Jacob Hamblin played a vital role in the settling of St.
George. He was known as the “Indian peacemaker” as he was know for building
good relationships with the natives of the area. Jacob Hamblin first came to
Utah among the early pioneers in 1847 and settled in Tooele, Utah. It was here
during a skirmish with the Native Americans, that his gun would not fire. This
inspired him to stop the fighting with the natives, and to live among them and
work with them. While in Tooele he built excellent relationships with the
Native Americans and learned the Paiute and Ute languages. This led to him
being called as a missionary by Brigham Young to serve as a mediator and
peacemaker with the Native Americans of Southern Utah.
Upon Hamblin’s arrival to Southern Utah, he helped build a
small home in Santa Clara, just a few miles upstream from St. George. But in
1862 that small home was washed away by flooding of the Santa Clara river. This
led to the Hamblin home that still stands today. Jacob Hamblin built another
home further up the hillside away from the river. It is a two story building
built from adobe sandstone and ponderosa pine. The house is fronted by a large
lawn with wine orchards. Tours of the home are free to the public and given by
Mormon missionaries. Hours are from 9:00am to 5:00pm in the fall/winter months,
and 9:00am to 7:00pm in the spring/summer months.
If you’re looking for a place to stay in St. George, be sure
to stay at the INN at St. George, and enjoy clean, comfortable rooms at an
affordable rate. Located directly in downtown St. George our hotel is a perfect
location to take the walking tour of the St. George, Utah historic district,
where the Jacob Hamblin Home is just 1 of the 26 historic destinations you will
see.