Joel Ricks, JOEL, JONATHAN, LEWIS, BENJAMIN, ISAAC, ISAAC, was born in Farmington, Utah, July 2, 1858, his parents having returned from the southern exodus but a few days before.  The year following his birth, the family removed to Cache Valley, and settled in Logan, Cache Co., Utah.  The valley was then a wilderness; Indians were numerous and caused the settlers no little trouble and anxiety.  Logan was never attacked, but was often threatened and depredations were committed at several of the surrounding towns, until the battle at Bear River in 1863, when the Indian power was broken.
When old enough he was given the care of the sheep and cows in summer and in winter went to school.

When the telegraph came, he wanted to be an operator, and studied telegraphy, and later became a railway agent, and an operator for five years with the old Utah Northern, and for nearly seventeen years with the Rio Grande Western, holding the position in Idaho at Franklin, Oxford, and Idaho Falls, and in Utah at Logan, Salt Lake City, Provo, Springville, Salina, Richfield, and Castle Gate.  He was right-of-way agent for the Rio Grande Western during the construction of that line to Marysville in 1896.

On January 13th, 1881, he married Miss Susette Cardon, born June 23, 1861, daughter of Paul and Susannah Cardon, native of Italy, who had been converted to Mormonism, and had come to Utah in the early days.  Notwithstanding the fact that Mr. Ricks has devoted his time largely to railroad work, he has had time to devote to other duties.  He is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and has filled a number of church offices.  In 1878-7, he filled a mission in the Middle States; was for three years councillor to the Bishop of Castle Gate, Utah; was a member of the Weber Stake Sunday School Board in 1902, and has filled a number of minor offices continuously for thirty years.

In politics under the Peoples Party rule, he was elected selectman for Cache County in 1881-2, and had charge of the erecting of the present Court House at Logan.  He was engrossing clerk of the last territorial legislature.  When the division of party lines came, his sympathies were with the Republicans, and he became one of the leaders of the party.  He was chairman of Logan City and Cache County for several years.  He was secretary of the first Republican Convention in Utah.

When statehood came, he was elected a member of the Constitutional Convention from Sevier County, and assisted in framing the organic law of the state.  At this time (1906) he is deputy Treasurer of Cache County, Utah.  He has been a great student of the "Book of Mormon" and has visited Mexico and South America in the furtherance of that study.  He is the author of the only work on the "Book of Mormon Geography" published by any member of the Mormon Church. [Remember the author is writing in 1906.]

He was one of the promoters of the Cache Commercial club of Logan, and is one of its governing board.  He is also secretary of the Brigham Young College Society of American Archaeology of Logan.

Mr. Ricks has taken a great deal of interest in this work, in fact has furnished more information and records than any other one, and has rendered assistance in finances, with others, or else this work would not have been prosecuted with any degree of success.  He resides in Logan, Utah.