Relief Society Granary

The Relief Society Granary sits at approximately 408 East 100 North. This area was originally called “Co-op Square” because of the location of many businesses of the Brigham City Merchandise and Manufacturing Association (The “Co-op”). The Planing Mill (later Merrell’s), Woolen Mill (later Baron’s), cabinet shop, pottery building, and the “Boot, Shoe, Harness, and Hat (and brush)” buildings were in close proximity. The area later became known as “Academy Square” when the Boot, Shoe, Harness, and Hat building was repurposed as a secondary school. The “square” then became the site of Brigham City High School (later Box Elder High School) and the RS Granary occupied the northwest corner of the football field. Now the activity field for the Box Elder Middle School, the RS Granary has maintained its spot as a reminder of the layout of the old city.

From the inscription at the site:

In 1876, Harriet Snow, Box Elder Stake Relief Society President, was asked by the LDS General Relief Society President, Emmeline B. Wells, to join with women's groups throughout the LDS Church to gather and store wheat against a time of need from drought, crop failure, or insect plague. Women and children went into the fields after the men completed the harvest and gleaned the remaining stalks and grains of wheat for storage. In Brigham City, 100 bushels of wheat were gleaned and stored first in the basement of the courthouse, and then in an upper bedroom of Harriet Snow's home.

Harriet requested a granary be built and in 1877 Lorenzo Snow, her husband, authorized the construction of this rock building on what was known as Co-op Square. The granary was well-constructed of rock and brick. Primary children gathered glass to be crushed and worked into the mortar to help keep mice out. The women of the Relief Society kept the granary clean and used lime to keep bugs away. The stored wheat was used mostly for local needs, but at times wheat was sent outside Box Elder County. One such day of need arrived in 1898, when wheat was sent to Parowan and other southern Utah settlements that were suffering from drought. In 1906 a train car of flour from the Relief Society granaries was sent to earthquake-devastated San Francisco. At intervals unused wheat was sold and replenished to keep it fresh.

The need for small, local granaries eventually passed, and this building was sold in 1913 to the Box Elder School District to store food for school lunch programs. Because of its thick walls, the building was used for cold storage. When use of the building ceased in 1967, it slowly fell into disrepair. In 2008 the Box Elder Chapter of the Sons of Utah Pioneers emptied the building of the old freezers, re-built the collapsing roof and refurbished the inside.

This durable old building, the Brigham City Relief Society Granary, today stands as a reminder of the hard work, frugality and vision of the Pioneer settlers of Brigham City and Box Elder County.

These photos are for nonprofit educational and noncommercial uses only.

Circa 1950s photo

Photo of inside the granary of the early door on the east wall, south corner.

The 1875 Glover map showing what was anticipated to be the fully developed "Co-op Square." Many of the buildings drawn were not built. The RS Granary, while not yet built, would have been behind the top of the rock on the right hand side

1903 Compton Photo (USU Merrill/Cazier Library Compton Collection) showing the Boot, Shoe, Harness and Hat building, the planing mill, and the woolen mill. The first log cabin built outside of the fort, owned by John D. Rees, is also visible. The granary is not visible but the photo gives a view of Co-op/Academy Square.

1918 photo of the granary without its roof. Taken from the Freeman's property.

A more recent photo