Prophetic History of Blanding and the Four Corners Mission

Prophetic History of Blanding and the Four Corners Mission

Written by William Riley Hurst

Written at Provo, Utah, November 5, 1984

Stake President Preston G. Nielson of the Blanding West Stake called me to write the prophetic history of Blanding and the Four Corners Mission. This information was to come from the memories I have of words I personally heard the late Walter C. Lyman speak while describing a dream, or vision if you will, of the future growth and destiny of Blanding.

Since receiving this assignment I have spent many hours meditating both in the Temple and out. It seems strange to people I suppose that I should remember so much more than others my age. Even Uncle Walter's own children. It seems strange to me also. I have tried to find a reason for this. In order to give any justification for this greater knowledge that I seem to possess, I must give a background of my association with Brother Lyman and others of his immediate family.

Some of my earliest recollections are concerning the Lyman family. When we first moved to Grayson my Father purchased a city lot from them near their home and for 50 years we were close neighbors. My father, George A. Hurst, Sr., was the village blacksmith. Brother Lyman often came to the shop to get his tools sharpened and repaired. He and father became close friends and had many long, friendly conversations. I was a small boy with big ears, I believed every word I heard.

My father also had a wonderful orchard. Brother Lyman loved the fresh fruit from the trees more than anyone I have ever known. He visited our orchard many, many times and partook of the fruit in the "season thereof", raspberries, grapes, cherries, pears and plums. We had one peach tree we called the Walter C. Lyman tree because he loved the fruit from it so much. The pleasure he received from his visits to my father's orchard did not exceed the joy we derived from the words that fell from his lips as he related fascinating tales of his wonderful experiences. Again with large ears I listened and believed every word I heard.

We were to receive information regarding Brother Lyman from another source. His nephew, Albert R. Lyman, was a devoted disciple. He was in the Stake Presidency and taught school. When I became twelve years of age I was promoted into his 6th grade. He taught me for the next three years. During those three years he held a Religion Class an hour every morning before regular school started. What a wonderful experience for a young man. He told us more of Uncle Walter's dream and went into more detail and added his testimony to the validity of it. I believed every word of it and received a personal witness that the community of Blanding had a wonderful destiny. A destiny that could only be brought about by faithful Latter-day Saints keeping the commandments of God.

Sometime during this period, probably in my 15th year, a remarkable and appreciated blessing came to me. I was assigned to go Ward Teaching with Walter C. Lyman. Because of my love for him, and because my interest in his dreams had been stimulated and my curiosity quickened by the stories told me by his nephew, Albert R., I took this opportunity to get information directly from Walter C. himself.

Let me say when once our families had been visited we would stand on the street corner and visit before separating. Although I was but a young boy, Brother Lyman never talked down to me. He told me of his life experiences up to that time and bore witness that they had been to prepare him for what he was then trying to do, develop water for his beloved community. For the destiny of that community could only be reached if there was an adequate water supply. These are the things he told me: Blanding was never to become an Industrial Center. It was settled by inspiration to become a Cultural Center. A place where education and refinement would go forth to others, especially to the Indian people. Any individual who came to Blanding for the sole purpose of gaining wealth would be disappointed and move away. In time facilities would be established where greater learning could be taught than could then be done by our little elementary and high schools. I don't remember ever hearing him use the words college or university but somehow I seemed to sense that was what those greater facilities were to be.

The size of the City, Blanding is to become, was discussed. We tried to determine that by comparing it to towns and cities then in existence. I don't know that Brother Lyman ever committed himself on this point. Certainly not to me. However, in making those comparisons to other cities I remember hearing him say regarding the smaller places, "Oh, a little larger than that". And again when comparing it to the great cities, "Oh, I would not suppose it would serve the Lord's purposes for our community to be that cumbersome!'.

Now the part of his dream that fascinated me the most was that there is to be a Latter-day Saint Temple built on one of those knolls southeast of Blanding about two miles. The knolls are fairly close together and there has been some controversy over which it is to be. To me it doesn't matter which one the Lord will choose. However, whenever I discussed it with Walter C. or Albert T. or Walter's son Marvin F. Lyman, the south knoll invariably came to my mind. I believe with all my heart there is where the Temple shall be built. And now when shall that be?

It was never pin-pointed just when this wonderful event is to take place. We assumed it would be in our generation. I still think it shall be.

There is one thing that must be understood. When the time arrives for the Lord to have it built, the word will come thru His living Prophet, whoever that may be at that time. Until then the things we can do to hasten it are limited to keeping the commandments of God. Lengthen our strides, pay a more honest tithe, love our neighbor, deal with them honestly, increase our attendance at Sacrament Meetings, show an increase in Home Teaching visits and more important than all, show a marked increase in visits to the Temples already available to us. The Lord will judge by the amount of Temple work we are doing, how worthy we are to have a Temple among us.

Now I have set forth here the things I remember. They are brief but I believe them to be true. In addition to my association with Walter C. and Albert R. Lyman, I worked for eleven years at the old Lyman Garage for Marvin F. Lyman. Many days we were alone there together. We often discussed these matters. Marvin was a man who honored his father more than any other person I have ever known. I take it to mean that our eleven years association there in the garage and the discussions we had, give confirmation to the things I heard from his father, Walter C. Lyman, and his cousin, Albert R. Lyman.

There is one other witness I want to record here. John D. Rogers, former Bishop of Blanding, Councilor in the Stake Presidency, and many years councilor in the Manti Temple Presidency, after his retirement he moved to Paradox, Colorado to spend his declining years near his daughter. He has been called borne now. We had many enjoyable conversations 1n my visits out to Paradox. The expected greeting from him always came, "Have they started to build the Temple yet"? He fully expected that they would before he passed away. He was very disappointed that they did not.

After receiving this assignment from President Preston Nielson, I have spent many hours in the Provo Temple. I have meditated and prayed much. I have been fearful that my words would not be in keeping with the desires of Brother Lyman. Now let me say I know by the Power of the Holy Ghost that the things set forth here are true. That Temple will be built in the Lord's own due time.

Let us not be overly concerned about how we are going to sustain a medium-sized city. The answer is in the canyons, the deserts and mountains around us. If we maintain a City with the same standards we have always stood for, people will come from every corner of the earth, places we know not of, to study our way of life. Tourists will come by the millions and the resources will not become depleted, but will increase from year to year if we will only remember who we are and live accordingly.

"Remember if ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper in the land. But if ye keep not my commandments ye shall be cut off" ..... Book of Mormon

This is my personal witness

Wm. R Hurst

Written at Provo, Utah, November 5, 1984