Shunesburg, UT



Shunesburg is situated on the current boundary of Zion National Park, on the south (or southeast) fork of the Virgin River (aka Rio Virgin) at the mouth of Parunumeap Canyon in Washington County, Utah.

In the fall of 1861, Brigham Young called a group of people to leave Sanpete County and go to settle in southern Utah. This group consisted of Oliver DeMille, George Petty, Hyrum Stevens, Alma Millet Sr., Hardin Whitlock, Charles Clapper, and their wives and children. Oliver DeMille purchased some land along a small creek from an old Paiute Indian chief named Shunes (or Shones). A town site was laid out and a settlement commenced which the people called Shunesburg or Shonesburg and sometimes Shuensburg or Shirensburg. 

In the following year (1862), this little group of pioneers was joined by Alma Millet Sr., Artemus Millet Jr., Samuel Gifford, and Amos H. Stevens. 

And then in 1863 another group came, including Artemus Millet Sr., Walter Stringham, James Thaxton, John J. Allred, Hyrum Stevens, Barney Stevens, Elisha Stevens, Ezra and Franklin Stevens with their mother, and Elisha Everett. Later, Mrs. Mary Parker and her sons (Samuel and William), other Parkers, John Alma Beal, Joseph Millet Sr. (son of Artemus Millet Sr.), Walter Renner, Walter Winsor, George Potter, Eliza Potter, Guard Potter, and mother and sisters Sarah and Weltha, Joseph Scott, and others joined them. 

The population grew to 45 by 1864.

The pioneers built dams and tried to tame the unpredictable Virgin River. They dug an irrigation ditch and cleared the fertile land. They planted orchards, vineyards, corn, cane, cotton, and other crops, but it was 1865 before they finally had a good harvest. 

This little band of people lived in peace and prosperity, laboring together as one family until the Indian troubles of 1866. Then frequent raids by Navajo and Paiute Indians make it unsafe for this handful of people to remain in this isolated and secluded place. In the spring of 1866, the settlers from Shunesburg, Springdale, and Grafton moved to Rockville for mutual protection. They left their crops to mature behind them. But after all the families were safely settled in Rockville, the men would go in groups to their farms with whatever firearms they could muster up to protect themselves if attacked by the Indians. Fortunately, they were unmolested in their secluded nooks, while all around them, raids and murders were frequently reported. 

By 1868, the Indian troubles had pretty much subsided and some of the original settlers returned to Shunesburg. The community prospered and the population peaked at 82 in 1880. 

Shunesburg was always closely tied to Rockville. Until about 1865, the people of Shunesburg had no ward of their own and would travel the six miles to Rockville for religious services. Then Oliver DeMille was called as the Presiding Elder in Shunesburg and John J. Allred was made superintendent of the Sunday Schools. This ecclesiastical organization lasted for about three decades. 

Over the years as the flooding of the river washed away farmland, the Shunesburg settlers moved on, mostly to Rockville. Shunesburg was gradually abandoned. By 1897, there were no longer enough children to hold a school. By the year 1900, only Oliver DeMille was left and even he moved to Rockville in 1902. 

A 1904 report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture showed 35 acres of land under irrigation in Shunesburg.

Only the DeMille rock house, a cemetery, and some rock ruins remained of the town. 

The little land that the river left intact became private farmland without public access. It supported a commercial apple orchard for The Springdale Fruit Company. They let the descendents of those buried in the cemetery visit the graves each Memorial Day weekend. 

In 2015, the property was sold to a private individual and is being preserved. 


Here is an interesting video from May 30, 2016 in which Garda DeMille Judd talks about her great-great-grandfather, Oliver DeMille, who settled Shunesburg.  She talks about her family history, the history of the DeMille family and Shunesburg and offers some up-close pictures of the DeMille Stone House.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPVHSAlZVEg

DeMille Rock House

DeMille Rock House

Stone Wall Remnants

Gravestone in Cemetary

                                                                              
                        



                       Browse, UT



Browse is an unincorporated area of Washington County in southwestern Utah near Interstate 15. Browse is in a transitional climate zone as it is located between St. George, Utah at about 2800 feet above sea level in the Mojave Desert and Cedar City, Utah in the Great Basin at nearly 5900 feet. The Hurricane Cliffs, part of the Colorado Plateau, are directly to the east. This area contains species of desert plants and animals in one location that otherwise would be unique to each of the three above-mentioned desert regions.


There are no services in Browse. The area is used by ranchers to graze cattle. Hikers, campers, mountain bikers, and wilderness enthusiasts visit due to its close proximity to Interstate 15.

Currently the United States Bureau of Land Management is attempting to allow natural plants and animals to return after a large wildfire burned much of the area in 2003.



Built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1934 during the Great Depression, the guard station is a two-room “Plan 5” guard station, according to the Washington County Historical Society.

Originally, the site had been developed in 1921 as an experimental study area where researchers were looking at the possibility of using browse vegetation as forage for cattle. By the time the guard station was built by the CCC, however, the plan to graze cattle on the land had been discontinued and the new cabin was built in order to support deer management studies.


