Utah Stake

The Utah Stake was administrative unit of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints which was formed in Provo on March 19, 1851 by Brigham Young.  This entity administered over several wards throughout Utah County. (Wards are ecclesiastical units of the Church—similar to a parish). The Stake’s boundaries, Early records refer to the stake as the Provo Stake or the “Stake of Zion in Utah Valley.” The first Stake president was Isaac Higbee with counselors John Blackburn and Thomas Willis. The first wards in this stake were Provo, Evansville (Lehi), American Fork, Pleasant Grove, Springville, Spanish Fork, and Peteetneet (Payson).  During the following year three more wards or branches were added: Santaquin, Palmyra, and Mountainville (Alpine).

On July 17-18, 1852 the Stake was reorganized with a new Stake presidency and the creation of four wards in Provo. The new Stake president was George A. Smith with counselors Isaac Higbee and Dominicus Carter.  The four Provo wards with their new bishops were the First Ward with Jonathan O. Duke, the Second Ward with James Bird, the Third Ward with Elias H. Blackburn, and the Fourth Ward with William M. Wall.

On January 13, 1901 the Utah Stake was split into three Stakes creating the Alpine Stake and the Nebo Stake. The Utah Stake retained the four Provo Wards, Lake View Ward, Pleasant View Ward, four Springville Wards, Mapleton, Timpanogos, Vineyard, and the Pleasant Valley Wards.

 On November 23, 1924 the Stake was split once again, this time separating off the four Springville Wards, Mapleton, Thistle, and Soldier Summit to form the Kolob Stake.

Five years later Utah Stake was divided once again on September 14-15, 1929. The wards of Edgemont, Grand View, Lake View, Pleasant View, Timpanogos, and Vineyard were split off from Utah Stake to form the Sharon Stake. This left Utah Stake with the Provo First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Bonneville, Pioneer, and Manavu Wards.

On February 19, 1939 the Utah Stake was divided resulting in two stakes for Provo: the Utah Stake and the Provo Stake.

 The Utah Stake included the Second, Third, Fourth, Sixth, and Pioneer Wards.

 The newly formed Provo Stake comprised the First, Fifth, Bonneville, and Manavu wards.

The Provo Stake was split once again on April 13, 1947. This created the East Provo Stake.

Remaining in the Provo Stake were the First, Fifth, Seventh, Tenth, and Manavu Wards.

East Provo took in had been the Bonneville, Eighth, and Ninth Wards.

The following month, on May 4, 1947, the Utah Stake was split once again creating the West Utah Stake.

 The Third, Fourth, Sixth, Park, and University Wards remained in the Utah Stake.

 The new Stake was formed from the Second, Eleventh, Pioneer, Rivergrove,  and Sunset wards.

So by 1950 the Utah Stake which once comprised all of Utah Valley had shrunk geographically to cover a portion of central Provo. Provo itself now contained three stakes.

Source: N. La Verl Christensen, Provo's Two Tabernacles and the People Who Built Them (Provo, Utah: The Provo East Stake, 1983), p. 17-33.