Swiss Colony

In late 1861 Brigham Young sent about ninety Swiss converts south under Daniel Bonelli to grow cotton and grapes in the warm country along the Santa Clara. They settled beside the fort Jacob Hamblin had built and set to planting. Then, on New Year's Day 1862, the creek rose and took nearly everything — the fort, the dam, the ditches, the season's work all washed downstream. They stayed and rebuilt anyway, through years of short rations and hard living. Their Swiss names still fill Santa Clara, now a St. George suburb rather than a struggling outpost.

What the plaque says

November 28, 1861 about 93 pioneers under the leadership of Daniel Bonelli, were sent by President Brigham Young to settle southern Utah and raise cotton and grapes. They located at the fort built by Jacob Hamblin and others along Santa Clara Creek, one mile west of the present townsite. The fort and many other buildings, dam and ditches were washed away by floods January 1, 1862. Lack of food, shelter and clothing tested their endurance for years.

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
• Santa Clara Heritage Monument — steps away
• The Temple Quarry — 3.7 mi
• Lucy Bigelow Young — 4.1 mi