Probably the coolest thing about the station, however, is the giant sequoia standing in a grove of trees maybe 100 feet behind the station.  According to the U.S. Forest Service, the tree was planted in either 1933 or 1934 as a sapling by one of the directors of the research station. It’s been cored numerous times and the tree rings match the 1933 or 1934 estimate of when the tree was planted.


Take a break and spend a couple of minutes with the sounds of nature as Mill Creek babbles through a canyon in the Dixie National Forest.

http://www.thespectrum.com/videos/life/outdoors/2016/08/24/89304950/

                                                                           
                        



                     Irontown, UT



In 1850 this town called "Iron Mission" was settled by 120 men 30 women and 18 children. The Deseret Iron Company was founded, and iron production was under way. This plant was the second only plant west of the Mississippi where mined ore was made into pig iron. After only 8 years of operation, floods, needed repairs on the furnace and problems transporting the iron shut the plant down. Only 25 tons of iron had been produced at a cost of $150,000.00. In 1881 the Utah Iron Manufacturing Company was organized and was finished being built in 1884. In 1890 the plant was shut down because of cheaper imported iron from the east. In 1948 when it was decided to make this town sight an historic sight only a chimney from a blast furnace and one charcoal kiln was left standing and is all that remains today. There is a nice pavilion at the sight with picnic tables. The surrounding area is dotted with new homes and building lots for sale.

Here is a short but informative video about Irontown:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0I2TjDZYQQE

Charcoal Kiln

                                                                Iron Foundry remains

                                                                          
                        




                        Hebron, UT



6 miles W. of the town of Enterprise which is about 30 miles N. of the town of St. George which is "right off I-15".


Hebron was discovered in 1862 by people driving cattle. Several farms were started here and in 1868 the town received its name Hebron after the Biblical settlement. The settlers built a fort out of logs to protect themselves from the Paiute Indians. In 1867 a school house was built. Soon many shops, stores, and homes were built. Hebron was the largest town in the area. The farmers raised crops, milk cows and beef and sold them to other towns in Utah as well as supplying many mines in Nevada. In 1900 due to trouble with water and many felled attempts to solve the problems many people started to move away. By 1905 the town was deserted. All that remains of the town today is its cemetery. The cemetery is open to the public but all the surrounding area is posted to trespassing.

                                                                              
         


                      Grafton, UT


Grafton was first settled in 1859 one mile below its present town site. In January of 1862 the town was completely washed away by a flood. The people rebuilt the town a mile further upstream at its present site. By 1864 about 28 families lived here. There were many log houses, a post office, church, school and community hall. The town was deserted in 1866 due to Indian attacks. The people moved back in 1868. By 1920 only 3 families still lived here. Grafton has had parts of several movies shot here. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was partly shot in Grafton.


Right off the highway, the first house you come across, the church and two building are viewable by the public. However, there is a long, dirt road that leads to an area where there is another house, but it is blocked by a locked gate and "No Trespassing" signs. I don't know if there are any more buildings beyond that, but I'd really love to know!


This a very well done and very informative video about Grafton and it’s colorful history.  It starts off with the famous bike scene in Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJdRaRR55dE

                                                                          



                   Silver Reef, UT


Silver Reef was discovered between 1866 and 1870 (There are many different stories about the founding of this town) However in 1874 a man named William T Barbee is credited with getting the mining going. In 1875 he had 22 claims here. In 1876 Silver Reef became an established town. Main street was over a mile long. Silver Reef had over 2000 people living here. There were hotels, 9 stores, 6 saloons, a bank, several restaurants, a hospital, 2 dance halls, 2 newspapers, a china town and 3 cemeteries. In 1891 the last mine shut down, about 25 million dollars’ worth of ore had been taken from the mines here. Between 1891 and 1901 another $250,000 of ore was taken out of the area. The old Wells Fargo Express office is on the National Historical Register and is now a museum. The old bank is now a gift shop. Some of the area has been preserved for its history and is worth visiting. A lot of the surrounding areas of the old town are now homes and housing developments and are restricted to public access.


Here is a link to an article and video from the St. George newspaper, the Spectrum.  It is entitled “Silver Reef: a ghost town that nearly disappeared” and provides not only good information in the video but also the accompanying article.  


https://www.thespectrum.com/story/news/2017/07/27/silver-reef-ghost-town-nearly-disappeared/513124001/

                           Wells Fargo Express office - faced Main Street in the center of town

                                                                 





             Lund and Beryl, UT


Lund and Beryl are both located about 50 miles west of Cedar City at the base of the Wah Wah Mountains. There are a few current residents (I was told mostly polygamists). In Lund, UT there are 2 pretty new (70s or so) concrete homes that are abandoned. They may have been owned by the RR for their employees as they are not for sale and some land and trailers in the area are for sale.  Both Beryl and Lund were railroad towns. They were the main stops for travelers to and from Cedar City before the construction of I-15. Apparently, the towns died after the highway was built.



REMAINS: Several abandoned buildings and railroad equipment.

The Lund Garage was owned and built in 1920 by Ollie Marion Norris. Ollie's father and two brothers helped work on the building. Ollie Norris had a homestead at Thermo, Utah from June 1913 until entering the service in 1918.

                                         Picture of Lund and Lund Hotel (approching Lund).

The view of Lund, Utah in 1920 from the train. If you can magnify there are people in front of the Depot.