Provo Timeline

 

Date

 Event
 Abt 1300

The ancestors of the Utes settled in Utah Valley.
 Abt 1500 The Utes consisted of ten distinct bands, two of which occupied parts of Utah Valley. Utah Lake was the western edge of the area occupied by the Uintah band which extended from the lake eastward to the Uinta Basin and the Tavaputs Plateau (much of Uintah and Duchesne counties). The other band, the Timamogots (Timpanogots, Timpanogos), dwelt along the southern and eastern shores of Utah Lake.
 1776 Two Catholic Priests, Fathers Escalante and Domínguez led an expedition from Santa Fe that looped up into a corner of Utah Valley seeking a northern route out out to California.
  Etienne Provost followed the Provo river down into Utah Valley and set up a trading post near Utah Lake

 Mar 1849

 First Mormon colonists left the Salt Lake Valley and headed out to establish a colony in the Utah Valley to the south. The group of about 150 individuals were under the leadership of John S. Higbee.
 Apr 1849 The colonists began settling and constructing a fort, known as "Fort Utah", south of the Provo River and upstream a couple of miles from Utah Lake.
 1850 New fort built northwest of the first one (where North Park is located).
 1850 Territorial Legislature passed a law providing for certain men to have control of a stagecoach line from Ogden to Salt Lake City, Provo, Manti, and the county seat of Iron County (Moffitt 1975, 122).
 1850 Log schoolhouse was constructed and school was taught there by Mary Ann Turner.
 6 Feb 1851 City charter granted by the Territorial Legislature gave boundaries to the city, specified duties of elected officials, described duties of town residents, and provided for city council consisting of mayor, four aldermen, and nine councilors (Moffitt 1975, 265).
 19_Mar_1851 Utah Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints organized with four wards.
 1853 Territorial Legislature passed laws creating Provo Canal and Irrigation Company and the Provo Manufacturing Company (Moffitt 1975, 149).
 Mid-1850s A two-story "seminary" building was constructed which was used as a school.
 1858 Brigham Young and other Mormons desert Salt Lake City and move to Provo when a U.S. Army threatens to enter the Capital (Cannon 1987, 121).
 1859 Judge John Cradlebaugh convened court in Provo to investigate alleged LDS crimes (Cannon 1987, 121).
 1860-1861 Five schoolhouses were built, one for each district.
 1862 The City Council was changed to include a mayor and two aldermen and three councilors.
 1862 Warren N.. and Wilson H. Dusenberry arrived in Provo. Warren taught in the 1st ward school for 1 year and then began his own.
 1863? The Dusenberry school became the Timpanogos Branch of the University of Deseret.
 21 Jan 1864 City council changed to a mayor, at least three aldermen, and five councilors.
 19 May 1869 The Transcontinental Railroad was completed.
 abt 1870 The beginning of party politics in Utah. The People's Party and the Liberal Party both organized.
 22 Sep 1870 Federal troops raid Provo (Moffitt 1975, 91-93).
 1872 or 1873 First railroad reaches Provo (Moffitt 1975, 123; Cannon 1987, 121).
 1 Aug 1873 First Provo newspaper, the Provo Daily Times, published (Moffitt 1975, 126).
 1875 J. W. Hooper built Provo Flour Mill at 500 North 200 West (Daily Herald, 11 Feb 1930, 1).
 1 Jan 1876 Warren Dusenberry appointed first principal for the first term of Brigham Young Academy.
 21 Aug 1876 Brigham Young Academy dedicated.
 18 Jan 1877 Ordinance increased the number of aldermen to four and the number of councilors to eight.
 1877 Thomas Cordner family become the first to live on the Provo Bench for an entire year (Cannon 1987, 121).
 1878 First gravel sidewalks in Provo (Moffitt 1975, 284).
  Utah County silk industry organized (Moffitt 1975, 149).
 1881 Denver and Rio Grande Railroad reaches Provo (Cannon 1987, 121).
 1883 Emily Clapp arrived in Provo and began a small Protestant school, the forerunner of the Proctor Academy (Walden 1986, 27).
 Mar 1883 The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad was completed. The railroad ran from Denver to Salt Lake and route took it right through Provo.
 14 Jun 1883 First telephone service in Provo (Moffitt 1975, 128).
 13 Sep 1887 First long-distance phone service to Salt Lake City (Moffitt 1975, 128).
 18 May 1889 City council approved 20-year franchise allowing the Rocky Mountain Telephone Company company to operate in Provo (Moffitt 1975, 129).
 1889 First congregation of Lutherans of the Augustana Synod in Provo (Walden 1986, 103).
 1890 Provo school districts were consolidated into one school district which included the following schools: Central School (Fourth Ward), East School (First Ward), West School (Second Ward), Northeast School (Third Ward), North School no. 19, and Far North School.
 15 Dec 1890 Mayor John E. Booth and Provo City Council signed an ordinance creating the Provo City Fire Department (Daily Herald, 8 Jul 1990, E-1).
 27 Feb 1891 American Baptist Church of Provo founded with fifteen members (Walden 1986, 46).
 1891 Provo Congregational Church incorporated (Walden 1986, 29).
 1892 First building of the Academy Square dedicated.
 1892 Small Episcopalian mission begun, the origins of St. Mary's Episcopal Church (Walden 1986, 70-71).
 1892 Office of alderman abolished.
 1892 First piped waterworks completed, using mostly wooden pipes (Moffitt 1975, 285).
 1892 Timpanogos Elementary School built. This first Timpanogos School was demolished in 1938 and replaced in the following year by the new Timpanogos School which opened in 1939.
 Nov. 1892

