Utah has a very unique and diverse history. From Native Americans to trappers, traders, explorers, Mormon pioneers to cowboys. The big mining boom, to the railroad and then finally State Hood. Along the way pieces of history were left behind waiting to be explored. Dwellings of Utah's Native Americans, to ghost towns of the old mining boom, to houses built by the Mormon pioneers. These sites have been set aside for our generation to learn more about Utah's past. Below you find a list of sites that we have visited with information about each.
Previous Page - Next Page
The Benson Grist Mill
Located in the northern Tooele Valley beside a spring-fed pond, the Benson Grist Mill was made of rock and wood by skilled pioneer artisans nearly 150 years ago. The mastery of their construction methods is easily seen inside the mill where wooden pegs and green leather were pounded into massive wooden beams. When the green leather dried, the pegs stayed in place like nails. This method was also used to build the Tabernacle at Temple Square in nearby Salt Lake City.
Golden Spike National Historic Site
No sooner were America's first railroads operating in the 1830's than people of vision foresaw transcontinental travel by rail. The idea gained support as a national railroad system took shape. By the beginning of the Civil War, America's eastern states were linked by 31,000 miles of rail, more than in all of Europe. Virtually none of this network, however served the area beyond the Missouri River.
Ft Buenaventura
Located on an 84-acre river tract of land near the Weber River, the fort symbolizes a period of western history that was the transition from nomadic ways of the Indian tribes and trappers to the first permanent settlers in the Great Basin. Facilities at the fort include picnic areas, a canoeing pond, the replica fort including three cabins and restrooms.
Ft Buenaventura Rendezvous
The Fort Buenaventura Rendezvous is held on Easter Weekend each year. This event marks the opening of another great season filled with activities, camping, events and more. On my visit to this years Easter Weekend Rendezvous I was treated to several fun filled family activities such as; Dutch Oven Cooking contests, Black Powder Rifle shooting contests, Candy Cannon for the kids, Kids games , Hawk and Knife throws , Mountain Man and Women Run and Canoe races.
Mercur Ghost Town / Cemetery
Mercur, formerly know as Lewiston, is located on the south side of the Oquirrh Mountains. It was founded in the 1800s as a mining town. During the 1860s, a few hardy prospectors eked out an existence by mining in Lewiston Canyon. Results were meager. The thought was if there were a few good nuggets here and there, there must more and better deposits somewhere in the canyon.
Jacob City
Jacob City was born in 1865 when ore was discovered in a remote canyon between the present day cities of Ophir and Stockton. In Jacob Cities prime there was an estimated population of 300 people and the town was equipped with several goods stores, a school, a hotel, many saloons and gambling houses, and of course the miners cabins. By the early 1900's the town was abandoned after the mines began to dry up.
Silver City Ghost Town
Located approx 2 1/2 miles south of Eureka Utah, you will come to a small sign marking the turn off to Silver City. Silver City was once a bustling mining town with a population of 1500 people. The first silver mine was discovered in 1869 and produced a substantial amount of profit for its British owners. Silver City had many rich silver producing mines until 1890 when most of the mines encountered water. As the town's richest mines began to close, the town slowly faded out.
Orson Adams House
The Cove Fort Historical Site is located 2 miles south of Exit 135 off I-15 and one mile north of Exit 1 off I-70. The fort was built in 1867 at the current site selected by Brigham Young because of the proximity between Fillmore and Beaver. The construction of the fort was over-seen by Ira Hinckley. The fort provided safety, shelter, water and livestock feed for people traveling between the two communities. The fort is square and is constructed of black volcanic rock and limestone that was quarried from the nearby mountains.
The Fielding Garr Ranch
The Garr Ranch is located at Garr Springs, one of the strongest and most consistent of the 40 springs on Antelope Island. Both indigenous people and wildlife used this water source long before Fielding Garr built the ranch. Even today, bison and deer can by seen at the springs. Archaeological findings have shown that there has been human activity at the springs for at least 1,000 years. Read More!
The Wolfe Ranch
The Wolfe Ranch is located in Arches National Park, at the beginning of the hiking trail to Delicate Arch. The Ranch was settled in the late 1800's by John Wesley Wolfe and his son. John moved west from Ohio looking for a drier climate, due to a nagging leg injury he received in the Civil War. John choose a tract of 100 acres of land along Salt Wash for its water and grassland - enough for a few cattle.
Leeds CCC Camp
Built in 1933, the Leeds Civilian Conservation Corps Camp is significant as perhaps the best remaining example of a CCC camp in Utah. These camps were typically built of relatively temporary frame construction, and the surviving buildings and features such as the stone terraces at the Leeds camp present a unique, if somewhat limited, view of these important facilities.
Utah's Death Canyon
Located approx 90 miles from Salt Lake City in Utah's west desert is Death Canyon. Littered with signs from Utah's mining past, makes this canyon a great place to visit and explore. We visited Death Canyon in early November 2003. I was amazed by the structures that were still standing today. There is an unknown number of mines in this canyon, so use caution when hiking around.
Simpson Springs
Simpson Springs was one of the most dependable watering points in Utah's west desert. It has long served mans needs, Indians used it and early travelers and explorers counted on finding water here. It bears the name of one explorer. Caption J. H. Simpson, who stopped here in 1858 while searching for an overland mail route between Salt Lake City and California.
Blind Miner Of The Wasatch
Roy Newman was blinded and nearly killed when a stick of dynamite misfired in this mine in 1929. But the determined miner recovered and returned to work his mine alone - for another 45 years! The belief that rich lead, zinc, and sliver ores lay deep in the mountain kept Roy working; he did encounter low-grade veins of oar. He drove 1,600 feet using only hand-held drills, a four-pound hammer, explosives, and his ingenuity.
Nunns Provo Station Power Plant
The Nunns Provo Station Power Plant was the first 44,000 volt hydroelectric plant in America. Built in 1897 by Luclen L. Nunn at an estimated cost of just $50,000, the plant harnessed the power of the Provo River to generate electricity and transmit power over a distance of 32 miles to mining operations in Mercur, Utah. This was almost three times the voltage of any existing line in the nation at that time, and was by far the longest.