The Old Brinton Ward

The original portion of the ward house at this location was completed in 1914, for the members of the newly-formed Brinton Ward. The land was donated by Ensign Woodruff, son of the fourth president of the Church, Wilford Woodruff. Prior to meeting here, members of the first ward, formed in 1911, met in the original Oakwood School building, immediately north on Highland Drive. A peach orchard, intended for the church Welfare System, and a granary, for the use of the neighbors and ward members, once occupied this site adnacent to the chapel.

In the summer of 1997, the Cottonwood First and Fifth Wards, then occupying these premises, built this recreation center to commemorate the celebration of the sesquicentennial year of the Mormon Pioneers’ entrance into the Salt Lake Valley. A millstone was chosen as the centerpiece of this monument, a fitting symbol of pioneer self-reliance and industry to honor the memory and heritage of the Brinton Ward.