Historical Markers and War Memorials in San Juan County, Utah
Monticello is the county seat for San Juan County
Adjacent to San Juan County, Utah
Emery County(29) ► Garfield County(37) ► Grand County(27) ► Kane County(118) ► Wayne County(18) ► Apache County, Arizona(48) ► Coconino County, Arizona(236) ► Navajo County, Arizona(130) ► Dolores County, Colorado(7) ► Mesa County, Colorado(26) ► Montezuma County, Colorado(62) ► Montrose County, Colorado(36) ► San Miguel County, Colorado(1) ► San Juan County, New Mexico(29) ►
Touch name on this list to highlight map location. Touch blue arrow, or on map, to go there.
On Bridge View Drive, 8 miles Visitor Center Parking Lot, on the right when traveling north.
The two prominent buttes in the distance are called the Bears Ears. Several native American groups, including the Navajos, Utes, and Pueblos, consider this area sacred and include it in their oral traditions.
One of the more popular Navajo . . . — — Map (db m93095) HM
Near County Route 271, 0.1 miles east of U.S. 191, on the right when traveling east.
This location marks the second encounter of one of the last Indian uprisings in the United States. Posey and his Piute followers helped 2 young braves escape from the Blanding jail. At this site the pursuing posse closed in, Posey opened fire and . . . — — Map (db m95047) HM
Welcome to “Hovenweep.” It is a Paiute and Ute word meaning “deserted valley.” It was the name given this extraordinary place by pioneer photographer William H. Jackson, who visited here in 1874. It’s an apt description. As . . . — — Map (db m71464) HM
Near Bridge View Drive, 4.8 miles west of Visitor Center Parking Lot, on the right when traveling south.
Kachina (Ka-cheé-na) Bridge was named for the Hopi kachina spirits which frequently displayed lightning snake symbols on their bodies. Similar snake patterns were carved by prehistoric people on the base of Kachina Bridge.
Kachina Bridge is the . . . — — Map (db m93017) HM
Near Utah Route 95 at milepost 101.5, on the right when traveling west.
Mule Canyon Ruin is an open Anasazi habitation site consisting of both above- and below-ground structures. This site was first occupied briefly in the Pueblo I time period (about A.D. 750) but the main occupation was during the Pueblo II and Pueblo . . . — — Map (db m95153) HM
Near Bridge View Drive, 6.7 miles Visitor Center Parking Lot, on the right when traveling south.
Owachomo (O-wá-cho-mo) is a Hopi Indian word for rock mound. On the upper left side of the bridge is a rock outcrop which suggested the name for the bridge.
Owachomo Bridge looks different from either Sipapu or Kachina Bridge. Because Owachomo . . . — — Map (db m93094) HM
On Utah Route 95 at milepost 97, on the left when traveling west.
December 23, 1879 “The snow fell about eight inches...”
December 24, 1879 “... we had cooked the last food we had, consisting of a slap jack baked in a frying pan and about one inch thick.”
December 25, 1879 “ it was Christmas day 1879, which . . . — — Map (db m199568) HM
On South Main Street, on the left when traveling north.
A canal was surveyed from Johnson Creek on Blue Mountain to White Mesa; in 1902-3 lots were staked for homes. Two years later Albert R. Lyman and Family pitched first tent and settled one block west of this site. In 1907 a tent school was . . . — — Map (db m95062) HM
Near Bridge View Drive, 1.9 miles Visitor Center Parking Lot, on the right when traveling south.
Several names have been given to the bridges over the years. Sipapu (Seé-pa-pu) has had at least two other names—President and Augusta—but these were later changed. Cliff dwellings and rock art in the area reminded William Douglass, the . . . — — Map (db m93093) HM
Over 700 years ago, Little Ruin Canyon was the scene of a sizable ancestral Pueblo community. Sustained by a small spring at the head of the canyon and rainwater held behind check dams on the mesa top, they flourished in what we would consider a . . . — — Map (db m71468) HM
Prior to surveyors setting the four Corners Monument this boundless land was inhabited by the Ancestral Puebloans, followed by the Dine, Ute and other indigenous people. Over time, this land was claimed by Spain, taken in war by Mexico, ceded to the . . . — — Map (db m36526) HM
In 1883, Cass Hite wandered up White Canyon from his mining claim on the Colorado River and “discovered” three stone bridges. He brought them to the attention of area residents and the scientific community. Nowhere else had three such . . . — — Map (db m132275) HM
Official outlet of ZCMI (Zion's Co-operative Mercantile Institution), "America's First Department Store". This building housed the Grayson City Co-op from 1918 to 1939 when the name was changed to Parley Redd Mercantile. Both companies were part of . . . — — Map (db m95063) HM
A blacksmith shop with a skilled blacksmith was a necessity. Amasa Barton (Joseph Barton's brother) was kept busy fitting horseshoes, repairing wagons and making , sharpening and repairing everything from farming implement to carpentry tools.
