Well now, settle down and let ol’ Clemmie tell you about the early days of our fair Lehi. It’s a story worth hearin’, about how folks came together and laid the foundations for the town we know today.
It all started back in August of 1850, when a few hardy souls like Canute Peterson, David Savage, and the Whites – Joel W. and Samuel D. – decided to make a settlement near that big spring, not far from Utah Lake. They were tough folks, sleepin’ in their wagon boxes until they could hew some logs and build cabins. Seems like William Fotheringham and Thomas Karren even set up a saw-pit to help get lumber for those first homes.
Now, these folks weren’t just lookin’ to camp out; they were aimin’ to build a community. Pretty soon, more families joined them, and they even built a fort in the winter of ’51 with fifteen log cabins inside to keep everyone safe. They called the place first Evansville, in honor of Bishop David Evans who was sent by Brigham Young to help them get established.
But a proper community needs more than just cabins and a fort. These folks had a real sense of order and a desire to build somethin’ lastin’. They were “thorough Americans” as the history book tells us, with a “innate love of law and order”. So, it wasn’t long before they realized they needed a more formal way of runnin’ things.
That’s where the idea of incorporatin’ came in. Early in 1852, David Evans, bless his heart, went to the Territorial Legislature on behalf of the people of Dry Creek and asked them to make their little settlement a city. And wouldn’t you know it, on February 5, 1852, their petition was granted!. Lehi became a real, bonafide city, and they even took the name “Lehi” from the Book of Mormon, which they say was suggested because the people had moved around quite a bit.
Now, you asked about why they wanted to incorporate, and while the records here don’t spell out every single reason in black and white at that exact moment, it’s plain to see they were thinkin’ about the future. A city needs structure. While our conversation history suggested schools and health regulations were on their minds, this here history of Lehi emphasizes their desire for “civil administration” and the establishment of a “municipal government”.
Think about it. Once you’re a city, you can start organizin’ things. The first thing they did, it seems, was to get some folks appointed to run things. The Governor and Legislature appointed the first Mayor, Aldermen, and Councilors, who would serve until the first election.
Lehi was the sixth city in the Territory of Utah to be incorporated, which shows you how quickly things were developin’ here in the early days. Salt Lake City, Ogden, Provo, Manti, and Parowan got there just a bit earlier in 1851.
Soon after incorporatin’, they held their first city election on January 9, 1853, and Silas P. Barnes was chosen as the first Mayor. They got right to work, even votin’ unanimously to have Silas P. Barnes as Mayor, and they picked out Aldermen and Councilors too.
It wasn’t just about politics, though. These early folks were thinkin’ about their community in all sorts of ways. Just a year after they settled, in the fall of 1851, the people of Evansville built a little log schoolhouse. It might have been humble, just eighteen by twenty-four feet, but it showed their commitment to education right from the start. And while this history doesn’t specifically mention health regulations in those first days after incorporation, you can bet that as the community grew, they’d be thinkin’ about keeping things orderly and healthy for everyone.
The organization of the Dry Creek Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints shortly after Bishop Evans arrived in 1851 also brought a sense of “coherency and direction” to the growing settlement. David Evans was appointed Bishop, with counselors and a ward clerk. This shows how their religious and community life were intertwined.
So, incorporatin’ on that February day in 1852 wasn’t just a piece of paper. It was a declaration that Lehi was here to stay, that these pioneers were serious about buildin’ a real town with the foundations for growth and prosperity. It was the first step towards organizin’ their lives, educatin’ their young’uns, and lookin’ out for one another. And from those humble beginnings, look how Lehi has grown!
Source
Gardner, Hamilton. History of Lehi: Including a Biographical Section. Published by the Lehi Pioneer Committee, The Deseret News, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1913. This book serves as a primary historical account of the founding and early development of Lehi and contains detailed information about its incorporation. The preface and introduction explain the book’s purpose and scope, emphasizing the desire to preserve the history of Lehi’s pioneers. The writer’s connection to the history through research at the University of Utah is also noted. Chapter V, “The Birth of Political Life. 1825-1854,” specifically discusses the incorporation of Lehi and mentions the innate love of law and order that compelled the settlers to form a municipal government. The monument erected in 1908 also commemorates the incorporation date.
Unofficial Historian, Front Porch Philosopher & Occasional Pie Judge
Clementine Wrenfield (but you can call her Clemmie) is a self-appointed keeper of curious stories, dusty diaries, and questionable facts. Born under a clothesline and raised on her grandmother’s tall tales, Clemmie believes every fence post has a story—and she’s on a mission to find it. When she’s not digging through old trunks or sipping sassafras tea, she enjoys hosting dramatic reenactments of historical events using only sock puppets and her neighbor’s goats.
She’s never met a mystery she didn’t want to solve or a pie she didn’t want to critique.