Charles Ora Card facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Charles Ora Card
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Charles Ora Card (around 1901)
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| Born | November 5, 1839 |
| Died | September 9, 1906 |
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| Children | 16 Zina Young Card Brown |
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Charles Ora Card (born November 5, 1839 – died September 9, 1906) was an important leader. He founded Cardston, Alberta, which was the first settlement in Canada for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often called Mormons. Some people have even called him "Canada's Brigham Young" because of his leadership in settling new areas.
Contents
Early Life and Moving West
Charles Ora Card was born in Ossian, New York. His parents were Cyrus Williams Card and Sarah Ann Tuttle. In 1846, his family moved to St. Joseph County, Michigan, and later returned to New York.
In 1856, Charles and his parents joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. That same year, the Card family began a long journey. They traveled across the plains to join other Church members in Utah Territory. They were part of the Mormon pioneer handcart companies. These groups pulled their belongings in handcarts.
Charles was sixteen years old during this journey. He helped by standing guard at night and hunting buffalo. He also helped carry women and children across rivers. When they arrived in Utah, the Card family first settled in Farmington, Utah. Later, in 1860, they moved to Logan. There, Charles built a log cabin for his family. He joined a local group of volunteers who helped keep the peace. He also went to school in Ogden. Charles worked at his father's sawmill and small farm, and later owned them himself.
Community Leader and Builder
Charles Ora Card was a dedicated teacher in the Sabbath Schools in Cache Valley. He later became the superintendent, or main leader, for all the schools in Logan.
He then took on a big role. Charles became the superintendent of construction for the Logan Tabernacle and the Logan Temple. These are important buildings for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In this job, he managed the work and encouraged the builders to study their scriptures in their free time.
Charles also served his community in many other ways. He was a coroner, which means he investigated deaths. He was a road commissioner, helping to build and maintain roads. He was also a justice of the peace, handling small legal matters. For sixteen years, starting in 1866, he was a city councilman. His work on education and building important structures like irrigation systems made him a "pillar of the community." He worked for fifteen years as a director for irrigation canals. These canals brought water to farms in many Utah towns. He also managed five mills during this time. His commitment to education continued as he became a member of the first board of trustees for Brigham Young College.
Church Service and New Beginnings
Soon after arriving in Utah, Charles Card was called to be a church leader. He served a mission for the Church in 1871. During this mission, he traveled to Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, New York, and Massachusetts.
From 1884 to 1890, he served as the Cache Valley Stake President. A stake is a large group of Church congregations. As stake president, he oversaw meetings for 30 Church units, which are called wards and branches. He met with them four times a year.
During this time, the Church was facing challenges with the U.S. government. Charles Card asked to be sent to Mexico, but instead, he was asked to settle in Canada. Church president John Taylor asked him to find a safe place in the north. Charles Card traveled with his wife, Zina Williams Card, and twelve other families from Cache Valley. They left for the North-West Territories of Canada in 1886.
On June 3, 1887, they founded Cardston, North-West Territories, Canada (now in Alberta). This was at a place called Lee's Creek encampment. When the Alberta Stake was created, Charles became its first president. He served as a stake president for more than 20 years in total.
Building Cardston, Canada
The settlers in Cardston created a town with a grid system, like a checkerboard. They also started important irrigation projects to bring water to their farms. The Canadian government was impressed by the Mormon immigrants' irrigation work.
In 1889, Charles Card returned to Utah to report on Cardston's progress to Church leaders. President Wilford Woodruff told him to go back to Canada and help the settlement grow. The goal was to make Cardston "permanent and self-sustaining." Charles then bought land in the surrounding areas. He helped establish new settlements like Mountain View, Kimball, Beazer, and Leavitt in Alberta.
A railroad was built, connecting these new communities to the outside world. This encouraged more people to move there. Telephones were installed in the 1890s, further developing Cardston. In 1895, Charles became the first president of the Alberta Stake of the Church. This was the first stake established outside of the United States.
The irrigation projects were very successful. Many businesses and thousands of Church members came to Cardston. Charles continued to travel often between Alberta and Salt Lake City. He reported to Church leaders and received their guidance. The Church also helped with the Alberta Railway and Irrigation Company's efforts. This was a large project to irrigate the region. Mormon settlers, led by Charles Card, played a big part in its success. Charles chose two new settlement sites along the irrigation system: Magrath and Stirling. By 1902, he announced that the Canadian settlements were self-sufficient.
Personal Life and Legacy
Charles Card married Sarah Jane "Sallie" Birdneau in 1867. He later married Sarah Jane Painter in 1876. In 1884, he married Brigham Young's daughter, Zina Presendia Williams (née Young). Then, in 1885, he married Lavinia Clark Rigby.
Because of his family situation, Charles often lived in hiding. He used false names in letters to his wives. He moved locations frequently to avoid being found. He wanted to stay with his wives and children, but his situation made it difficult. In 1886, he was arrested but managed to escape by jumping from a train. He continued to hide until he fled to Canada.
When Charles went to Canada, he took only one of his wives, Zina Williams Card. However, he remained married to all three. When he returned to Utah to report on Cardston, he visited his other wives. Providing for his growing family was challenging. He tried to give each of them love and financial support.
Many of Charles's business ideas in Cardston were not very successful. So, he ran a simple store from his home. Zina's mother, Zina Diantha Young, often visited them.
As a local leader, Charles was very successful. He brought new farming technology to the area. He also helped establish a school and four church meeting houses in Cardston. He was known for being good at understanding people and situations. He gained the respect of other Canadian leaders. He was also a very religious man, and his beliefs guided how he led Cardston. As his wealth and importance grew, businessmen and government officials visited him and Zina at their home.
In August 1903, Charles's health began to decline. He and his family moved back to Logan, Utah. His third wife, Lavinia Rigby, lived with him and cared for him. Charles Ora Card passed away on September 9, 1906.
Charles Card played a very important role in settling southern Alberta. His leadership inspired many Mormon immigrants to move to Canada. He helped connect the Church with the Alberta Irrigation Company. He was in charge of finding people to work on the canal project. Within two years, 115 miles of canals were finished. The Mormon settlers were seen as very successful in colonizing the land.
His first home in Cardston, built in 1887, has been restored. It is now a museum and is one of the oldest buildings of its kind in Alberta today.
By 1911, ten thousand Mormon settlers lived in southern Alberta. By 1923, a large majority of Church members in Canada lived near Cardston. That same year, the Cardston Alberta LDS Temple was completed. It was the first temple built outside the United States. Today, over 82,000 members of the Church live in Alberta.
Charles Ora Card is the great-grandfather of the famous author Orson Scott Card, who wrote Ender's Game.
Images for kids
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Settlers of Cardston, Alberta, Canada (around 1900)
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Mormon settlers of Cardston, Alberta, Canada (around 1902)
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