John Conrad
Naegle (Naile)
1825-1899
Pioneer, Rancher, Farmer,
Industrialist, Colonizer,
Mormon Polygamist, Patriarch
and Faithful Follower of the
Lord, Jesus Christ
Born in September 11, 1825 in Albersweiler, Bavaria, Germany, John Conrad Naegle immigrated to Indiana with his parents
in 1832. As a young man, he changed his surname from Nagle to Naile, legally changing it back to Naegle in 1873. Some of
the highlights in the life of this remarkable man include:
| 1844 | joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) at age 19 and lived in Nauvoo, Illinois from 1844-1846. |
| 1844 | took part in the Mormon exodus from Illinois to Winter Quarters in Council Bluffs, Iowa as a member of William Clayton's Nauvoo Band Company. That same year, on advice from Brigham Young, he enlisted in the United States Army, marching in the Mormon Battalion 2,000 miles across the plains and along the Mexican border to San Diego, California. |
| 1847 | was at Sutters Mill in California when gold was discovered there, washing out gold worth several thousand dollars for himself. |
| 1848-1853 | purchased land in San Jose, California and engaged in profitable farming and stock-raising enterprises, supplying the needs of the gold miners. |
| 1853 | rented out his California farm, travelled by ship to Panama, crosses the isthmus by mule, and continued by ship to New York City, then overland to Indiana where he was re-united with his family and married his childhood sweetheart, Mary Louisa Kepple. With his wife, parents, and a younger brother he crossed the plains again, this time by wagon, arriving in Salt Lake City on November 1, 1853. |
| 1853 | purchased a farm in Lehi, Utah, and homesteaded two ranches west of the Jordan river. For 12 years Naegle carried out ranching, farming, and fruit growing operations in Utah Valley. During this time he sold his California properties and assisted financially in construction of the Salt Lake Mormon Temple. On assignment from Brigham Young he purchased and placed into operation in the Salt Lake Valley a grist mill, a lumber mill, and a carding operation. He also provided horse and mule teams and wagons to assist the Mormon Church in bringing immigrants across the plains to Utah. |
| 1862 | expanded his ranching and horse-raising activities to Beaver, Utah and the Kaibab mountains in the Grand Canyon area. |
| 1865 | was called by Brigham Young to assist in the colonization and development of Utah's Dixie, with the specific assignment to establish vineyards and a wine industry. He moved his homes to Toquerville, and in 1866-68 constructed this large sandstone building as the headquarters for his widespread operations. Toquerville was his home and headquarters for 24 years. |
| 1873 | served a mission for the Mormon Church in Germany. |
| 1880 | expanded his ranching activities and holdings to Concho, Arizona near the town of St. Johns, in Apache County. |
| 1889 | when federal prosecution of Mormon polygamists made his Utah and Arizona operations difficult, Naegle moved to Mexico, purchasing 180,000 acres of land along the Bavispe river in northern Sonora on which two Mormon colonies were established, Morelos and Oaxaca. |
| 1889-1899 | during his 10-year residence in Mexico, Naegle served as a Patriarch in the Mormon Church. He died and was buried in Colonia Oaxaco, Sonora, Mexico on September 10, 1899. |
