Bluff, UT

Most people drive right past this 5 block town. But it has a rich history, many historic sites and beautiful scenery.  We first happened upon the old cemetery where we found hundreds of very old markers and "humps in the dirt " covered by rocks. Large families all buried high upon this hillside near Indian ruins. We spent an hour up there just reading markers...the Allens, the Deckers, the Redds. But who were all of these people who called Bluff their home? We had no idea. Driving down the hill into "town" we saw beautiful old Victorian homes with markers on them as well...many of the same names we had found in the cemetery. In the center of town we saw a sign that said "BLUFF FORT".  We went into the visitors center and watched a movie about the 70 Mormon families that made this incredible journey here and created this "fort"...not a military fort but a settlement of cabins where they lived. NO ONE DIED on this trip....trly a miracle. I have included a short excerpt about this journey below. We felt like we knew these families after spending so much time in the cemetery. But if you really want to read about their amazing trip, go to www.hirf.org.

today we are off to Valley of the Gods and Goosenecks State Park, and Edge of the Cedars State Park. The weather is finally warm again and we're loving it!!

The Bluff Fort Historic Site Upon their arrival in the Bluff valley, irrigation, planting crops and shelter became the paramount concerns of the Hole-in-the-Rock pioneers. As soon as a crude irrigation ditch was in and crops were planted, their energy was directed to the construction of adequate shelter so that they might not spend another winter in wagon beds and tents. By early fall of 1880, they were helping one another construct log cabins from the surrounding cottonwood trees. Forty to fifty cabins were initially arranged in close proximity to each other to form an open square. Each cabin's door and window faced the center. These humble dwellings were their homes until resources and circumstances allowed for something better. It was several decades before they would again have the accommodations to which they had been accustomed. Thus, it was in these humble log cabins that most of the San Juan pioneers raised their families.

The Barton Cabin,  after its partial restoration. The Barton Cabin, the oldest pioneer structure in San Juan County, Utah Of the forty to fifty log cabins that once formed the fort, the Barton cabin is all that is left. It is now the only tangible reminder of early home life on the San Juan frontier. Its walls have echoed the voices and laughter of the seven Barton children. Under its sod roof, its occupants experienced times of joy and times of great sorrow. On May 29, 1896, Harriet Barton died at age 40, just seventeen days after giving birth to their eighth child. Nine days later, the baby, Ray Wesley, died.

Log Meetinghouse  A meetinghouse at the north end of the fort was used as a church, school, courthouse and dance hall. It was the center of all social life. A replica of the Bluff meetinghouse has been constructed as authentically as possible. The meetinghouse is available for meetings, receptions, reunions, etc.

Stone Monument Thanks to the donations of Hole-in-the-Rock descendents, a monument was erected in 2005 in honor of the original pioneers who came through the Hole-in-the Rock. The monument is the centerpiece of the fort site.

Future Plans Future plans include the construction of additional log cabins, a visitor's center, public conveniences and additional interpretive displays.

The Hole-in-the-Rock Trail - A wagon road blazed over country so broken up and inhospitable, the company's scouts declared that it was impassable! The Hole-in-the-Rock Trail was named after a crevice the colonizers utilized to gain access to the Colorado River gorge and some of the most broken terrain in North America. The 250-mile long trail runs from Parowan in southwestern Utah to Bluff and Montezuma Fort in southeastern Utah. The road was blazed during the winter of 1879-80 by 70 families who were answering a call from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to establish a settlement in the Four Corners region. The first eight-five miles of their route from Parowan, Utah, to Escalante, Utah, was over established wagon roads. From Escalante, Utah, the last established town along their route, the colonizers blasted a trail through the Colorado River gorge, descended crevices, and crossed deep ravines, mountains, deserts, and forests - terrain so inhospitable many of their own scouts deemed it as impassable. By the time they reached their destination, they had been en route twice as long as it took some the same participants to pull handcarts 1300 miles to the Salt Lake Valley. Once completed, the wagon road provided a vitial access and supply link. The road was utilized in its entirety for one year. In 1881, Charles Hall, who operated the ferry at the bottom of the Hole-in-the-Rock, moved his ferry thirty miles upstream, where he established Hall's Crossing. Although Hall's Crossing bypassed the Hole-in-the-Rock crevice, major sections of the original wagon road were utilized in conjunction with the new river crossing.

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Wishing you a wonderful 2011!

Bill and Jo Ann Wichmann