Boo!

I keep posting that we are in Hurricane, Ut. But actually we are in Historic Harrisburg, UT.  The difference is that Harrisburg is a Ghost Town.  Over 128 people lived here at one time around  1862 but floods, grasshopper invasions and Navajo's put an end to that by around 1895.  Most of the homes were built of stone and many buildings still stand today.  The 15 Freeway (ah, progress) runs right through the middle of Harrisburg and our RV Park sits in the middle of it as well.  It is always such fun for me to sit in an old historic site and imagine the sounds and smells that had permeated the very space I was now occupying.  Clanking of the wagons, the old Wells Fargo stagecoach and the slamming down of the "strongbox" when they arrived at the station.  The school children playing old fashioned games (not old fashioned when THEY were playing them!).  The horse smells, cattle smells....well, that's what I do when I get to one of these sites so you can imagine my imagination has been running wild actually STAYING here in Harrisburg at the RV Park!   We spent part of today climbing through old farmhouse and saloon ruins, etc.  Then we went to Silver Reef to another Ghost Town where the original Wells Fargo Station stands and is now a museum.  Silver Reef was an old silver mining town.  One of the few places in the world where they have found silver in sandstone. We met a very knowledgeable historian/Realtor/Curator form Laguna Beach (go figure) and spent a couple of hours with him as he told us all about the area.  Then off to the cemeteries (one for Catholics and one for Protestants) because we like cemeteries a LOT!  
We spent another day in Grafton which is another Ghost Town near Zion's South entrance near the city of Rockville.  Grafton was a Mormon Settlement that kept getting washed away by the flooding of the Virgin River. All of these people in these settlements needed to be near the water for survival and crop irrigation...but it is usually what drives them away.
We also went to Zion National Park...."AGAIN", you say?  Well, this time we went to the uppermost western corner of Zion to Kolob Canyon.  I would bet that if you have visited Zion you have never been to this part.  They have a visitors center, hiking and NO PEOPLE! It was very very beautiful and 20 degrees cooler than our Ghost Towns as it sits at an elevation of about 7000 feet. It can not be accessed from Zion Canyon which is where most everyone visits.  From Kolob you are looking down again instead of up and the smell of pine is all around much like the North Rim.  The bottom of the canyon has many "finger canyons" which are made by the lengthening erosion of sandstone  as the water spills from the top rather than the erosion that is made by the Virgin River throughout Zion Canyon. The area is also seismically active and many of the large monoliths have that crazy rock tilt to them.
Tomorrow will be our last day here in Harrisburg before we head to Henderson, NV to spend time with Bills Brother John and Sister-in-law Lora. And, of course, DAWSON....their new dog....

H

Harrisburg came to be in 1862 when a flood destroyed the settlement of Harrisville and its residence were forced to move elsewhere. They named there new place of refinance Harrisburg after Moses Harris (the man who settled Harrisville). By 1864 128 people lived here, almost all the houses were made out of stone. In 1869 many people started to move away due to grasshopper plagues and flooding. Navajo Indian raids also chased many away. By around 1895 the last people had moved away and Harrisburg became a ghost town. Today Interstate 15 runs right through the middle of the old town. The town sight left on east side of I15 is now a RV Camp. There are several old stone houses and walls left standing at this sight. A one lane road that goes under I15 from the RV Camp takes you over to what is left of Harrisburg on the west side of I15. The above photos are from the west side. Permission must be obtained from the RV Camp before going onto this property

risburg came to be in 1862 when a flood destroyed the settlement of Harrisville and its residence were forced to move elsewhere. They named there new place of refinance Harrisburg after Moses Harris (the man who settled Harrisville). By 1864 128 people lived here, almost all the houses were made out of stone. In 1869 many people started to move away due to grasshopper plagues and flooding. Navajo Indian raids also chased many away. By around 1895 the last people had moved away and Harrisburg became a ghost town. Today Interstate 15 runs right through the middle of the old town. The town sight left on east side of I15 is now a RV Camp. There are several old stone houses and walls left standing at this sight. A one lane road that goes under I15 from the RV Camp takes you over to what is left of Harrisburg on the west side of I15. The above photos are from the west side. Permission must be obtained from the RV Camp before going onto this property