St. Thomas, Nevada
Encyclopedia
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
in Clark County, Nevada
Clark County, Nevada
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 1,375,765 people, 512,253 households, and 339,693 families residing within the MSA. The racial makeup of the MSA was 71.6% White , 9.1% Black, 5.7% Asian, 0.8% American Indian and 12.8% of other or mixed race. 22.0% were Hispanic of any race...
, near where the Muddy River
Muddy River
The Muddy River, formerly known as the Moapa River, is a short river located in the southern part of the state in Clark County, Nevada, United States. It is in the Mojave Desert, approximately 60 miles north of Las Vegas.-Geography:...
flows into the Colorado River
Colorado River
The Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...
. St. Thomas was purchased by the US Federal Government and abandoned as the waters of Lake Mead
Lake Mead
Lake Mead is the largest reservoir in the United States. It is located on the Colorado River about southeast of Las Vegas, Nevada, in the states of Nevada and Arizona. Formed by water impounded by the Hoover Dam, it extends behind the dam, holding approximately of water.-History:The lake was...
submerged the town. It is now located within the Lake Mead National Recreation Area
Lake Mead National Recreation Area
Lake Mead National Recreation Area is located in southern Nevada and northwestern Arizona. The centerpieces of the National Recreation Area are its two large reservoirs: Lake Mead and Lake Mohave. These lakes cater to boaters, swimmers, sunbathers, and fishermen while the surrounding desert rewards...
.
History
The town was founded by MormonMormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
settlers led by Thomas Smith in 1865. With a population of about 500 at its peak, St. Thomas became an established town of farms and businesses. The Mormons abandoned St. Thomas in February 1871, as a land survey shifted the state line of Nevada one degree longitude to the east, placing all of the Mormon settlements known as the Muddy Mission in Nevada instead of Arizona or Utah. The state of Nevada then attempted to collect taxes for previous years payable only in gold from the residents. They chose to leave without paying in 1871. The Mormons moved to Utah, where many of them founded new towns in Long Valley (present day Glendale
Glendale, Utah
Glendale is a town in Kane County, Utah, United States. The population was 355 at the 2000 census. It was founded in 1862 by Mormon pioneers John and William Berry, abandoned in 1866 due to Indian attacks, and resettled in 1871.-Geography:...
, Orderville
Orderville, Utah
Orderville is a town in Kane County, Utah, United States. The population was 596 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Orderville is located at ....
, and Mount Carmel).
When the Mormons left, others claimed their abandoned properties. The construction of Hoover Dam
Hoover Dam
Hoover Dam, once known as Boulder Dam, is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the US states of Arizona and Nevada. It was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression and was dedicated on September 30, 1935, by President...
and the resulting rise in the waters of the Colorado River forced the abandonment of the town, with the last resident, Hugh Lord, leaving June 11, 1938.
The ruins of St. Thomas, which are sometimes visible when the water level in Lake Mead is low, are protected by the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
as a historic site. The cemetery was relocated to Overton, Nevada
Overton, Nevada
Overton is an Unincorporated Town located in Clark County, Nevada. The town is on the north end of Lake Mead. The town is home to Perkins Field airport and Echo Bay Airport....
where there is a St. Thomas interpretive center with a staff archaeologist doing on-going research into the history and settlement of the Muddy River.
See also
- EderseeEderseeThe Edersee Dam is a hydroelectric dam constructed between 1908 to 1914 across the Eder river, near the small town of Waldeck in northern Hesse, Germany, it lies at the northern edge of the Kellerwald...
- Pah-Ute County, ArizonaPah-Ute County, ArizonaPah-Ute County is a former county in the northwest corner of Arizona Territory that existed from 1865 until 1871. The majority of the county's territory is now in Clark County, Nevada, including the city of Las Vegas. Due to the transfer of most of the county's land to Nevada, Pah-Ute is known as...
- Potosi, VenezuelaPotosi, VenezuelaPotosí was a Venezuelan town in the western state of Táchira. The town was deliberately flooded by the Venezuelan government in 1985 to build a hydroelectric dam. The town was uncovered for the first time since its flooding in 2010 due to a drought caused by the weather phenomenon El...
- St. Thomas Memorial CemeterySt. Thomas Memorial CemeterySt. Thomas Memorial Cemetery located in Overton, Nevada is listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places on February 1, 2005.- History :...