St Charles History
Southbound First East Street
Information comes from Treasured Tidbits of Time Volume I by Jens Patrick Wilde and is a condensed version
Named for Charles Coulson Rich, St Charles traces its settlement to early May 1864. Fifteen wagons found their way from Soda Springs with Presiding Elder William G Young leading the group. Most of the wagons were pulled by oxen. Near Georgetown they forded the swollen Bear River and worked along the foothills through what later became Bern and Ovid. They arrived in Paris May 1 and after a brief rest continued to their new home.
In that first group were Swan Arnell, his wife and two children, Charles G Keetch, and Richard Pope with a wife and three children and John Windley and wife. Within weeks others followed bringing William Allred, John Hunt, William Beers, Jonathan Pugmire, Daniel Jacobs, William G Young, Martin Jacobsen, Peter Jenson, John Sorenson, Ola Transtrum, Mosiah Booth, Andrew Jensen, John and Randolph Stewart, Leonard Floyd, Shuna Bunerson, Brothers Fister, Jake Michaelson and the Hardy family.
The survey as completed by Joseph C Rich divided the community into four different divisions. Each family or adult male was given an allotment of land on which to build. A community garden was started immediately and a meeting house was built.
The first school began in the private home of the Bergreens. Later that fall a two room school with the back part being a small teacherage was completed. St Charles organized the first drama group. Paris put on the first production "William Tell" before St Charles was able to produce "East Lynn". Later that winter they produced "Uncle Tom's Cabin."
Like other communities St Charles thought it was in Utah and was selected as the county seat of Richland County Utah. Brothers Fister is credited with making the first furniture. A pit type sawmill was constructed in which one man worked below the tree and the other above it. Later Carl Hansen developed a sawmill using water as a source of power. Martin Jacobsen operated the first grist mill. When the St Charles Ward was organized, John A Hunt was the first bishop.
Annie Laker became the community midwife and was the closest to a doctor as the community had. David Taylor is believed to have started the first store in St Charles. After the official was the first person interred. A death occurred earlier but the young woman was buried in the family yard. St Charles organized one of the first bands and Saul "Pop" Tremelling was its director for many years.