Local Area Index

Contact David Ellis

If you have any questions or need more detailed information, please feel free to contact me via phone at 435-862-9199 or fill out the form to let us know how we can help with your real estate needs.

Office Location 1224 S River Rd, Ste A-200,
St George, UT 84790
Office: 435-674-6024
Cell: 435-862-9199
Fax: 866-476-5314

WHERE DID ST. GEORGE GET ITS NAME?

By Bart Anderson

No one knows for sure how St. George was named, however, two widely held theories are generally accepted by historians. It seems two influential men of the day - George A. Smith, an early Mormon Apostle, and Phillip St. George Cooke are likely to be credited.

George A. Smith a first cousin to the Prophet Leader Brigham Young, affectionately earned the name ''The Potato Saint'' when he urged early pioneers to eat raw, unpeeled, potatoes to cure a troublesome bout with scurvy. Since potatoes contain a high amount of Vitamin A beneath the skin, the early settlers were cured. Thus, the name St. George.

Although not a Mormon, Phillip St. George Cooke was a trusted friend of Brigham Young. Legend has it that Cooke donated a good share of equipment and wagons for the southern settlement of  “Dixie”. Little history is known of the unique and kind-hearted man, but he is believed to have been born in 1809 to a British physician. In 1827, Cooke purportedly graduated from West Point, and served in the infantry and the Dragoons. He was a veteran of the Black Hawk War and also the commanding officer of the Mormon Battalion of 1847.

At the outbreak of the Civil War, Cooke remained loyal to the Union although the majority of his family, all native Virginians, sided with the Confederacy, including his son, John R. Cooke, who earned the rank of a Confederate Brigadier. At one point during fierce fighting, Phillip St. George Cooke was ordered to chase his own son-in-law, Jeb Stuart.

It wasn't until 1857 that Cooke again came in contact with the Mormons. But this time Cooke was under the leadership of Sidney Johnston and the occasion was he Mormon War. Nevertheless, Cooke remained a true friend to Brigham Dung. Cooke commanded the brigade of the Calvary that formed the reserve or the Army of Potomac and retained it when it grew to a division before the Peninsula Campaign. He also fought at York Town, Williamsburg and in the even Days War. He remained in the Army until his 1873 retirement, having served on administrative bodies and in department commands. Phillip St. George Cooke died in 1895.

St George Real Estate Information

My Account

Log in, to view your saved searches and add to your favorite listings.

Sign Up Here For Your FREE Account

... So You Can:

  • View detailed property information
  • Print detailed property flyers
  • Save your searches & favorite homes
  • Inquire about a private showing
  • Map individual property locations
  • Share your favorite homes with friends