PAYSON–AN HISTORICAL SUMMARY
by
L. Dee Stevenson–President
Payson Historical Society
The arrival of the Mormon Pioneers was not the first time that the area had been visited
by white men. In the summer of 1776, an expedition was led by two Catholic priests, Father
Sylvestre Veliz de Escalante and Father Francisco Atanasio Domínguez. They were searching
for a route from Santa Fe to Monterey, California. On September 26, 1776, their party of
Spanish Explorers camped in present day Utah Valley by a small stream they named Arroyo de
San Andres They noted it was located in a pleasant, beautiful, and fertile place.
This small stream was Peteetneet Creek. The local Indians had called the stream
“Peteetneet” meaning “Little Water.” It was named after a local Indian chief named Peteetneet
who lived in the vicinity. Chief Peteeneet would later become a good friend of the pioneers in
the area.
Three days after the Mormon pioneers entered Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847,
Brigham Young sent a scouting party south into the valley south of Salt Lake Valley. The party
returned with reports of the location of a large lake and numerous streams which emptied into
the lake. They noted the source of the streams was in the mountains to the east of the lake. They
also noted the valley was fertile due to the growth of sagebrush in the area. They felt it was well
adapted for cultivation.
In the fall of 1850, Brigham Young advised that a settlement be made on the banks of
Peteetneet Creek. He selected three families consisting of James Pace, John Courtland Searle,
and Andrew Jackson Stewart to go to the area. James Pace had served with the Mormon
Battalion in the Mexican War. After his discharge, he returned to Winter Quarter for his family
and came to Salt Lake Valley. He served as captain of fifty wagons going to the Great Salt Lake
Valley. They arrived in the valley in mid-October, he was immediately assigned to lead the way
south into Utah Valley and establish the new settlement. It took the party approximately a week
to travel the sixty miles to Peteetneet Creek where they were to establish a settlement.
The settlers arrived at grove of trees located along the banks of the creek on October 20,
1850 where they established their camp. The pioneers had most of their worldly possession
loaded into three wagons. The area was later known as Nebeker’s Grove. The first group of
settlers consisted on seventeen souls: James Pace, his wife, Lucinda Gibson and their children
William Byron, Mary Ann, Warren Sidney, Martha Elmira, John E., and Amanda L. Pace.
William Byron who was fifteen had served with his father in the Mormon Battalion.
The rest of the group consisted of Andrew Jackson Stewart, his wife, Eunice Haws, their
children: Sarah Catherine and Andrew Jackson Jr.; John Courtland Searle, his wife Jerusha
Morrison Hill. In the group of settlers there was also two youths: Allison Hill, 14, the brother of
Jerusha Morrison Hill Searle and Nathaniel Haws, 16, the brother of Eunice Haws Stewart.
Within a few days of arriving, the settlers had cut poles and were building corrals to hold
their stock. Brigham Young had directed the Saints to draw a survey of the area. Andrew
Jackson Stewart undertook this task. The first irrigation ditch in the colony was constructed
under the direction of John Courtland Searle. The ditch ran from near the grove where they were
camped in a northern direction to carry the waters of Peteetneet Creek to the fields that would
later be plowed and planted with crops.
Since the settlers arrived so late in the fall, they knew that the winter would soon be upon
them. They went to work harvesting the wild hay that grew in the area to the north of their
camp. The pioneers spent the first few weeks living in their wagons; soon they began to
construct cabins of logs cut from the cottonwood trees that grew along the creek. These new
cabins were built approximately on today’s 300 North from 200 West to 200 East.
During the next few months, Brigham Young issued a call for new settlers to go to the
new settlement on Peteetneet Creek. Many of the Saints answered the called and headed for the
new settlement.
A meeting was held in the cabin of James Pace on December 20, 1850. A new branch of
the church was established. Elder George A. Smith gave the opening prayer; he then moved that
James Pace be appointed president of the settlement. President Pace selected James McClellan
and Elias Gardner as his counselors. The Gardner family had entered the settlement with Elder
Smith. They had been expecting to go on south with the group but he was advised to settle in the
community.
In 1851, the Utah Stake became the third stake in the L. D. S. Church in Utah; the Utah
Stake was centered in Provo and included all the settlements in the Utah Valley. The Salt Lake
Stake was the first organized and Weber Stake was the second organized. The Payson Branch
later became the Payson Ward and was part of the Utah Stake. Payson Ward was the only ward
in the community until 1891.
In August 1852, the name of the settlement was changed from Peteetneet to Pacen in
honor of James Pace and sons. The spelling was later changed to Payson.
On January 21, 1853, the Legislature of Utah Territory passed an act incorporating
Payson City. The first council was organized in April 1853 and David Crocket was elected as
the first mayor. From this point on, the city councils, citizens and church leaders have worked
together for the civic betterment and growth of the community.
Mayor Crocket had been in office only a short time when the Walker War broke out in
July of 1853. The settlers had built temporary fort of log pickets that were about nine feet high.
The pickets were so close together that neither man nor beast could pass through them.
The settlers were instructed to construct a new fort according to specifications that were
sent by military authorities. The new fort was to be built 60 rods square with the creek running
through the center and was to be constructed of rock and adobe.
The new fort wall was four feet thick and eight feet high. On the inside, the wall sloped
to the outside. There was also a four foot trench along the outer wall. The north wall of the fort
was never completed since most of the trouble came from the south.
The settlers were a very industrious group, during subsequent years; the first grist mill
was constructed in 1855. Several mills followed in the next sixty years. Other industries that
were also started in the community in the next few years were numerous sawmills, a nail factory,
a planing mill, a furniture factory. Several tanneries, shoemaking, manufacture of horse collars
among others. Many of the business declined after the coming of the railroad since they could
not compete with goods coming in by rail from the east.
The first Relief Society was established in 1856 with Rachel Drollinger as the president.
She later left for the Muddy Mission and the unit became inactive. In 1868, the Relief Society
was re-established in the community. The first Sunday School was organized about 1858. The
first Sunday School that kept records was organized in May of 1865.
During the early years of the community, surveys were done, irrigation ditches
constructed, fieL. D. S. cleared, plowed, homes built, city streets aligned, schools built and the
business district developed along Main Street.
During the winter of 1864-65 there was an outbreak of smallpox among a band of Indians
near Manti. Many of the Indians died during this outbreak. The Indians felt the white settlers
were in league with the evil spirit and caused the disease. The Indians set out and attacked
settlers in 27 settlements. They felt that in order for the sickness to cease; they needed to kill
those responsible. In 1867, Chief Blackhawk repented and he visited all of the settlements and
asked for forgiveness.
During the next thirty-five years many changes came about in the community. The
telegraph came to the community in 1866, and an office was established in the General Store of
John D. Stark. That same year the city was re-surveyed and the streets were named for the first
time.
In 1870 a meeting was held to discuss the first L. D. S. church to be constructed by funds
raised from taxing all able-bodied men who were members of the church. Up until that time,
meetings had been held private homes, public schools or private building locations. The settlers
had constructed a temporary bowery near the center of the fort. It would later become the
location of the first tabernacle. It was located at 182 North Main in today’s address system. It
was located near the center of the old fort The meeting house, known as the Payson Tabernacle.
It was designed to accommodate approximately 800 people. There was a balcony located in the
west end of the building. It was completed in 1872. The building was constructed at a cost of
$27, 447.03 and was dedicated by Apostle Wilford Woodruff on July 20, 1872. This structure
was later destroyed by fire in 1904. A newer tabernacle would be built on the same site.
The Presbyterian Mission and School was established in Payson in 1877. They originally
met in the Charlie Long Hall which was the later location of an the L. D. S. First Ward Church.
The Presbyterian School was discontinued in 1910. The Presbytery constructed a church and
parsonage in 1885. It was located on South Main Street just south of the business district.
In about 1890 the Methodist Church constructed a new building to serve as a school. It
was located near today’s First North and First West. The Illiff Academy served as a school until
about 1900 when it was abandoned. Most of students then attended a local public school or the
Presbyterian School.
The local school opened a small school in each of the four sections of the community. It
was deemed that the four small schools needed to be replaced and the larger Peteetneet School
which was constructed in 1901.
Later the larger Central School on South Main opened in1884. The plans for it were
drawn by Joseph L. Townsend a local teacher. Mr. Townsend also was the author of many
hymns found in the L. D. S. Songbooks. The Central School was built on the site of the Old
Square School, Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Grades attended classes in the building. In 1907 a
Ninth Grade was added and then one by one the other grades were added, the first high school
graduates finished classes there in 1911.
The first electric lights were turned on Christmas Eve of 1890. The power system was
later purchased by the city in 1897. The first telephone system arrived in the community in 1885
but the first telephone exchange was established in 1902. It seemed as if the city had arrived in
the modern age with the addition of the telegraph, telephone and electricity.
In 1901, the Utah Stake was divided into Nebo, Provo, and Alpine Stakes. The new stake
included Payson, Spanish Fork, Salem, Benjamin, Lake Shore, Spring Lake, Genola, Santaquin,
Elberta and the Tintic District of Juab County.
After the first tabernacle burned in 1904, the Nebo Stake was without a Stake
house until the new Nebo Stake Tabernacle was started in June 1906 and was dedicated in
November 1907 by President Joseph F. Smith. The building was constructed at a cost of
$20,000. It was paid for and dedicated in a period of eighteen months; this was considered a
record at that time.
The building could seat over 1,000 people. The building was filled to capacity for the
dedication. The building was constructed in such a manner that the sound of the speakers could
be heard in the furthest corners of the building. The roof was construct in a similar egg-shell
design much like that of the Salt Lake Tabernacle. In 1925 the building was remodeled in a
project when a stage with draw curtains was built in the east end of the building. The basement
was enlarged for installation of a kitchen and serving rooms, restrooms and a coal room.
Later in the late 1940's, a cyclorama and other stage curtains along with new lighting
were added in the auditorium. An organ was also installed in the building. There were many
Operettas and stage plays presented on the stage by local churches and schools in the
community. The annual Payson High School graduation exercises were held in the building.
The Tabernacle served the needs of the community for over 60 years until a new Nebo
Stake Center was constructed in Payson. The building stood vacant for several years and
vandals made their mark in the building. The L. D. S. Church had established guidelines as to
what the building could or could not be used for.
On April 22, 1917, the Tintic Stake was formed from part of the Nebo Stake, The new
stake included Eureka, Elberta, Goshen, Knightsville, Mammoth, and Silver City.
The Payson Third Ward had been created in 1920 by a division of the Second Ward. In
1924, the Payson First Ward was divided and the area became the First and Fourth Wards. The
Third Ward met in the Second Ward Building and the new Fourth Ward met in the First Ward
Building.
On November 24, 1924, the Palmyra Stake was carved from part of the Nebo Stake. The
new Stake was comprised of Leland, Lake Shore, Palmyra, Salem and Spanish Fork.
In the early part of the 1930's a new building was constructed for the First Ward on
Second South and Fourth East. A similar building was built on the corner of Second North Main
Street. This was the location of the original Tithing House.
In 1935 the area of Santaquin was taken from the Nebo Stake and combined with the
Tintic Stake; the new stake was called the Santaquin-Tintic Stake.
After this time, Nebo Stake consisted of Payson First, Second, Third, Fourth Wards,
Benjamin, Spring Lake and Genola.
In succeeding years there were divisions in the various wards and new wards were
created within the city and the surrounding farming area.
In 1968, the Payson Senior Citizens was organized and Payson City obtained a long term
lease on the old Nebo Stake Tabernacle building to house the new Senior Center. The group
members set out to clean and repair the building and make changes to meet the needs of the
group. The Senior Citizens called this building home until the early 1980's when a new Senior
Center was established in the newly renovated Payson City Center which was the building that
once housed the Payson Hospital.
The building was later sold to a Utah County banking company. After a study of the
building was completed, it was determined the costs to rehabilitate and remodel the building to
meet the needs of the new owners would be prohibitive and the building was demolished in the
1980's.
In 1897, the Payson Second Ward was constructed. It is the oldest L. D. S. Church in
Payson is still being used today. It has served the church and community since it was first
constructed. The building, now affectingly known as “The Green Church.” The building has
undergone several remodels in the last 118 years.
There has also been a division of many of the stakes and wards in the original Nebo
Stake since 1935. There are now seven stakes, and over 50 wards and branches in the Payson
area.
During the last 165 years, Payson has seen many changes, beginning with the 17 original
settlers to a population that is now approaching 20,000 people. During this time, the community
has progressed from a simple pioneer settlement to one of the important cities in the county.
The amenities that are found in many of the larger cities in the area are also found in
Payson area communities. Many large companies are being attracted to the area by the people,
the work ethics of the community and the life style available to both the established and new
inhabitants.
Today, Payson is known as a residential, agricultural and business oriented community.
The city is the gateway to the scenic Mount Nebo Loop byway. The physical area of the city
itself hasn’t changed a great deal over the years, many of the original pioneer buildings
constructed prior to 1900 are still standing and in use in the community today.
The downtown business district looks almost like it did over fifty years ago. The local
population is hoping to revitalize the downtown area even though many new businesses are
developing on the two major thoroughfares that enter the city from the Interstate. Payson’s
borders today now seamlessly blend into the borders of the surrounding communities of Salem,
Spanish Fork and Santaquin.
The construction of the Payson Utah Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ, has made the
emphasis of the importance of the area to the residents, both Mormon and non-Mormon in the
community, and the surrounding area. The community and the who area feel very blessed to
have this beautiful edifice in our midst.
PAYSON PHOTO ALBUM
Sketch of Original Tabernacle
Appeared in the Deseret News.
Original Second Ward Building–1897
The Huish Planing Mill–One of the
early industries in Payson
Nebo Stake Tabernacle—1908
Interior of Nebo Stake Tabernacle
Nebo Stake Tabernacle with the Tithing House
across the street.