The Jacob Hamblin home has its stone foundation buried deep in the history of southern Utah. As a teenager, Jacob Hamblin had a spiritual experience wherein he felt called to work as an intermediary between the Latter-day Saints and Natives, which he felt was a lifetime calling. In 1854, Brigham Young called Hamblin and two dozen men to serve in the Southern Utah Indian Mission to work among the Paiutes. Hamblin founded the town of Santa Clara that same year, naming it after the nearby Santa Clara River. Hamblin and other Latter-day Saint newcomers recruited local Paiutes to assist them in the construction of Fort Clara. Hamblin and his family lived there until a great flood destroyed the fort and much of the settlement in 1862. With Fort Clara destroyed, leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sent skilled stone mason to build Hamblin a home for Hamblin and his family, consisting of wives Rachel Judd, Sara Priscilla Leavitt, and their respective children in 1863. After Rachel passed away he married Louisa Bonelli in 1865. The Hamblin home operated as the mission home, yet his important duties as president of the Southern Utah Indian Mission and as an Indian agent kept Hamblin from being home on many occasions. Yet, his endeavors in the region proved influential and significant for the Church and to Utah Territory. In 1868 the families moved to Kanab, where he continued his missionary labors among the Hopis and Navajos. Hamblin’s wife Priscilla fondly recalled, “With regrets, we left the big rock house in Santa Clara [in 1868]. This had been our first real home.” Jacob Hamblin’s work took him throughout Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, and Arizona. Between 1858 and 1863 he circumnavigated the Grand Canyon by boat. Later, in 1867, Hamblin floated down the Colorado River from the mouth of the Grand Wash to the Virgin River. In addition to his exploration ventures, Hamblin worked hard to establish peaceful relations with the neighboring tribes. In one such instance, local Paiutes worked with Latter-day Saints to build a dam to hold water for irrigating land around Santa Clara. In 1856, little rain fell and the crops wilted. Some Paiutes blamed Hamblin. The next morning Hamblin prayed, asking God for rain so that the settlers and Paiutes might maintain good relations. Having received an answer, Hamblin reported to all that they would indeed have the water they needed. The following day it began to rain, and that year the settlers and Paiutes grew record crops. From that time on, Hamblin held great standing among the Paiutes. Hamblin also brokered a peace between the Latter-day Saints and the Navajos at Fort Defiance, Arizona. Hamblin’s life is replete with moments like these—miracles, treaties, and the development of great relations with Natives. While Jacob Hamblin and his family only lived in the Jacob Hamblin home for several years, it stands as a lasting testament to the man who proved so instrumental in the development of southern Utah.
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