

St. Thomas. . , The lush Muddy River Valley, shown below, is dramatically changed from January 1865 when the town's namesake, Thomas Smith and nearly a dozen Mormon men and women arrived at the confluence of the Virgin and Muddy Rivers to build the community of St. Thomas. Brigham Young, president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, called for a settlement along the freight route from the Colorado River to Salt Lake City. The Colorado River was just 23-miles to the south., St. Thomas struggled to survive in the early years, but the settlers were hardy and with a determined spirit set about establishing this Mormon settlement in the middle of the Mojave Desert. By 1866, 45 families were building homes and planting crops in the Muddy River Valley., Brigham Young was the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877. Church members refer to themselves as "Latter Day Saints" or "Mormons”.