Lot Smith was a figure associated with the management of property for the Sunset United Order in Arizona, according to a July 13, 1886, letter from Erastus Snow, Brigham Young, and George Teasdale. In that correspondence, the three leaders appointed a committee to address land matters at Sunset, Arizona. The letter noted that the committee was tasked with overseeing property under the general control of Lot Smith or other agents of the Company. This responsibility involved managing assets that belonged to the company, including those held by agents such as Joseph U. James, A. L. Rogers, C. W. Merrill, and Israel Call. According to the same 1886 letter, some individuals, such as Frihoff Nielson, had received property from Lot Smith that had not yet been valued or cleared on the Company Books.
The settlement of the Sunset United Order involved complex economic structures. According to an undated essay by George S. Tanner, Brigham Young chose Lot Smith to help found a local area that would eventually become a community. The undated text notes that Smith was one of the individuals who helped establish the settlement in the Arizona territory. This settlement was part of a larger movement where groups of families moved to colonize new areas, often under the direction of church leaders. The undated essay mentions that while some groups were establishing themselves, others were looking to expand into the area near the Little Colorado River Valley.
By the late nineteenth century, the United Order system at Sunset was a subject of significant observation. In a letter dated August 11, 1879, Wilford Woodruff reported on his observations of the settlement. He noted that the sheep, mill, and dairy at Sunset were all living in the United Order. Woodruff stated that the people in the settlement appeared to be united and contented. He also observed the specific economic practices of the order, noting that when individuals joined, they turned in all of their property—whether good, bad, or indifferent—which was then priced by a committee. If a member chose to leave, the property was returned to them in its original shape or its equivalent value.
However, the undated essay by George S. Tanner notes that the results of this system varied significantly among participants. The undated document observes that in some instances, a person entering the system with significant wealth and a large family could end the year with a surplus, whereas a person entering with much less could end the year in debt. The undated essay further observes that those who attempted the system often found it difficult to maintain, with many eventually breaking up the arrangement. The historical records from 1886 to 1888, as described in the undated Sunset United Order records, highlight the administrative efforts required to manage these shared resources and settle accounts for those involved in the community.
What this means for Sunset
For residents of Sunset, these historical documents illustrate the communal and organized nature of early settlements in the region. The records show how early figures like Lot Smith managed shared assets and how the United Order system attempted to create economic stability through collective property management during the late nineteenth century.
