Near Emery in Emery County, Utah — The American Mountains (Southwest)

Early Castle Valley

Photographed by Bill Kirchner, September 30, 2018

1. Early Castle Valley Marker

Inscription. In the 1870s, the Mormon Settlers came east across the Wasatch Plateau to the high mountain deserts of Castle Valley and the San Rafael Swell. It was the last place Mormon colonizer Brigham Young called his people to settle. They were seeking new grazing lands for their livestock but found little of the lush pastureland they had been accustomed to in the Sanpete Valley. Indians warned them not to come because the water was bad and had killed their women. Good of bad, water was so scarce, life here was harsh. The toughest of the desert cowboys and outlaws survived because they knew where every eater hole and spring was hidden in the rocks and canyons. A few built livestock ponds, like the one pictured, and somehow made a living here.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Exploration • Settlements & Settlers.

Location. 38° 49.718′ N, 111° 6.884′ W. Marker is near Emery, Utah, in Emery County. It can be reached from Interstate 70 at milepost 105, on the right when traveling east. Marker is in the eastbound rest area. Touch for map. Marker is

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in this post office area: Emery UT 84522, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Canyon Country.

It is also in the American Mountain West,

on the Colorado Plateau,

and at the Four Corners.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 3 other markers are within 10 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: A Place Nobody Wanted (approx. 0.3 miles away); Emery LDS Church (approx. 9.7 miles away); The Tunnel Builders (approx. 9.8 miles away).

Photographed by Bill Kirchner, September 30, 2018

2. Early Castle Valley Marker

Castle Valley image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bill Kirchner, September 30, 2018

3. Castle Valley

Credits. This page was last revised on December 29, 2024. It was originally submitted on April 8, 2020, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona. This page has been viewed 1,027 times since then and 48 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on April 8, 2020, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona.