Utah State Historical Society State Capitol, Salt Lake City Volume VII
October, 1939
Number 4
T H E O R D E R V I L L E U N I T E D ORDER O F ZION By Mark A. Pendleton* Perhaps no town in Utah has a more interesting history than Orderville, Kane County. Its very name challenges our attention. It was here in a remote region, over half a century ago, that an impoverished people solved in a unique way the age old problem of providing food, shelter and clothing for the group, and attained a degree of culture second in southern Utah only to that at St. George. Long Valley, in which Orderville is located, is in the extreme southern part of the state, between Bryce and Zion Canyon National Parks. U. S. Route No. 89 runs through this narrow valley which by the first settlers was called Berry Canyon. We are not sure who were the first whites to visit this region. The first authentic account of exploration is given by John D. Lee. In 1852, Lee with John C. L. Smith. John Steele, John Dart, Solomon Chamberlain, Priddy Meeks and F. F. Whitney entered Sevier Valley *Mr. Pendleton, (for many years connected with the Salt Lake City Public School System) is the son of Dr. Calvin Crane Pendleton, distinguished pioneer physician of Iron County, whose practice from 1852 until his death April 21, 1873, was drawn from southwestern Utah generally. His mother was Mary Coombs Pendleton, a pioneer of 1860. Mark A. Pendleton, the author of this article, was born at Parowan in 186S, and spent his early years in southwestern Utah. Thus, he says, he has always maintained a keen interest in the development and history of that region, more especially Utah's Dixie. Among his more important writings are "Memories of Silver Reef" in the Utah Historical Quarterly for October, 1930. " I n my boyhood, I often heard the United Order discussed", lie writes. "Many of the comments and opinions expressed were unfavorable. I have talked with many others who lived in the Order, and have gained much from them, such as J. E. Heppler, who lived in the Order at Glenwood, and praised the system there as highly successful. The L. D. S. Librarian, Alvin P. Smith, kindly permitted me to consult the Orderville Ward Records. My nephew, Warren Pendleton of Parowan, married in Orderville, a Miss Esplin, daughter of Henry W. Esplin, leader of the United Order of Orderville." "As a public school teacher, my nephew had directed the preparation of two or three valuable theses on the United Order. These papers, prepared in Orderville by Orderville students, were placed at my disposal. Henry Chamberlain, and wife, Henry Jolley and wife, Henry W. Esplin, former president of the Order, still living at Orderville, past his 85th year, and others, have talked freely and interestingly, furnishing many details for this paper." "The L. D. S. Church Historian, Joseph Fielding Smith, also graciously allowed me to make free use of the very excellent manuscript, "History of Orderville", written by Francis L. Porter. All these and other sources of information are duly credited in the text, but I wish again to acknowledge my indebtedness to them, for many courtesies, and much valuable information. If this paper proves interesting to readers of the Utah Historical Quarterly, I shall be content." . The Editor regrets the necessity for deleting portions of Mr. Pendleton s manuscript, to avoid duplication in Mrs. Seegmiller's article which follows. In fact, changes were made in Mrs. Seegmiller's paper to avoid duplicating part of Mr. Pendleton's work.
