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

Podunk Guard Station

 
 
Podunk Guard Station Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., November 14, 2010
1. Podunk Guard Station Marker
Inscription.
Podunk received its name from a Paiute Indian named Po Dunk, who had become lost in the heavily timbered area near the East Fork of the Sevier River. The area was named after him, and the guard station named after the area in which it was built and used.

Building and Restoration
This building was constructed in 1927 near Podunk Creek. The roof pitch was so steep it was claimed that it could "split a rain drop." By 1950 the guard station was no longer being used and fell into disrepair. In 1987 it was recognized as a historic structure and restored on location. The guard station was moved to its present location at the Red Canyon Visitor Center in 1999 for educational purposes.

Rangers
The rangers that lived and worked out of back country cabins such as this one, mapped the forest, administered grazing permits, provided trail access and patrolled for poachers of game, timber, water, mineral and rangeland resources. Many of these rangers were local people that possessed hands-on skills rather than formal training.

Guard stations were located about a one day ride apart from each other. This was to give adequate back-country administrative coverage over large areas of National Forest.

Imagine
Please go inside the Podunk Guard Station when the door is open and picture
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yourself living several months of your summer in remote areas of this country in a building such as this one.
 
Erected by Dixie National Forest and Dixie Interpretive Association.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: EnvironmentHorticulture & ForestryMan-Made Features. A significant historical year for this entry is 1927.
 
Location. 37° 44.712′ N, 112° 19.091′ W. Marker has been reported unreadable. Marker is near Panguitch, Utah, in Garfield County. It can be reached from Utah 12. Marker is at the east end of the Red Canyon Visitor Center parking lot, off Utah Route 12, in Dixie National Forest. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Panguitch UT 84759, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Canyon Country and specifically in Color Country. It is also in the American Mountain West, in 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 8 other markers are within 9 miles of this location, measured as the crow flies: Red Canyon Tunnels (approx. 1.1 miles away); a different marker also named Red Canyon Tunnels (approx. 1.1 miles away); a different marker also named Red Canyon Tunnels (approx. 1.2 miles away); Butch Cassidy (approx. 1.3 miles away); Panguitch - Hatch Veterans Honor Roll (approx. 8.2 miles away); A Little Panguitch History (approx. 8.2 miles away); The Panguitch Quilt Walk (approx. 8.2 miles away); Panguitch Fort (approx. 8.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Panguitch.
 
Also see . . .
Podunk Guard Station and Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., November 14, 2010
2. Podunk Guard Station and Marker
 Dixie National Forest. (Submitted on February 25, 2011, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
 
Podunk Guard Station image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Bill Kirchner, June 13, 2014
3. Podunk Guard Station
Photo on Podunk Guard Station Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by USDA Forest Service, circa late 1980s
4. Photo on Podunk Guard Station Marker
<i>Inside of</i> Podunk Guard Station image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Bill Kirchner, June 13, 2014
5. Inside of Podunk Guard Station
Red Canyon Trailhead Map image. Click for full size.
Photographed by USDA Forest Service, Unknown
6. Red Canyon Trailhead Map
Red Canyon Visitor Center at center
View West from Podunk Guard Station image. Click for full size.
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., November 14, 2010
7. View West from Podunk Guard Station
Red Canyon Visitor Center in background
Podunk Guard Station Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Tom Bosse, July 26, 2024
8. Podunk Guard Station Marker
Podunk Guard Station image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Tom Bosse, July 26, 2024
9. Podunk Guard Station
Podunk Guard Station image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Tom Bosse, July 26, 2024
10. Podunk Guard Station
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on August 31, 2025. It was originally submitted on February 24, 2011, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,444 times since then and 30 times this year. Last updated on November 9, 2024, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on February 25, 2011, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.   3. submitted on June 24, 2014, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona.   4. submitted on February 25, 2011, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.   5. submitted on June 24, 2014, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona.   6, 7. submitted on February 25, 2011, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.   8, 9, 10. submitted on November 9, 2024, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
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Jun. 14, 2026