Snowflake Monument

Those acquainted with Arizona know that the Town of Snowflake receives its share of snow occasionally, but the naming of the town comes from a more interesting story, and the heroic-sized bronze monument on Main Street depicts the event.

The monument was sculpted by noted artist Justin Fairbanks, whose wife is a descendant of the town’s founder, William Jordan Flake. The grouping portrays a chance meeting on the Utah-Arizona trail in September, 1878.

Flake and his wife, Lucy Hannah and daughter Roberta were headed back up to Utah to obtain the cattle necessary to buy the Stinson Ranch, the site of their new settlement, when they encountered a remarkable group of men who were heading to south to Arizona.

Erastus Snow, an apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, along with his party consisting of Jesse N. Smith, Ira Hinckley, and L.J. Nuttall were sent by Mormon Prophet Brigham Young to survey the town, organize the church, and lend assistance to the settlers.

As portrayed in the monument, Erastus Snow asked Flake if the settlement had a name. Flake replied that it did not. Snow then proposed a combination of their two names, and the town of Snowflake was born.

Descendants of those early pioneers have carried the name of Snowflake, Arizona around the world. Neighborliness and brotherly kindness are a legacy that have been handed down from its early pioneers. Area residents and frequent visitors are often heard to say that “Snowflake is the town where the Christmas Spirit lives all year.”