Rhiannon Hendricks
The Honeymoon Trail was a loosely defined system of wagon roads that connected the Arizona settlements of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to St. George, Utah. The trail was originally known as the Mormon Wagon Road and was the primary travel route between the Mormon settlements in northeastern Arizona and southern Utah in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. After the construction of the St. George Temple in 1877, many couples travelled to St. George to have their marriage vows solemnized, and the trail became known as the Honeymoon Trail. The journey was difficult and hazardous, with couples having to cross deep muddy washes, traverse canyons and hills, and endure snow and sandstorms.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Time Period | Late 19th and early 20th centuries |
| Route | From Mormon settlements in northeastern Arizona to St. George, Utah |
| Distance | More than 450 miles |
| Terrain | Rugged, varied, rocky, sandy, arid, canyons, hills, mountains, muddy washes |
| Transportation | Wagon, buckboard, horseback |
| Travel Time | 3 to 6 weeks |
| Major Obstacles | Crossing the Colorado River, lack of drinking water |
| Notable Locations | Lee's Ferry, Pearce's Ferry, Fort Pearce Wash, Warner Valley, St. George Temple |
| Purpose | For Mormon couples to have their marriage vows solemnized at the St. George Temple |
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What You'll Learn
- The Honeymoon Trail was a loosely defined system of wagon roads that led from Arizona to St. George, Utah
- The trail was used by Mormon couples who wanted to have their marriage vows solemnized in the St. George Temple
- The journey was difficult and hazardous, with couples having to cross deep muddy washes, traverse canyons and hills, and endure snow and sandstorms
- The trail got its name from Arizona newspaper reporter Will C. Barnes, who studied the hundreds of couples who travelled along it
- The Honeymoon Trail continued to be used well into the 20th century, until modern highways were constructed and a new temple opened in Mesa, Arizona
The Honeymoon Trail was a loosely defined system of wagon roads that led from Arizona to St. George, Utah
In the late 1870s, Mormon colonists were sent by church leaders to establish new settlements along Arizona's Little Colorado River. These settlements were remote and isolated, so goods and services could only be obtained from the established Mormon communities in southern Utah. After 1877, when the St. George Temple was completed, Arizona Mormon settlers traveled to St. George to conduct church business and have their marriage vows solemnized.
So many newlyweds traveled this wagon road that it became known as the Honeymoon Trail. Couples would travel in small groups for safety and companionship as they crossed the rugged terrain of northeastern Arizona and southwestern Utah. The journey from the northern Arizona colonies of Sunset, St. Joseph, Snowflake, Show Low, and Taylor took anywhere from three to six weeks. One of the most significant obstacles was crossing the Colorado River, with Lee's Ferry and Pearce's Ferry being the two major crossing points.
The Honeymoon Trail continued to be used well into the 20th century, even as modern highways were constructed across northeastern Arizona. The trail was challenging and hazardous, with deep muddy washes, canyons, hills, and a lack of adequate drinking water. Despite the difficulties, some couples chose to endure the journey for their marriage ceremonies, spending the winter months in St. George and enjoying the social activities and established community there before beginning the long trip home in early spring.
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The trail was used by Mormon couples who wanted to have their marriage vows solemnized in the St. George Temple
In the late 1870s, Mormon colonists were sent by church leaders to establish new settlements along Arizona's Little Colorado River. These settlements were remote and isolated, so many goods and services could only be obtained from the established Mormon communities of southern Utah. After 1877, when the St. George Temple was completed, Arizona Mormon settlers travelled to St. George to conduct church business and have their marriage vows solemnized. The St. George Temple held particular significance for Mormons as it was the closest temple in which marriages could be made eternal or "sealed".
The Honeymoon Trail, originally known as the Mormon Wagon Road, was a loosely defined system of wagon roads that led from the Arizona settlements of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to St. George, Utah. The trail was difficult to traverse, with deep muddy washes, canyons, and hills, and a hazardous river crossing. Most of the trail also lacked adequate drinking water, which often resulted in the death of oxen from dehydration.
The journey typically began in mid-November and required many weeks of hard travel to complete. Couples would travel in small groups for safety and companionship, making the long-distance trek across the varied and rugged terrain of northeastern Arizona and southwestern Utah. The route began in northern Arizona colonies such as Sunset, St. Joseph, Snowflake, Show Low, and Taylor, and then headed south to Pipe Springs, Arizona, before heading north into Washington County and St. George.
The Honeymoon Trail continued in use well into the 20th century, until modern highways were constructed across northeastern Arizona and the Mesa, Arizona temple opened in 1927.
