[36]       

Moapa Valley

Clark County
  36.62605, -114.48657

"These are sleepy days in Overton ... normal for this sleepy villa in Nevada. In this pocket of rural Clark, the air of Utah is strong here, indifferent and very protective. Here is yet another region in Nevada that if it could speak, it might go on for years. My ears are definitely open. St. Thomas. Callville. The Anasazi. Riddled sandstone. And they said Nevada was nothing but casinos. 'They' tend to talk a lot." -- Journal Entry, March 2009

Along SR 169, 2 miles north of Logandale

Original Date Visited: 3/16/09

Signed: No

Notes: The approach to this marker comes up warp fast and can be easily missed because of its lack of signage and odd location. Please be going no more than the posted 35MPH limit, especially in this highly residential area where the speed limit enforces everything. This town is more reminiscent of rural Utah so locals are usually very cautious of outsiders. Please be respectful.

  • The location for Marker 36 leaves much to be desired, considering its varied and interesting history in the region
  • Marker 36 plaque
  • The quiet drive to find Marker 36. This one would be much better placed in a more remote location rather than in front of a private residence
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Exact Description:
Rich in prehistoric, pueblo-type culture, and noted by the explorer Jedediah Smith in 1826, Moapa Valley is crossed by the old Spanish Trail.

In 1865 Brigham Young sent 75 families to settle the area, to grow cotton for the people of Utah, and to connect Utah with the Pacific Ocean via the Colorado River.

Located near the junction of the Muddy and Virgin Rivers, and now under Lake Mead, the "Cotton Mission" was named St. Thomas for its leader, Thomas Smith. A prosperous, self-contained agriculture was built up in the valley, which included orchards, vineyards, cotton, grains and vegetables.

The December, 1870 survey placed the valley in Nevada and because Nevada taxes were greater than those of Utah, the settlers, now including those in St. Joseph, (Old) Overton, West Point and Logandale, began leaving two months later. They left the results of seven years of labor, more than 18 miles of irrigation canal and several hundred acres of cleared land.

Other Mormons resettled the land in 1880. The area remains one of the most agriculturally productive in the state.

Next Marker:

POWELL OF THE COLORADO

Related Links & Markers:

 [31] -- Old Spanish Trail (1829-1850)   [84] -- Jedediah Strong Smith   St. Thomas Emerges (Huffington Post)   St. Thomas & Lake Mead Nat'l Rec. Area (NPS) 

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