Reflections on Ward Boundary changes: Back when boundaries lasted 40 years

                      A Deseret News map of Salt Lake's original ward boundaries.


MY own ward boundaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have changed significantly over the decades.
In some 35 years of living at the same address, I've survived four major Ward boundary changes and have attended four different church buildings.
(And, that doesn't count my five years serving in the bishopric of a Student ward 12 miles away either ...).
However, early ward borders in Salt Lake City remained about the same for almost 40 years.
In February of 1849, Salt Lake City was divided into an original 19 wards. By 1885, there were just two extra wards and little change in the boundaries of most of the wards.
This was in spite of Salt Lake's population growing from 5,000 in 1849 to some 20, 768 by 1880.
According to the LDS Church News section of Sept. 22, 1985, the old 18th Ward contained where Church headquarters were and also to serve the families of just 3 men -- Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball and Newel K. Whitney.
And, back then, each ward was and economic unit, as well as an ecclesiastical area. For example, the original Salt Lake Second Ward banded together to dig a canal from Emigration Canyon to water their farms.

NOTE: This article and all of the NighUntoKolob blog are NOT an official website of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They are the author's conclusions and opinions only.