Lucy Hanna White Flake/obedience

In a general assembly conference in St. George, President Brigham Young read out names of men who were called for the new colonization in Arizona.  President Young said, "Leave nothing to come back to...sell all you have and take your families with you."

This is Lucy Flake's reaction:  "Another crisis in our lives had been reached.  Another decision had to be made.  Would we accept the call and go to this new country?  Arizona!!  The very name made me shudder.  There were probalbymore Indians there than in any other part of the United States.  It was the abode of the Apaches, whose depredations were known far and near.  They were considered the most blood thirsty of all the Indian tribes.  Arizona....where there was much land but little water, where there were the greatest distances with nothing to see.

Because of William's trying experiences on his former trip to the desert land of Arizona, he felt that no greater thing could be asked of him.  He said he would not have felt worse had he been told to take his family to England.  As for my reaction, I felt that this last call was too much.  Our whole lives had been spent in moving from place to place, making new homes, only to be called to help establish a new community. 

However, we believed the Bible where it said that in the last days would the Lord raise up a Prophet to guide his people.  We had accepted Joseph Smith as the promised prophet.  When he was murdered, contrary to belief of our enemies, the work did not stop, but another prophet was raised up by God to lead his people.  My parents, with thousands of other faithful saints had seen the Mantle of the Prophet Joseph Smith fall upon the shoulders of Brigham Young.

The ancient prophet, Amos, says in the third chapter and seventh verse, "Surely the Lord God will do nothing but He revealeth his secret unto His servants, the Prophets."  If we were needed to build up the waste places, we would go, even to the last Frontier."

The Snowflake Monument

The Snowflake Monument
Justin Fairbanks, sculptor

Jesse N. Smith (standing by carriage), Ira Hinckley (seated in carriage), Lucy Flake holding her daughter Roberta, William J. Flake, and Erastus Snow.
Additional person in carriage is L. John Nuttal, historian.

Inscription:
     A new pioneer settlement was begun on July 21, 1876, when William J. Flake and his wives Lucy and Prudence led five families, their wagons and livestock into this valley.  Lucy Flake described the scene as "a beautiful place" with "clear water" and "hills covered with green grass."  Within weeks, destitute families began drifting in.  Friends and strangers shared the small four-room adobe home sold to Flake with the land, and worked to harvest the crops on the newly purchased ranch.

      This monument portrays a trailside meeting in September 1878, which resulted in the naming of Snowflake.  William J. Flake and part of his family were traveling north in a wagon to sell wool and purchase Utah cattle. (Prudence remained at home for health reasons.)  Near what is now Winslow, they crossed paths with the carriage of Erastus Snow, a Mormon leader assigned to direct colonization efforts in Arizona.

     Flake gave an accounting to Elder Snow of failed attempts to establish settlements along the Little Colorado River.  After enduring much hardship and the death of a young son, Flake sought a better site and purchased the cattle ranch on the Silver Creek.

     After hearing Flake's report, Elder Snow praised him for his efforts.  He suggested they name the growing settlement "Snow Flake," and plans were made to establish a permanent town.  Following their meeting, Snow and his traveling companions, Ira Hinckley and Jesse N. Smith, visited Flake's ranch and helped survey and lay out the town site. 

     Though this roadside meeting was brief, it would impact generations to come. Jesse N. Smith was called to move his family to Snowflake, where he served as a prominent church and civic leader for nearly three decades.

     As more pioneers arrived, schools were established, irrigation systems built, and beautiful brick home created.  This monument pays tribute to each man, woman, and child who sacrificed to build this community which is endeared in the hearts of thousands of their descendants throughout the world.

     This monument was sponsored by the Snowflake Heritage Foundation and funded by the generous donations of townspeople and descendants of the pioneers, it was dedicated on July 21, 2000 by James E. Faust, acting in behalf of LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley, grandson of Ira Hinckley.

William Jordan Flake pictures

William Jordan Flake: 1839-1932

William Jordan Flake (grandfather of Bruce Flake)

Prudence Jane Kartchner Flake: 1850-1896 (wife of William Jordan Flake)

Lucy Hannah White Flake: 1842-1900 (wife of William Jordan Flake)

Story about William Jordan Flake Following the Prophet

From "To the Last Frontier," written by Lucy Hannah White Flake, William Jordan Flake's wife

    In the winter of 1873 William (Jordan Flake) was asked by Brigham Young, the Great Western Colonizer, to go with a party of twelve men on an exploring trip to Arizona. They had pack horses to carry their bedding and provisions and each one was mounted on a good saddle horse. They crossed the Colorado at Lee's Ferry, traveled south, passed the San Francisco Mountains and into the Upper Verde Valley. They passed through the vicinity of where Flagstaff is now located. They encountered deep snows and extreme cold weather. The snow in one place was so deep it was up to the shoulders of their saddle horses. The men took turns breaking the trail through these drifts. The lead horse would make six jumps then drop behind to catch his breath while the second horse would take six jumps. In this way they traveled all day.
     When Brigham Young sent the party out, he told them that they would have grass for their horses every night. The men had great confidence in his word and faith in his promises, but on this day it looked impossible for this promise to be realized. About four o'clock in the afternoon they looked down into a valley and there saw a small patch of green grass where the wind had blown the snow away. They headed their poor tired horses for it and that night they had the promised grass.
     After about two weeks of this intense cold and hardship, the men decided they had had enough of Arizona and started to return. At a certain place Adam Greenwood and William turned off to come to Beaver. Provisions were scarce and as they were only two days from home they gave what they had to the others who still had several days travel ahead of them.
     By night William and his companion were pretty hungry. Brigham Young had also promised the company that if they would not waste game which was plentiful in those days, that they should have meat when they needed it. They hadn't seen any game for two or three days and were getting hungry for meat.
     The two men had camped for the night. Had unsaddled their horses, built a campfire and were wondering how they were going twenty-four hours more without food. As they sat there warming and resting their tired limbs Adam said, "Bill, President Young promised us meat when we needed it, didn't he? Well, we need it now, if anyone ever did."
     "We will get it," my husband answered, confidently, "I never knew of one of Brigham Young's promises to fail."
     "Well, this is the one time when his promise will fail to the ground," said Adam.
     The two men were hovered around the fire. The sun was setting. Suddenly they saw at a distance a big white hare standing in the snow. William said, "Well, Adam, there is your meat."
     Adam remarked, "Bad as I want meat, I wouldn't go that far through this snow after it. If we are to have meat tonight, it will have to come to us."
     I have heard William tell many times how that big mountain hare came as direct to their fire as an arrow could fly. When it got near enough he hit it with a hard snowball he had made; it gave one jump into the air and was lying there in the snow kicking when he went to it, picked it up and wrung its head off. They had plenty of meat for supper and breakfast. They reached home that night.