December 20, 1870, the people of the Muddy met with John W. Young of Salt
Lake and resolved to abandon the location and to look for new homes. The
only opposing votes were those of Daniel Bonelli and wife. Bonelli later
was a ferryman on the Colorado and his son now is a prominent resident of
Mohave County. Among those who voted to move were a number who later were
residents of the Little Colorado settlements of Arizona.
In accordance with the suggestion from Salt Lake, the Nevada Legislature
was petitioned for relief. It was told that seven years before had been
established St. Joseph and St. Thomas. Thereafter Congress had taken one
degree of longitude from Utah and Arizona and attached this land to
Nevada. Taxes had been paid in Utah and Arizona. For two years the
authorities of Lincoln County, Nevada, had attempted to assess the back
taxes. To the Nevada authorities was presented statement of a number of
facts, that $100,000 had been expended on water projects, that the
settlers had been compelled to feed the Indian population, outnumbering
their own, and that they had been so remote from markets that produce
could not be converted into cash. It was asked that a new county, that of
Las Vegas, be organized, taking in the southern point of Nevada. Attached
to the petition were 111 names of citizens of St. Joseph, Overton and St.
Thomas.
A similar petition was sent to Congress. There was detail how lumber had
to be hauled 150 miles at a cost of $200 per 1000 feet. There had been
constructed 150 dwellings. Orchards and vineyards had been planted and
500 acres of cotton fields had been cleared. In all 3000 acres were
cultivated. Nevada had imposed a tax of 3 per cent upon all taxable
property and $4 poll tax per individual, all payable in gold, something
impossible. It therefore was asked that Congress cede back to Utah and
Arizona both portions of country detached from them and attached to
Nevada.
At that time, the State gave the Muddy-Virgin settlement a population of
600. St. Joseph had 193, St. Thomas about 150, West Point 138 and Overton
119. In other settlements around, namely Spring Valley, Eagle Valley,
Rye Valley, Rose Valley, Panaca and Clover, were 658, possibly two score
of them not being of the Church. Thus was shown a gross population of
1250.
Most of the settlers on the Muddy left early in 1871, the exodus starting
February 1. On returning to Utah, very largely to Long Valley, they left
behind their homes, irrigating canals, orchards and farms. The crops,
including 8000 bushels of wheat, were left to be harvested by an
individual who failed to comply with his part of the contract and who
later tore down most of the remaining houses.