Schools were renamed:

  Central School became Parker School

  East School became Webster School

  West School became Franklin School

  Northeast School became Timpanogos School

  North School no. 19 became Page School

  Far North School became Mountain School 
18 96 Rio Grande Railway Company built branch line from Provo through Provo Canyon to Heber (Heber Creeper) (Moffitt 1975, 125).
3 Apr 1897 First meeting of the Seventh-day Adventists (Walden 1986, 86).
1898 Maeser School built, replacing Webster School, which was sold off at that that time.
Jan 1901 Franklin School opened.
1901 Provo Commercial Club begun to promote local businesses (Wilson 1910, n.p.).
  First cement sidewalks.
1 Feb 1902 First postal delivery (Moffitt 1975, 134).
 April 1902  The LDS wards' boundaries were altered changed creating six wards out of four.
 29 Nov 1902 Provo's First Church of Christ, Scientist incorporated (Walden 1986, 82).
 1905 City council approved an independent company receive a telephone franchise, greatly expanded phone service (Moffitt 1975, 129).
 1908 The Parker School building was constructed. This was demolished in 1938 and replaced by the Joaquin School.
 1908 The first Provo High School opened. This was located about where the Provo City Fire Department is now located off of Center Street in Downtown Provo.
 1909 Bell Telephone received another 20-year franchise, and it merged with the independent company (Moffitt 1975, 129).
 1912 First year commission form of city government, as mandated by 1911 state law for cities, like Provo, of the 2nd class (Moffitt 1975, 272).
 1912 Utah Power & Light formed.
 1912 Provo High School established.
 6 Nov 1912 Groundbreaking for old BYU Women's Gym.
 1913 The Salt Lake & Utah R.R. reached Provo.
 1914 The Salt Lake & Utah R.R. was electrified.
 1915 First paving of Provo streets (Moffitt 1975, 284).
 1916 Orem Interurban Railroad extended from Provo to Payson (Moffitt 1975, 126).
 1917 Provo City Fire Department purchased its first motorized fire engine.
 1918 Serious fire damaged the Provo Woolen Mills, which never recovered.
 Winter-1918-19 Influenza epidemic.
 1919 Work on the City-County Building began.
 1919 The first Provo High School building opened. This building was replaced by the new Provo High School in 1956.
 Feb 1919 Provo's Congregational and Methodists merged to form the Provo Community Congregational Church (Walden 1986, 31).
 May 1924 First zoning ordinance passed by Provo, the first Utah municipality to create a zoning commission and pass such a law (Moffitt 1975, 288).
 26 Jan 1926 City agreed to sell its share of the City-County building to Utah County.
 15 Dec 1926 City-County Building completed and dedicated.
 11 Feb 1930 Provo Flour Mill at 500 North 200 West completely destroyed by fire (Daily Herald, 11 Feb 1930, 1).
 1930 A vocational school beganwhich held classes in various parts of Central Utah until 1941 when it was placed directly in the Provo School district to administer.
 1931 First services of St. Mark's Lutheran Church, part of the Missouri Synod (Walden 1986, 105).
 1931 Dixon Jr. High and Farrer Jr. High both opened. Although the facilities first opened at this time, classes for these grades had been taught by the High School staff in the "Jr. High building" near the old High School since about 1920.
 29 Jul 1935 First Cub Scout Pack in city begun by Provo Community Congregational Church (Walden 1986, 34).
 Dec 1936 City's first Christmas parade (Moffitt 1975, 291).
 1938 Provo Provo Post Office dedicated at 90 West 100 North, north of the Federal Building (Moffitt 1975, 132).
 5 Aug 1938 Museum in Sowiette Park officially opened (Moffitt 1975, 292).
 late 1930s With WPA assistance streets were paved, sewer lines extended and waterworks were built (Moffitt 1975, 284-285).
 1938 Original Timpanogos Elementary School was razed to make way for the next Timpanogos Elementary School.
 1939 A new Timpanogos Elementary School opened.
 1939 Joaquin School opened, replacing the Parker School.
 1939 First members of the Jehovah's Witnesses in Provo (Walden 1986, 119).
 26 Nov 1940 The City began a survey which showed the people wanted a garbage and refuse disposal system, which was implemented shortly thereafter (Moffitt 1975, 287).
 25 Nov 1941 Deer Creek Dam completed, providing a major water resource for Provo (Moffitt 1975, 286).
 1941 First meeting of the Church of Christ (Walden 1986, 133).
 1941 The Utah Valley State College opened in south Provo's old fairgrounds and buildings previously occupied by the Civilian Conservation Corps (C.C.C.).
 1942 Assembly of God started (Walden 1986, 140).
 1942 Provo purchased 160 acres of land in south Fork of Provo Canyon, including water rights on that land (Moffitt 1975, 283)
 1942 The City installed parking meters (Moffitt 1975, 287).
 1942 Provo City Commission cosponsored book called Provo: Pioneer Mormon City.
 11 May 1945 Church of the Nazarene organized with nine charter members (Walden 1986, 161).
 1946 Provo Bible Church organized, which in 1965 became the Evangelical Free Church (Walden 1986, 151, 157).
 1946 Barbizon Manufacturing Company came to Provo. Initially located on the block bounded by 100 North and 200 North, 100 West and 200 West, they later had to construct a new building up on 1230 North (Moffitt 1975, 166). They facility was closed sometime prior to September 1980.

