Joseph N. & Sarah Grow Morris : Pioneers of Hunter, Utah (Copy)
Homesteading Hunter: The Story of Joseph and Sarah Morris
When we talk about the early days of Hunter, Utah — now part of West Valley City — the story of Joseph N. Morris and Sarah Ann Grow Morris stands out as a testament to grit, faith, and true pioneer spirit.
Joseph N. Morris was born in 1853 to English immigrants who crossed the plains by wagon train and arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in September 1848. He grew up knowing that survival depended on hard work every day: chopping wood, hauling ashes, milking cows, and tending animals. The Morris family lost their first four children in infancy, but went on to raise ten more — nine of whom lived to adulthood — shaping a family known for resilience and resourcefulness.
Joseph, though shy, was well-liked for his fine singing voice, skill with carpentry, and knack for bookkeeping. He found simple joys in candy pulls, dancing, and laughter shared with neighbors. In 1871, he married Sarah Ann Grow, a young woman with a remarkable pioneer heritage of her own.
Sarah’s father, Henry Grow, was the architect and construction foreman of the Salt Lake Tabernacle. As a child, Sarah would carry lunch to her father and had rare access to watch the iconic building take shape. Orphaned young, she was raised by an aunt who was also a plural wife. Her early years were far from easy — filled with rugged frontier memories like dawn wagon trips through sand dunes behind teams of oxen, and summers near Bountiful gathering what they could.
After marrying, Joseph and Sarah tried life in the mining town of Alta in Little Cottonwood Canyon, but one snowbound winter was enough. By 1872, they returned to the valley floor. When Sarah was seriously injured by a runaway cow while protecting their children, Joseph gave up his job to care for her — a sacrifice that left the family struggling but determined to endure together.
In the early 1880s, when the U.S. government opened up the western Salt Lake Valley to homesteaders, Joseph saw an opportunity for a fresh start. He quickly filed for land in what would become Hunter, Utah — Section 34, Range 2 West, Township 4 South. The land was barren — nothing but sagebrush, toughweed, no canal, no irrigation, and not a single tree in sight.
To secure their claim, the Morrises lived five years on the land, in a modest 18-by-20-foot, one-room cabin near what is now 4100 South and 6400 West. The tiny home had rough wooden floors, a pitched roof, one window, and burlap curtains to divide the space. Water was hauled five miles by wagon from the valley’s “bottoms,” and in harsh winters, drifting snow sometimes had to be swept out of the stove before they could light a fire.
Despite hardship, Joseph and Sarah pressed on. They raised their growing family — ten children in all — and eventually dug a 120-foot well for clean drinking water. Joseph bartered firewood for hay in Millcreek, donated tithes, and sold extra goods in Salt Lake City to make ends meet.
When the Utah & Salt Lake Canal finally reached the area in 1880, everything changed. Joseph and Sarah built a new four-room brick-and-adobe home below the canal. Their original cabin became a wash house, then a garage — a reminder of how far they had come.
Joseph’s work didn’t stop at his own doorstep. Around 1890, he answered a call to serve an 18-month LDS mission in West Virginia. When he returned, he used his carpentry skills to help build the area’s first school and the original Hunter Ward meetinghouse — places that would become the heart of the community.
Over his lifetime, Joseph built hundreds of homes across the valley, as well as a large barn, granary, and outbuildings on his own land with the help of his sons and neighbors. He planted one of the area’s first orchards and vineyards, becoming known for crisp apples and hardy grapes. True to his spirit of progress, he was among the first locals to own an automobile — which he proudly drove in the summer and stored up on blocks for the snowy Utah winters.
Joseph passed away at age 71, remembered for his craftsmanship, determination, and service that helped transform empty sagebrush fields into a thriving settlement.
Sarah stayed on the homestead, keeping the farm running with the same quiet resolve. She knitted gloves and socks, churned butter, gathered eggs, and made the buggy or sleigh ride into town through heat or snow, bartering home goods for what the family needed. She passed away in 1933, having lived a life of strength, ingenuity, and enduring love for her family and neighbors.
Together, Joseph and Sarah Morris laid the foundations of Hunter, turning raw land into a true community rooted in faith, family, and hard work — the same values that shaped what is now West Valley City.
Sometimes local history brings a tear to your eye and a lump to your throat. The hardship, sacrifice, and sheer grit it took to haul water, build homes, plant orchards, and establish the first schools and churches humble us still today. Joseph and Sarah Morris were remarkable pioneers — and their legacy still lives in the families, neighborhoods, and fields that grew up around them. We’re honored to remember them.
