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

A Place Nobody Wanted

Photographed by Bill Kirchner, September 30, 2018

1. A Place Nobody Wanted Marker

Inscription. When the Mormons fled to Utah in 1847, they were looking for a place nobody else wanted. From Salt Lake City, Brigham Young “called” them to colonize towns and cities all over the great West. The last call came August 22, 1877, when Brother Brigham asked Mormons in the Sanpete Valley to colonize Castle Valley, between the foot of the Wasatch Plateau (to the west) and the edge of the San Rafael Swell. Some have wondered if Castle Valley was the very last place on earth nobody else wanted. Most of those who came were young and filled with hope, looking for and opportunity to get some pastureland and build a new live. But one of the first women in the Valley, Hanna Olsson Seely, saw it differently: “Damm the man who would bring a woman to such a God Forsaken country,” she said. But she stayed and like so many others, made a home in a harsh and arid land.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Exploration • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical date for this entry is August 22, 1877.

Location. 38° 49.951′ N, 111° 6.746′ W. Marker is near Emery, Utah, in Emery County. It can

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

be reached from Interstate 70 at milepost 106, on the right when traveling west. Marker is in the westbound rest area. Touch for map. Marker is 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: Early Castle Valley (approx. 0.3 miles away); Emery LDS Church (approx. 9.6 miles away); The Tunnel Builders (approx. 9.7 miles away).

Photographed by Bill Kirchner, September 30, 2018

2. A Place Nobody Wanted Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on April 8, 2020. It was originally submitted on April 8, 2020, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona. This page has been viewed 835 times since then and 72 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 8, 2020, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona.