This publication, covering a field of southwestern interest hitherto
unworked, has had material assistance from Governor Thos. E. Campbell,
himself a student of Arizona history, especially concerned in matters of
development. There has been hearty cooperation on the part of the
Historian of the Mormon Church, in Salt Lake City, and the immense
resources of his office have been offered freely and have been drawn upon
often for verification of data, especially covering the earlier periods.
There should be personal mention of the late A.H. Lund, Church Historian,
and of his assistant, Andrew Jenson, and of Church Librarian A. Wm. Lund,
who have responded cheerfully to all queries from the Author. There has
been appreciated interest in the work by Heber J. Grant, President of the
Church, and by many pioneers and their descendants.
The Mormon Church maintains a marvelous record of its Church history and
of its membership. The latter record is considered of the largest value,
carrying out the study of family genealogy that attaches so closely to
the theology of the denomination. During the fall of 1919, Andrew Jenson
of the Church Historian's office, started checking and correcting the
official data covering Arizona and New Mexico settlements. This involved
a trip that included almost every village and district of this State.
Mr. Jenson was accompanied by LeRoi C. Snow, Secretary to the Arizona
State Historian and a historical student whose heart and faithful effort
have been in the work. Many corrections were made and many additions were
secured at first hand, from pioneers of the various settlements. At least
2000 letters have had to be written by this office. The data was put into
shape and carefully compiled by Mr. Snow, whose service has been of the
largest value. As a result, in the office of the Arizona State Historian
now is an immense quantity of typewritten matter that covers most fully
the personal features of Mormon settlement and development in the
Southwest. This has had careful indexing.
Accumulation of data was begun the last few months of the lifetime of
Thomas E. Farish, who had been State Historian since Arizona's assumption
of statehood in 1912. Upon his regretted passing, in October of 1919, the
task of compilation and writing and of possible publication dropped upon
the shoulders of his successor. The latter has found the task one of most
interesting sort and hopes that the resultant book contains matter of
value to the student of history who may specialize on the Southwest. By
no means has the work been compiled with desire to make it especially
acceptable to the people of whom it particularly treats--save insomuch as
it shall cover truthfully their migrations and their work of development.
With intention, there has been omitted reference to their religious
beliefs and to the trials that, in the earlier days, attended the
attempted exercise of such beliefs.
Naturally, there has had to be condensation of the mass of data collected
by this office. Much of biographical interest has had to be omitted. To
as large an extent as possible, there has been verification from outside
sources.
Much of the material presented now is printed for the first time. This
notably is true in regard to the settlement of the Muddy, the southern
point of Nevada, which in early political times was a part of Arizona
Territory and hence comes within this work's purview. There has been
inclusion of the march of the Mormon Battalion and of the Californian,
New Mexican and Mexican settlements, as affecting the major features of
Arizona's agricultural settlement and as contributing to a more concrete
grasp of the idea that drove the Mormon pioneers far afield from the
relative comfort of their Church centers.
JAS. H. McCLINTOCK,
Arizona State Historian.
Phoenix, Arizona, May 31, 1921.