A Brief History

The Bellemont Bahá'i School is located near the small community of Bellemont that was founded as a watering station for steam locomotives before Arizona became a state in 1912.   The name is taken from French meaning; "beautiful mountain"  and refers to the panoramic view of the San Francisco Peaks that dominates the landscape from the Bellemont prairie.  With the exception of being located near the Santa Fe Railroad and US 66, the School site was wilderness in 1957.  Interstate 40 has since replaced the old, two lane "Route 66 between Chicago and Los Angles.

Work at the School started with a foundation for a cabin in 1957. The following year the cabin was moved to the site but many years would elapsed before a traversable road and infrastructure for future development would be realized. Although the property was purchased and deeded to the Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'is of Flagstaff in 1962, a formal plan for development was not made available until the Bellemont Bahá'i School Property Committee was formed in 1986. The committee was one the first inter community bodies formed at the grass root level in Arizona. From inception the committee members were to be appointed by local spiritual assemblies and groups, and in 1989, guidelines identifying committee responsibilities were adopted. Currently there are thirty-eight members representing fifteen local spiritual assemblies and four groups serving on the committee.

A significant increase in financial support for the School followed the formation of the committee, but a means of protecting the financial investments being made by other Bahá'i communities remained illusory until 1996, when the members of the Flagstaff Local Spiritual Assembly provided a means by officially granting each community a vested interest in the School property. Also, provided were three amendments to the guidelines for assuring Bahá'is everywhere that the Bellemont property will remain the site of a Bahá'i School.

Assuring the property will remain a school does not mean all the things that make a school have been accomplished. Providing basic infrastructure has been a troublesome task. The shower building with a second floor library has been the most recent structure added to the School. It could not be built until the water and septic systems had been developed. The achievements of the last forty-five years are only lighting the way to the dream the early pioneers had for building a Baha'i School. Their love for the Bahá'i Faith can be seen through their legacy. Some of their efforts have been captured in a short video produced in the 1990s called, "A Dream In The Making." To view the video use the link below.

Note: The photograph above shows the members of the first Flagstaff LSA formed in 1957. Pictured: front row, l. to r. Helen Becker, Louise Becker and Elizabeth Coke. Middle, l. to r. are Bill McCormick, Calvin Barr, Timothy Becker, Nina Seibert and Gisela McCormick. Danny Gimlin is shown on the top left. The photograph below is of the assembly members who incorporated the LSA in 1959. Shown in the first row, l. to r. are Louise Becker, Gisela Mc Cormick, Helen Becker, Donna Jenkins and Frances Latham. In the back row, l. to r. are Harry Hambly, Bill McCormick, Val Latham Sr. and Hilde McCormick.

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