Family members gather to honor legacy of early Cedar City builder George A. Wood

CEDAR CITY — Dozens of family members of Cedar City pioneer builder George A. Wood recently gathered at Wood Ranch in Cedar Canyon to celebrate his legacy.

Attendees eat lunch at the Wood Ranch pavilion for the George A. Wood family reunion, Cedar Canyon, Iron County, Utah, July 20, 2024 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

The July 20 reunion was attended by an estimated 130 people of all ages, many of whom were either direct descendants or extended family members by blood or by marriage, to George Albert Wood (1878-1964) and his wife Sabina Jochum Wood (1882-1967).

Wood himself, or at least a life-size metal likeness of him, even made a surprise appearance, arriving at the gathering in the bed of a pickup truck driven by local artist Jacob Dean, who was commissioned to create the distinctive sculpture.

The likeness captures the essence of Wood, down to his signature button-up shirt and distinctive brimmed hat, with suspenders holding up the pants above his waist on his gangly 6-foot-4 frame. In his right hand, he holds a large concrete stamp like the one he used to mark his construction projects.

Dean, who spent between 400-500 hours creating the sculpture, said he intentionally left some of the welding seams visible to create a more impressionist look.

“It makes the welding process noticeable and allows people to connect to the project by observing the method used to create it,” Dean said, adding that he is grateful for those who have come together to finance and plan the project.

Georgia Smith-Johnson, youngest granddaughter of George A. Wood, holds up an informational poster about her upcoming book about him, Cedar Canyon, Iron County, Utah, July 20, 2024 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Family members said the sculpture is scheduled to be installed in Cedar City in early November, at a location near the Union Pacific depot at the corner of Main Street and 200 North.

Reunion organizer Georgia Smith-Wood, who is the youngest granddaughter of George A. and Sabina Wood, said she still remembers her grandfather taking her around town and showing her various buildings that he had helped construct.

“He would walk around town and he would tell me that he built this or he built that, when he built it, and he’d tell me some of the stories that went along with that,” said Smith-Johnson, who was almost 14 years old when her grandfather died in 1964. “He is a contractor. He helped build Southern Utah. He built a lot of Cedar City.”

In addition to helping construct an estimated two-thirds of the homes in Cedar City that were built between 1909 and 1916, George A. Wood also was involved in various other projects over the years, the lodges at Bryce Canyon, Zion and Grand Canyon national parks, Cedar City’s historic Rock Church building, and some of the first instructional buildings on the Southern Utah University campus. He also helped build streets, sidewalks, hotels, schools and a public library.

There’s not a street that you can go on … in old Cedar City that doesn’t have his signature on it in some way, shape or form,” Smith-Johnson added.

Smith-Johnson said she recalls shadowing her grandfather as he worked, helping him make book holders, doors and windows.

“He was my best friend. He was my personal missionary,” she said. “He gave me a foundation in my life.”

Sculptor Jacob Dean of Cedar City poses with his latest commissioned work, a life-size sculpture of George A. Wood, Cedar Canyon, Iron County, Utah, July 20, 2024 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Saturday’s reunion attendees included extended family members descended from George A. Wood’s siblings (he was the oldest of 14 children born to George Henry Wood (1856-1940) and Elizabeth Ann Bryner Wood (1860-1937).

“Elizabeth Bryner Wood knew how to work and she taught her children how to work,” Smith-Johnson said. “And my grandfather taught us how to work. He wanted to bless his community and that comes through working. He used to say, find what you like to do. Find what you love to do, because you’re going to do it the rest of your life. And that’s what will make you happy.”

Smith-Johnson has documented her grandfather’s accomplishments in her forthcoming book, “George A. Wood, The Man Who Helped Build Southern Utah,” scheduled to be published this fall by Southern Utah University Press.

In addition to a lunch of hamburgers, hot dogs, chips and watermelon, attendees played games and took part in a fundraising auction. Organizers said the event generated more than $2,000 in donations to be applied toward the cost of the sculpture and its installation.

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