Joel Ricks, Junior
Joel Ricks, Junior, son of Joel Ricks and Sarah B. Fiske, was born at Farmington, Davis County, Utah, 21 July 1858. In July 1859, the family moved to Logan, Cache County, and were among the pioneer settlers of that city. During his boyhood he attended the public schools at Logan and obtained the rudiments of an education. At the age of fifteen he began the study of telegraphy and at sixteen went to Mendon as operator on the Utah & Northern Railway. At eighteen he was called on a mission to the Northern States and labored in Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, and Iowa.
In 1878 he was in the employ of M. D. Hammond in his farm implement business in Logan and on 1 January 1879, entered the employ of the Utah & Northern Railway as agent at Franklin, Idaho. He remained in the railway's employ until 1882, serving in the capacity of agent at various points and later as dispatcher at Logan.
January 18, 1881, he married Susette Cardon, daughter of Paul and Susannah Cardon, of Logan. In 1882 he was secretary of the U.O.M.& B. Company of Logan and a selectman of Cache County. In 1883 he was called on a mission to the Southern States and labored in Kentucky and Tennessee. In 1884 he entered the employ of the Rio Grande Western Railway, first as agent at Bingham Junction, then at Murray and Provo. With the exception of four years, when he was engaged in business in Logan, he was with the Rio Grande until the spring of 1901. During this time he was agent at Springville, Salina, Richfield and Castle Gate, and during the extension of the Marysvale branch he served the company in the capacity of right of way agent. In 1901 he engaged in the produce business in Ogden, and in the fall of 1902 he sold his interests in Ogden and returned to Logan, where he has since resided.
During his life Elder Ricks has held several political offices under the Republican Party. He was chairman of Logan City in 1891-92, and of Cache County in 1892-93. He was secretary of the first Republican convention in Utah, was engrossing clerk of the council of the last Territorial legislature and was a member of the State Constitutional Convention elected from Sevier County. From 1904 to 1906 he was deputy treasurer of Cache County.
In the Church he has always been an active worker and has held numerous minor positions. He was a member of the Cache Stake Sunday School Board during 1877-78. For more than two years he was counselor to Bishop W. M. T. Lamph of Castle Gate, and superintendent of the Sunday School there three years. He was a member of the Weber Stake Sunday School Board in 1902, besides having held many other positions at various times. Elder Ricks has always been a close student of the Book of Mormon and of American antiquities where they have a bearing on Nephite history. During the winter of 1903-4 he visited South America and traveled over the greater part of what he believes to be the Land of Zarahemla in order to familiarize himself with the country formerly occupied by the Nephites. While there he visited the sites of many old cities, temples, etc., and made a careful study of the geography of the country. On his return to Utah he published the first descriptive map of Nephite lands ever published by a member of the Church. He has at other times visited Arizona, Mexico, and various parts of the eastern states in pursuance of his Book of Mormon studies and has at times written articles for the local periodicals on these topics. (Information from L.D.S. Biographical Encyclopedia, Volume 2, by Andrew Jenson, 1914, pages 69-70.)