To celebrate the 140th anniversary of the settlement of the Virgin Valley, Saturday, January 14, 2017 was declared Heritage Day by David Anderson, President of the Mesquite Nevada Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The day started with a morning program at the heritage site on the south side of the Virgin River. The presentation was a moving commemoration to the first families to establish the settlement of Bunkerville in January of 1877. Talks and special musical numbers created a reverent tribute to the occasion. The site, called Settler’s Point, is where the first shelters were built in the valley. These consisted mostly of wagon boxes with canvas covers and dug outs with willow roofs.
The day’s activities continued at the Heritage Park adjacent to the LDS Stake Center on North Arrowhead Lane in Mesquite. A lunch of soups, stews and chili with scones was served while storytelling, sing-alongs and cowboy poetry entertained the group. Kids played in a bounce house and rode on a child sized train in the parking lot. A miniature pony delighted the crowd and gave gentle rides to the smallest attendees. Historical displays with photos and student art helped tell the story of the settlement of the valley.
Music, banners and prayers rounded out the day to mark a very special date in the history of the valley.
