Isaac Behunin’s 1863 Settlement and Naming of Zion
Isaac Behunin had seen enough pain by 1863. For thirty years, the Mormon farmer faced mobs in Ohio, fled Missouri under threat of death, and trekked 1,300 miles to Utah after his church leader’s murder.
Still, at age 60, he pushed on. When floods washed away his southern Utah farm, Behunin moved up Zion Creek Fork with his sons and built a cabin where Zion Lodge now stands.
Looking at the towering red cliffs, he gave the canyon its lasting name: “This is Zion,” he said, “a man can worship God among these great cathedrals as well as in any man-made church.”
The story of this resilient pioneer comes alive at Zion National Park’s Human History Museum.
From Canal Worker to Pioneer: Isaac Behunin’s Early Years
Isaac Behunin was born on October 20, 1803, in Richland, New York.
He grew up farming on the American frontier, then joined thousands of workers digging the Erie Canal during the 1800s “Canal Craze.” This tough work built his strength for later challenges.
At 20, Isaac married Meribah Morton in Vermont and started a family when religious revival swept America and settlers moved west looking for new chances.
Mormon Faith Changed His Life Path
Isaac joined the Mormon Church in 1833 after finishing his canal work. He moved his family to Kirtland, Ohio to live with other church members.
Life turned hard when his first wife Meribah died, leaving him alone with three small boys: Philo, Isaac M., and William.
Between farming and raising his sons, Isaac helped build the Kirtland Temple and sometimes worked as a bodyguard for Mormon leader Joseph Smith.
A Second Chance at Family Happiness
Isaac fell in love again and married Elmina Tyler on October 1, 1834.
At 31, he wed the 23-year-old Elmina, a devoted convert who showed her faith by getting baptized through three feet of ice on Lake Erie. They had nine more children over the next 19 years, creating a big, busy household.
Elmina taught the children reading, writing, and religious studies despite their many moves and tough living situations.
Mobs and Violence Forced Them to Run
Isaac and his family faced trouble in Missouri when angry mobs attacked Mormon settlements in Daviess County in 1838. The fighting got worse as tensions boiled into what people called the Mormon War.
Things turned deadly when Missouri Governor Lilburn Boggs signed an order on October 27, 1838, saying Mormons must be “killed or driven from the state.”
Isaac and his family lived through this danger, including the Haun’s Mill attack where 17 Mormons died.
Cold Winter Escape to Illinois
In January 1839, Isaac and thousands of Mormon refugees walked through winter weather as they fled Missouri under death threats.
They found safety for a while in Nauvoo, Illinois, where Mormons built a new city along the Mississippi River. For a few years, life seemed steady as the community grew and did well.
But peace didn’t last as fights with neighbors started again, forcing another move.
The Long Trek West Tested Their Limits
After Joseph Smith died in 1844, Isaac joined the huge Mormon move west.
He loaded his large family into covered wagons for a tough 1,300-mile journey across plains, mountains, and rivers.
The Behunins reached Utah Territory in 1848, joining other Mormon pioneers who wanted to build a new life free from attacks. They first settled near Salt Lake City before church leaders asked Isaac to move farther south.
Cotton Mission Sent Him South
In 1861, church leader Brigham Young asked Isaac to join the Cotton Mission in southern Utah.
The Civil War cut off cotton supplies, so Young sent 309 families to create “Utah’s Dixie” to grow cotton, tobacco, and other warm-weather crops.
At 58, Isaac traveled 300 miles south with his family to the Virgin River basin.
They set up at a place called Northrop with two other families in December 1861, living in wagons while starting farms.
Water Washed Away Their First Settlement
The winter of 1861-1862 brought trouble when huge floods tore through the Virgin River valley in January.
The rushing water washed away good soil and wiped out several settlements including Northrop, Grafton, Duncan’s Retreat, and Adventure. After seeing their hard work swept away, Isaac and his neighbors had to move.
They went up Zion Creek Fork to find land safe from the wild river.
He Helped Start a Town That Still Exists Today
After the flood drove them out, Isaac moved up Zion Creek Fork and helped create the town of Springdale in 1862. He built a home there and went back to farming, set on making this new place work.
As one of the first people to settle in what became Springdale, Utah, Isaac helped start a community that still thrives today. But he saw even more promise deeper in the canyon.
His Cabin Marked the First Canyon Settlement
In summer 1863, 60-year-old Isaac and his sons built a one-room log cabin near where Zion Lodge stands today. They cleared land on the canyon floor and planted corn, tobacco, sugar cane, and fruit trees.
This simple farm became the first successful settlement inside what we now call Zion National Park.
Isaac split his time between his canyon farm in summer and Springdale home in winter, running two places despite his age.
The Perfect Name Came From a Simple Farmer
Standing among towering red rock walls with friends one day, Isaac looked around at the majestic scenery and spoke words that would name a national treasure: “A man can worship God among these great cathedrals as well as he can in any man-made church; this is Zion.”
The biblical name stuck. In 1872, Isaac sold his canyon farm to William Heaps for 200 bushels of corn and moved to Long Valley. He lived there until May 1881, when he died at age 78 and was buried in Mt. Carmel Cemetery.
Visiting Zion National Park, Utah
You can explore Isaac Behunin’s pioneer story at Zion National Park for $35 per vehicle or $20 individual entry.
The Zion Human History Museum opens daily 10am-5pm (closed November-February) and tells how this 60-year-old Mormon farmer became the canyon’s first permanent settler in 1863, naming it after the biblical Zion.
The Historic Zion Lodge marks where his original cabin was built. Free shuttles run March-October, or book “Ride with a Ranger” tours.
This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.
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