In . . . — — Map (db m95040) HM
On U.S. 163 at milepost 38.3, on the right when traveling east.
William H. Jackson of the United States Geological and Geographical survey conducted the first formal archeological exploration of the Comb Ridge area. Originating in the Colorado Territory, Jackson and his team reached Comb Ridge by following . . . — — Map (db m95034) HM
On U.S. 163 at milepost 39.6, on the left when traveling east.
As winter storm approached, four nearly starved scouts, George Hobbs, George Morrill, Lemuel Redd, Sr. and George Sevey, sought shelter for the night in this area on December 27, 1879. The scouts were exploring for a feasible route for the 250 . . . — — Map (db m95035) HM
On North 6th Street at Black Locust Avenue, on the right when traveling north on North 6th Street.
Built in 1890's by Jens Nielson
Born in Denmark in 1820
Member of handcart company of 1856, to S.L.C.
First Mormon Bishop of Bluff 1880-1906 — — Map (db m95042) HM
In honor of her courage, faith, compassion, friendship, love, and medical service to the greater Bluff community from 1882-1906.
In addition to serving the children as Bluff's Primary president for 25 years, Josephine Wood was called by Bishop . . . — — Map (db m95037) HM
The Jones log cabin was located in the northwest corner of the fort. Near the turn of the century, the Joneses constructed an elegant stone home adjacent to their original cabin. Fire destroyed the Jones home in 1975.
In 1896, a gold rush brought . . . — — Map (db m95038) HM
In 1879, at age 17, Parley R. Butt was one of 26 men who scouted possible routes for the San Juan Mission and established Montezuma Fort. A few months later, he traveled with the main group of pioneers as they blazed the Hole-in-the-Rock road. In . . . — — Map (db m95041) HM
On Black Locust Avenue just east of 5th East, on the right when traveling east.
Sketched by Remington Lange 1893 Bluff's log meetinghouse was the center of all public gatherings for the small community on the remote San Juan frontier. The meetinghouse, which was part of the north wall of the Bluff Fort, served as . . . — — Map (db m149540) HM
On Black Locust Avenue at 5th East, on the left when traveling west on Black Locust Avenue.
• Member of San Juan Mission Exploring Party • Driver of one of first wagons through Hole-in-the-Rock • First Superintendent of San Juan Schools • Church Leader and Missionary to Indians — — Map (db m150070) HM
Upon the pioneers' arrival in the Bluff valley, water for cooking and drinking was carried from the San Juan River. According to Mary Mackelprang Jones, water from the San Juan “O was so hard and muddy cottonwood ashes were put in it to stand . . . — — Map (db m95039) HM
The community's co-op store was located in the northeast corner of the fort. This cooperative venture, which provided a means for buying, selling and trading, became very successful. The Navajos and Utes also frequented the store, trading their . . . — — Map (db m95036) HM
On Navajo Twins Drive west of U.S. 191, on the right when traveling west.
Bluff was the first settlement of the white man in San Juan County and its first county seat. It was founded April 6, 1880 by the San Juan Mission "called" by the L.D.S. Church to establish friendly relations with the Indians. A small band of . . . — — Map (db m95043) HM
Rising above the mesa, Aztec Butte overlooks sheer cliffs and twisted canyons stretching in every direction. Hundreds of years ago, ancestral Puebloans survived here through hard work and ingenuity. Clad in yucca sandals and bearing baskets of . . . — — Map (db m159891) HM
[Left to right]
Land of Standing Rocks
High plateaus and spires eroded from dark brown shale. Well-known rock formations include Lizard Rock, The Plug, Chimney Rock and The Wall. As the raven flies, The Land of Standing Rocks is 15 miles . . . — — Map (db m159922) HM
Height: 1'-2½'
Seedhead: Tufted seeds on
hair-thin branches in loose bunches
This attractive cool-season bunchgrass grows in moist soils of early spring, then flowers and sets seed before summer. Its large seeds are a vital food . . . — — Map (db m159820) HM
On Utah Route 276, on the right when traveling east.
In 1879 the L.D.S. church sent missionary families to San Juan Country to make settlement and better relations with the Indians. These pioneers led by Silas S. Smith and Platte D. Lyman came through the Hole in the Rock. The company consisted of 83 . . . — — Map (db m173731) HM
On Utah Route 46, 9 miles east of U.S. 191, on the left when traveling east.
The first Postal Service was established at La Sal on September 12, 1878. La Sal was made an outpost on the mail route from Salina, Utah to Ouray, Colorado. It was described as one of the strangest and most dangerous routes in the history of the . . . — — Map (db m95121) HM
On County Highway 268A south of Hovenweep Road, on the right when traveling south.
