West Point

West Point was a small settlement founded by Mormons in the upper Muddy River (Moapa) Valley in 1867. Within two years, twenty families had relocated there. Paiutes, angered by the intrusion on lands where they grew crops, took animals and food from the Mormons, and when they retaliated the Paiutes met them with violence. In addition, poor growing conditions caused many of the Mormons to move on. In March 1870, Brigham Young visited the area and left with less than high hopes. Later that year, a flood wiped out West Point and the church granted permission for its abandonment in September. Within a month, all of West Point's 119 residents moved to other areas of the Muddy River Valley. The Mormons finally abandoned the Muddy River Valley in 1871, after a new boundary survey proved that the land was in Nevada - not Utah or Arizona.

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