William Jordan Flake (July 3, 1839 – August 10, 1932)[1][2][3] was a prominent member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who helped settle parts of Arizona, and was imprisoned at the Yuma Territorial Prison for polygamy.

Flake and his family moved to the Salt Lake Valley in 1846 by wagon train with the Mormon pioneers, arriving in 1848.

In 1849, his father was killed on the American River while examining a gold mining site for the church in California.

[5] In 1877, he was called by LDS Church President Brigham Young to start a settlement in the northern area of what was then the Arizona Territory.

[8] William left with a wagon train and herds of cattle for the Little Colorado River region of Arizona and arrived in January 1878.

"[9] On December 5, 1884, Flake was tried in Prescott, Arizona in the District Court and found guilty for practice of polygamy and unlawful cohabitation,[5][10] a common charge used to prosecute LDS men under the Edmunds Act.

[12][7]: 87 William Jordan Flake was the father of 11 sons and nine daughters and lived to the age of 93, passing away on August 10, 1932, in Snowflake.