Harper Ward is an
unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...
in
Box Elder County
Box Elder County is a county at the northwestern corner of Utah, United States. At the 2020 United States census, the population was 57,666, up from the 2010 figure of 49,975. Its county seat and largest city is Brigham City. The county was n ...
,
Utah
Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...
, United States. It is located along
Utah State Route 38 for between
Brigham City
Brigham City is a city in Box Elder County, Utah, Box Elder County, Utah, United States. The population was 19,650 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, up from the 2010 figure of 17,899. It is the county seat of Box Elder County. It l ...
and
Honeyville. Previously known as Call's Fort (1855–1906), it was renamed Harper Ward in 1906 in honor of Thomas Harper, who served as
LDS
LDS may refer to:
Organizations
Religion
* Latter Day Saint movement (LDS movement), a collection of independent church groups
**The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the largest group within the Latter Day Saint movement
* Latvijas ...
branch president
A branch president is a leader of a "branch" congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).
The calling of branch president is very similar to the calling of bishop, except that instead of presiding over a ward, th ...
(1866–1877) and later as the first
LDS
LDS may refer to:
Organizations
Religion
* Latter Day Saint movement (LDS movement), a collection of independent church groups
**The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the largest group within the Latter Day Saint movement
* Latvijas ...
bishop
A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
(1877–1899) in the area.
History
In 1852, John Gibbs and George Foster moved from Brigham City and began to homestead the land, creating the first permanent settlements in the area. They were joined by a few other families in 1853. In 1855, following a visit from
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film and television
*'' Præsident ...
Brigham Young
Brigham Young ( ; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second President of the Church (LDS Church), president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1847 until h ...
,
Anson Call
Anson Call (May 13, 1810 – August 31, 1890) was a Mormon pioneer and an early Colonization, colonizer of many Mormon corridor, communities in Utah Territory and surrounding states, perhaps best remembered in Mormon history for recording Joseph ...
constructed a fort in the area, which would give the community its name for the next fifty years. Thomas Harper was hired to manage Call's farm in the spring of 1856. John Gibbs became the first branch leader (1853–1856, 1858–1860), and was succeeded by Joseph Tomlinson (1856–1858), Chester Loveland (1860–1865), James May (1865–1866), and Thomas Harper (1866–1877). Harper continued to preside over the area as bishop in 1877 when the Box Elder
Stake
A stake is a large wooden or metal implement designed to be driven into the ground and may refer to:
Tools
* Archer's stake, a defensive stake carried by medieval longbowmen
* Survey stakes, markers used by surveyors
* Sudis (stake) (Latin for ...
was formed and the area was organized as the North
Ward
Ward may refer to:
Division or unit
* Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward
* Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...
. Following Bishop Harper's death in 1899, the name of the ward was changed to Harper Ward in his honor on June 6, 1906. Harper Ward has also become the name of the associated geographical region, although its boundaries have not always been coterminous with those of the ecclesiastical unit.
See also
References
*
*
External links
Harper Ward History
{{authority control
Populated places established in 1852
1852 establishments in Utah Territory