Jesse Nathaniel Smith

Jesse Nathaniel Smith arrived in Snowflake in 1879 already carrying a full life behind him. First cousin to the prophet Joseph Smith, he had crossed the plains to Utah as a boy of twelve, helped settle Parowan, and served as mayor, legislator, and missionary before he turned thirty. Sent south to lead the Mormon colonies of northern Arizona, he anchored Snowflake for two decades and filled a large house with a large family. His descendants still fill the valley he helped plant.

What the plaque says

Born December 2, 1834 in Stockholm, New York, son of Silas and Mary Aikens Smith, and first cousin to the Prophet Joseph Smith, he crossed the great plains to the Salt Lake Valley in 1847 with the Mormon pioneers. Called to help colonize Parowan in 1851, he acted as a scout and surveyor for church colony sites in southern Utah. He served as a city clerk, city councilman, mayor, and city magistrate of Parowan, District Attorney of Iron County, captain in the militia, a member of the Utah Territorial Legislature, and a member of the Parowan Stake Presidency - All before he had reached the age of twenty-six. Called on a mission to Denmark in 1860, he twice presided over the Scandianavian Mission.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Show Low — 18 mi
  The Rim-country town a losing hand of cards named

More markers nearby

• The Snowflake Monument — 0.2 mi
• Show Low and You Win the Ranch — 18 mi
• Showlow Valley Settlement — 18 mi
• Agate House — 24 mi