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The journey was difficult and hazardous, with couples having to cross deep muddy washes, traverse canyons and hills, and endure snow and sandstorms
The Honeymoon Trail, also known as the Mormon Wagon Road, was a loosely defined system of wagon roads that connected the Arizona settlements of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to St. George, Utah. The trail was the principal travel route between the Mormon settlements in northeastern Arizona and southern Utah during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. After the completion of the St. George Temple in 1877, couples in Arizona traveled there to participate in the marriage ceremony, as it was the closest temple where marriages could be solemnized.
The journey typically began in mid-November and required many weeks of hard travel to complete. Couples would travel in small groups for safety and companionship, and some couples endured snowstorms or sandstorms, with at least one person suffering vision loss due to the sandstorms. The trail was difficult to traverse even under the best conditions and was sometimes made worse by the weather. Despite the challenges, some couples chose to make the journey by wagon or buckboard, while others went by horseback or, later, by train and automobile.
The Honeymoon Trail continued to be used until 1927 when the Mesa, Arizona temple opened, and into the 20th century until modern highways were constructed across northeastern Arizona.
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The trail got its name from Arizona newspaper reporter Will C. Barnes, who studied the hundreds of couples who travelled along it
The Honeymoon Trail was a loosely defined system of wagon roads that led from Mormon settlements in northeastern Arizona to St. George, Utah. The trail was so named because many newlyweds travelled to St. George to have their marriages solemnised in the temple there. The journey typically took anywhere from three to six weeks and was often fraught with hazardous river crossings, deep muddy washes, canyons, and hills.
In 1871, the leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints announced that a temple would be built in St. George. This was exciting news for members in both southern Utah and Arizona, who wanted to be married for eternity in a ceremony that could only take place in a temple. After the temple's completion in 1877, couples in Arizona began making the long and arduous journey to St. George.
The trail got its name from Arizona newspaper reporter and historian Will C. Barnes, who studied the hundreds of couples who travelled along it. Barnes lived on the Little Colorado River in the 1880s and interacted with the people passing by his ranch on their way to and from St. George. In 1934, he wrote an article for Arizona Highways Magazine in which he referred to the Mormon Wagon Road as the "Honeymoon Trail." The name stuck, and soon everyone, including the Mormons themselves, adopted it to collectively refer to this network of trails.
The Honeymoon Trail continued to be used well into the 20th century, even after the completion of the Atlantic Pacific Railroad in 1885, which provided a faster mode of transportation for a few couples. The trail's use declined with the construction of modern highways across northeastern Arizona, and it was eventually replaced by the Mesa, Arizona temple, which opened in 1927.
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The Honeymoon Trail continued to be used well into the 20th century, until modern highways were constructed and a new temple opened in Mesa, Arizona
The Honeymoon Trail was a loosely defined system of wagon roads that led from Mormon settlements in northeastern Arizona to St. George, Utah. In the late 1870s, Mormon colonists were sent by church leaders to establish new settlements along Arizona's Little Colorado River. These settlements were remote and isolated, so goods and services could only be obtained from the established Mormon communities of southern Utah. After 1877, when the St. George Temple was completed, Arizona Mormon settlers traveled to St. George to conduct church business and have their marriage vows solemnized.
The trail was difficult to traverse under the best of conditions, and weather sometimes made the journey even more challenging. Couples had to cross deep muddy washes and traverse canyons and hills. They could choose between a shorter route across mountains or a longer route that bypassed the mountains. The trail lacked adequate drinking water, and it was common for oxen to die from dehydration. Some couples even traded their dying or dead oxen to people along the trail for other needed goods.
The journey typically began in mid-November and required many weeks of hard travel to complete. The wagons jolted across deep dry washes and slick rock, bogged down in deep sandy soils, and became mired in muddy stream crossings. At Lee’s Ferry, John D. Lee and his wife Emma provided a regular ferry service for travelers, as this was one of the few feasible crossings of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. Their journey then took them to Kanab, Utah, south to Pipe Springs, Arizona, finally heading north into Washington County. Here, the Honeymoon Trail followed Fort Pearce Wash and headed north through the Warner Valley into St. George.
The Honeymoon Trail continued to be used well into the 20th century, until modern highways were constructed across northeastern Arizona and a new temple opened in Mesa, Arizona, in 1927, providing a closer location for Arizona couples to be married.
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Frequently asked questions
The Honeymoon Trail was a loosely defined system of wagon roads that lead from Mormon settlements in northeastern Arizona to St. George, Utah.
The trail was so-called because many newlyweds travelled to St. George to have their marriage vows solemnized in the St. George Temple.
The journey typically began in mid-November and required many weeks of hard travel to complete. The trip from the northern Arizona colonies to St. George took anywhere from 3 to 6 weeks.