Welcome to Hovenweep National Monument
“Hovenweep,” it is a Paiute and Ute word meaning “deserted valley.” It was the name given this extraordinary place by pioneer photographer William H. Jackson, who visited here in 1874. It’s an apt . . . — — Map (db m205218) HM
Near South Main Street south of West 100 South, on the right when traveling south.
The first white settlers of the region were cattlemen. Cattle were first introduced into the San Juan County-Blue Mountain area during the 1870s. Large numbers of the animals were placed on the thousands of acres of lush grasses which grew in the . . . — — Map (db m95129) HM
This location has been a travelers’ resting place for two centuries. Beginning in 1829, horse teams on the Old Spanish Trail between Santa Fe and California stopped here for the abundant spring water and shade. After the settlement of Mormon . . . — — Map (db m92547) HM
On South 100 West, on the right when traveling south.
This Home was constructed by Joseph Henry Wood between 1916-18 in the Arts and Crafts style of wood and sandstone quarried from a site near south Creek four miles southwest of Monticello. The stone cutting, dressing, and laying was supervised by Ed . . . — — Map (db m95123) HM
Near South Main Street south of West 100 South, on the right when traveling south.
This original log cabin is representative of the housing of the early pioneers in the area. It was first occupied by three brothers, Warren, John, and Scotty Williamson during the 1880s in Dry Valley., Utah. It is believed that the Williamson . . . — — Map (db m95125) HM
On South Main Street, on the right when traveling north.
March 12, 1887 Frederick I. Jones, Farley R. Butt, Charles E. Walton and George A. Adams came here to start the L.D.S. Blue Mountain Mission. After their families arrived they camped at Verdure the first summer. In 1888 the families of M. Peterson, . . . — — Map (db m95124) HM
On Utah Route 211, on the left when traveling west.
Newspaper Rock is a petroglyph panel etched in sandstone that records approximately 2,000 years of early man's activities. Prehistoric peoples, probably from the Archoic, Basketmaker, Fremont and Pueblo cultures, etched on the rock from B.C. to . . . — — Map (db m4615) HM
Near South Main Street south of West 100 South, on the right when traveling south.
This log church is a replica of the first church in Monticello. The original church, built in 188 for religious worship, also became the core of community activities. It was a school, a refuge for the homeless, a place to dance, a site for public . . . — — Map (db m95126) HM
Near South Main Street south of West 100 South, on the right when traveling south.
Hispanics have a very long history in the Southwest, dating back to the early 1600s. The Old Spanish Trail trade from Santa Fe, New Mexico, to California, passed through San Juan County near Monticello. There were no supply stations nor permanent . . . — — Map (db m95127) HM
Near U.S. 191 at milepost 110.4, on the right when traveling north.
Kane Springs, San Juan County, was a major water stop along the historic Spanish Trail, in use from 1829 to 1848. Large trade caravans halted here and drank from the abundant spring waters. In autumn months, pack trains carried woolen textiles and . . . — — Map (db m95080) HM
On Center Street (U.S. 491) east of Main Street (U.S. 191), on the left when traveling east.
On May 2, 1896, the County Commissioners signed an agreement to purchase a jail cell seven feet by seven feet by seven feet, made of Bessemer steel bar. On November 9, 1896 the County paid $85 to Dora Crouse for Lot 3 in Block 10 with a cabin on . . . — — Map (db m160062) HM
On U.S. 191 at milepost 65.5, on the right when traveling north.
The oldest Mormon settlement in the Blue Mountain Region was first known as South Montezuma. Later the name was changed to Verdure after the lush green growth along the stream bed. Verdure was settled by men of the Blue Mountain Mission March 11, . . . — — Map (db m95065) HM
On Main Street (U.S. 191) at Center Street (U.S. 491), on the right when traveling north on Main Street.
Dedicated to the men and
women who serve our
country in war and peace
[Armed Forces Emblems]
We honor the following San Juan County Veterans who
gave the ultimate sacrifice while serving our country
WWI
Horace Robertson Argyle • . . . — — Map (db m160057) WM
On U.S. 191 south of Wilson Arch Road, on the right when traveling north.
Wilson Arch was named after Joe Wilson, a local pioneer who had a cabin nearby in Dry Valley. This formation is known as Entrada Sandstone. Over time superficial cracks, joints, and folds of these layers were saturated with water. Ice formed in the . . . — — Map (db m39260) HM
On Utah Route 211, 36 miles west of U.S. 191, on the left when traveling west.
Wooden Shoe Arch, visible on the horizon, formed thousands of years ago, yet the rock it's made from is much older.
Three hundred million years ago, an inland sea flooded this area. As the sea evaporated, it left behind a great salt basin . . . — — Map (db m132300) HM
Near Gouldings Trading Post Road, 0.3 miles south of Monument Valley Road.
Harry and Leone (“Mike”) Goulding came to the valley in 1924, began building a home here and moved into this trading post in 1928. For more than 40 years they were traders and friends to the Navajos. In addition, they were hosts to . . . — — Map (db m149538) HM