 
 23 Jul 1948 First Baptist Church started (Southern Baptist) (Walden 1986, 169).
 1949 Grandview Elementary school opened.
 1952 Deseret Industries opened a facility in Provo occupying first the "Blumenthal Building" on the corner of 500 West and Center Street. By 1965 they had constructed a new building for their operations (Moffitt 1975, 166).
 1954 The Utah Valley State College (later Utah Technical College) occupied it's north wing at a new location on North University Avenue.
 1955 Telephone company building at 99 East 100 North first occupied (Moffitt 1975, 129).
 8 Aug 1955 Close vote of city voters in favor of council-manager form of government (Moffitt 1975, 274).
 Jan 1956 Council-Manager government implemented, with Harold Van Wagenen as mayor (Moffitt 1975, 274).
 1956 First informal meetings of Protestant ministers, known as the Utah Valley Ministerial Association (Walden 1986, 207).
 1956 JoLene Company opened on West Center Street. The company grew and later relocated to 350 South 1050 West.
 5 Mar 1956 Earl Udall appointed city manager (Moffitt 1975, 274).
 1956 The new Provo High School on North University Avenue opened.
 13 Apr 1960 Debate over relative merits of different forms of city government seen in The Daily Herald article "Provo Attains Real Progress in 4 Years of City Manager Government" (Moffitt 1975, 274).
 Jun 1961 Provo Post Office moved to 100 South 100 West (Moffitt 1975, 134).
 7 Nov 1961 City voters rejected city manager form of government in favor of return to city commission (Moffitt 1975, 274).
 19 Dec 1961 Verl Grant Dixon, who had strongly urged a return to the commission form of government, was chosen mayor in a special election (Moffitt 1975, 275).
 Jan 1962 Verl Grant Dixon began first term as mayor.
 1963 The Central Utah Vocational School changed its name to Utah Trade Technical Institute.
 1965 Deseret Industries opened in a newly dedicated facility on North State Street. This remained in operation until they constructed another new facility in ???? just to the north.
 Jan 1966 Verl Grant Dixon began second term as mayor.
 1967 The Utah Trade Technical Institute was renamed the Utah Technical College.
 13 Mar 1968 after receiving input from several citizen committees, the city commission voted to build a new municipal building on Center Street (Moffitt 1975, 294).
 20 Aug 1968 City voters approved propositions for general obligation bonds to pay for the new city building and additional city parks (Moffitt 1975, 294-295).
 1972 City government offices moved to the City Center between 300 and 400 West Center Street (Moffitt 1975, 294).
 1972 Provo City Housing Authority created.
 Jul 1972 Provo City established the Redevelopment Agency to work on downtown parking problems.
 Jun 1974 Master plan for Central Business District (CBD) completed.
 1974 $195,000 in federal redevelopment funds secured for construction of CBD improvements, must be spent by 1 Jan 1975.
 Mar 1978 Immanuel Baptist Church started, but it ended in 1984 when its pastor left town (Walden 1986, 180-184).
 1979 Novell Data Systems was incorporated in Provo. The name was changed in 1983 to Novel Inc.
 1981 Harvest Bible Fellowship organized (Walden 1986, 186).
 1981 Victory Chapel, later renamed The Potter's House, started by Pastor Manuel Vallejos (Walden 1986, 194).
 15 Sep 1982 Investors in Hawaii buy Knight Block and make commitment for its renovation.
 7 Nov 1983 Fifteen downtown businesses had formal ribbon cutting ceremony for renovation project called Provo Town Square (Deseret News, 7 Nov 1983).
 1984 Utah County's first interfaith conference involving Mormons, Catholics, and Protestants held at the Waterford School (Walden 1986, 222).
 12 Jul 1984 Religious Freedom Rally held at Excelsior Hotel (Walden 1986, 223).
 May 1985 Shriver's Clothing Store closed after 59 years of operation, then building purchased by investors in Hawaii (Deseret News, 6 May 1985).
 18 Jan 1986 J.C. Penny's at 85 West Center Street closed.
 1990 Provo City Fire Department under Chief Bill Blair celebrated its centennial with several community activities.
 2002 Provo was one of the venues of the 2002 Winter Olympics, featuring the Men's and Women's Hockey competitions.
 Nov 2004 Hotel Roberts, having closed the previous year, was razed.
 2006 Timpanogos Elementary school was demolished to make was for a new elementary school.

 


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