THE FOUNDING
SAINTS
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| Sparks Railroad Yard with Original Roundhouse |
Several families employed by the railroad were transferred from Ogden, Utah, to Sparks, Nevada in the early 1900’s when repair and maintenance shops in Ogden closed. At the time, Ogden was a fairly small railroad town with a large percentage of Mormon Church membership. As families were transferred and settled in Sparks, they felt a warm familiarity upon meeting other Ogden transfers. Ogden people either knew each other or they knew of each other’s families. The association and bond was gratifying since they generally had no extended family to associate with so far away from home.
Unknowingly, the railroad was the medium whereby the church
was established. A small nucleus of Ogden railroad transfer families became the
heart of the formative branch and a new
assembly of saints.
Through turbulent times and joyous occasions, the little
branch managed to thrive. For four years after the missionaries were
transferred out of Sparks in 1911, things looked bleak.; then faithful members
who persevered were blessed. Sunday School was reorganized in 1916 followed by
the Relief Society and finally the branch was well enough established to consider
construction of their own chapel building.
California mission clerks and Sparks branch clerks kept a
steady flow of information written in short form, not story form. From their
references, we have enough information to investigate information from other
sources. Personal interviews, histories, other church archives, history books,
museums, and newspapers have given a story line to the noted subjects in the
records.
Names of people were mentioned several times during the
years of 1910-1911. We know that Emma and John Johnson moved in. Emma typified
a church stalwart who regularly bore her testimony in gratitude for the
organization of the branch. And, like a few other sisters, her husband was
never mentioned after their records were received in the branch.
In fact, Sisters Josephine Payne, Adelia Hafer, Lydia
Anderson and Gladys Huyck were the backbone of the branch. They held positions,
gave prayers and planned parties. It
appears their husbands worked long hours to provide for the family, yet were
unable to attend church, having to work seven days a week. These valiant
sisters did not stay home because their husbands were working. They did not let
that hamper them from making the effort to attend and worship in the
camaraderie of their fellow saints and sisters.
Sparks had grown from nothing but a swamp to a thriving
community overnight, however, there were very few public buildings for the
membership to rent for Sunday Meetings. The records indicate the saints
originally met for a “cottage meeting” in the home of Sabina Baxter. Then as
time went on, meetings were held alternately between Sister Baxter’s home, the
Robison [or sometimes written as Robinson] Hall and Raine Hall in downtown
Sparks.
It was common practice to work for a few years on the
railroad with the intent to permanently move back to enjoy the fellowship of
family and friends in Utah.
Transiency has always been a predominant thread in Reno and Sparks; in fact,
statistics show that only 30% of the local population who are born here remain
for the duration of their lives. Most of the founding saints defy the
statistics with descendants that continue to work and live in the area as fourth
and fifth generation natives.
The following, introduction posts are life sketches from a cumulative effort to
invite this generation to become familiar with people who were never given due
recognition for their part in promoting the growth of Zion.
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