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James Lynn Bevan
March 10, 1931 – June 14, 2016
Blessed, Honored Pioneer!
“It is good to look to the past to gain appreciation for the present and perspective for the future. It is good to look upon the virtues of those who have gone before, to gain strength for whatever lies ahead. It is good to reflect upon the work of those who labored so hard and gained so little in this world, but out of whose dreams and early plans, so well nurtured, has come a great harvest of which we are the beneficiaries. Their tremendous example can become a compelling motivation for us all, for each of us is a pioneer in his own life…”
-Gordon B. Hinckley, 1984
These words are now found on a plaque at the entrance of the Pioneer Museum, the place that Jim Bevan loved so much. Jim loved these words because they epitomized his own thoughts and feelings. He had a drive and desire to help everyone visualize and understand the struggles and sacrifices that were made by those men and women that lived in the very early days of Tooele.
Jim was a descendent of the faithful pioneers that established the city of Tooele. He was the 10th of eleven children born to Eli Edson Bevan and Sarah Shields Bevan. He was named after his relative James Bevan who was born in 1821 in Herefordshire, England and came to Utah in 1847 after coming from California, as a member of the Mormon Battalion. Jim’s father, they called him Kelly, was an engineer of the train that used to travel Vine Street every day giving the men a ride to and from the Tooele Smelter. Jim’s mother died when he was only twelve years old. Jim worked at the lumber company in Tooele, at the Tooele Ordinance Depot and finally at Utah Power and Light Company. He served the LDS church as a bishop, a high counselor and stake president.
Over the years Jim spent thousands of hours with his friends Russ Hammond and John Bryan and gave much in the way of personal resources in an effort to establish a place where people could visit to catch a glimpse of the past. His desire to share his love of those early pioneers and their struggles resulted in many of the displays at the Pioneer Museum. The museum now stands as a monument to his life.
The text on this page is from Sons of Utah Pioneers historic marker #249, located at the James L. Bevan Tooele Pioneer Museum at 39 East Vine Street in Tooele, Utah.