Welcome to Wales, Utah

In 1854, a simple exchange at Fort Ephraim changed the course of Utah’s industrial history. A Ute Native American named Tabiona approached Brigham Young, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with a black rock he called “heap burn.” Young immediately recognized it as coal—a valuable resource that could fuel the growing Mormon settlements across the territory.

When Young asked for volunteers with mining experience, two Welsh immigrants stepped forward: John Evans Rees and his cousin John Price, both experienced coal miners from the United Kingdom. They traveled with Tabiona to locate the coal seam, which they discovered in Coal Canyon, about one mile south and one and a half miles west of where the town would later develop. The community that grew around this discovery was first called “Coal Bed” (or “Coalbed”), a name that reflected its purpose.

Brigham Young called for settlers with coal mining experience, and many of those who responded were Welsh converts. Historical accounts differ on whether he specifically requested Welsh miners or whether the strong Welsh presence developed naturally because so many skilled coal workers in the Church were from Wales. What is clear is that Welsh pioneers with professional mining expertise were deliberately sent to the area to develop the Coalbed deposit. Until 1860, these settlers were directed to remain near Coalbed to work the mine. In 1859, the town was more formally settled. The name was changed from Coal Bed to Wales (sources vary on the exact year, with some indicating 1857 and the historical marker stating 1869), honoring the homeland of these skilled miners who had shaped the community’s identity.