Joseph L. Heywood's Prophecy of Railroads in Juab Valley
Published October 12, 2026 at 6:40 AM
Contributed by
Millennial Star Research
In 1854, at Nephi, Juab County, Utah, President Joseph L. Heywood prophesied that the valleys would be filled and that two railroads would be built: one north and south through the valley, and another running east and west through the street of the fort, extending into Sanpete Valley. At the time, such a prospect seemed impossible to the listeners due to the lack of infrastructure and capital. Decades later, the transcontinental railroad and subsequent developments led to these tracks being laid exactly as described.
Fuller account of this event (the complete account as preserved in The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, 1 September 1898 (Vol. 60, No. 35)):
In 1854, at Nephi, Juab County, Utah, President Joseph L. Heywood prophesied that the valleys would be filled and that two railroads would be built: one north and south through the valley, and another running east and west through the street of the fort, extending into Sanpete Valley.
In Their Own Words
“On one occasion he went so far as to say, in the name of God, that he would live to see these valleys so filled up, that there would be a railroad north and south through this (Juab) valley; and further, that another railroad would run east and west, up and down the very street upon which our fort then stood; and run into Sanpete Valley. This was about ten years before the great railroads across the continent were talked about or surveyed... The rails were brought, the track was laid, and to-day the main part of the road exists and the east and west line, connecting with the Union Pacific, or Oregon Short Line now, is built up the very street spoken of... and numbers of those who were present in the meeting and thought his prophecy extravagant when the declaration was made, say now, surely he was inspired of God, for it hath come to pass. — Millennial Star 60:35”
Sources & References
The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star (Manchester, later Liverpool, England, May 1840–1970), 1 September 1898 (Vol. 60, No. 35). https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1898-09-01_60_35 (account extracted verbatim from the issue's Internet Archive OCR text; research confidence: high) Complete account: The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, 1 September 1898 (Vol. 60, No. 35) https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1898-09-01_60_35
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