Santa Clara Heritage Monument

When Jacob Hamblin came in 1854, the Paiute were already farming this river. He came as a missionary to them and stayed as a peacemaker; for a while the two peoples shared a dam and the water. Then the Cotton Mission arrived: fifteen Swiss families sent to raise cotton and grapes, and Santa Clara became a town of vineyards and wine sold north to the mines. But more settlers meant more thirst, and the flood of 1862 tore out the Paiute fields for good. The town that began as a mission to them helped end the life they had.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site at Johnson Farm — 1.7 mi
  Real dinosaur footprints preserved in ancient sandstone
• Snow Canyon State Park — 4.5 mi
  Red and white sandstone cliffs with ancient lava flows
• Hurricane Canal Trail — 21 mi
  The hand-dug canal that built Hurricane, now a walking trail blasted into the Virgin River gorge

More markers nearby

• Santa Clara Relief Society Hall — steps away
• Swiss Colony — steps away
• The Temple Quarry — 3.7 mi
• Lucy Bigelow Young — 4.1 mi