Duncan's Retreat, Utah

Duncan's Retreat, Utah
Duncan's Retreat
—  Ghost town  —
One of many pear trees at the abandoned village, 30 August 1929
Duncan's Retreat is located in Utah
Duncan's Retreat
Location of Duncan's Retreat in Utah
Coordinates: 37°11′N 113°8′W / 37.183°N 113.133°W / 37.183; -113.133Coordinates: 37°11′N 113°8′W / 37.183°N 113.133°W / 37.183; -113.133
Country United States
State Utah
County Washington
Established 1861
Abandoned c.1895
Named for Chapman Duncan

Duncan's Retreat is a ghost town located in the eastern part of Washington County, in southwestern Utah, United States. Lying some 3 miles (4.8 km) east of Virgin and just southwest of Zion National Park, Duncan's Retreat was inhabited about 1861–1895.

History

Chapman Duncan came here in 1861, settling with a few others on Mukuntuweep Creek, a small tributary of the Virgin River. The colony was part of a southern Utah cotton-growing project ordered by Brigham Young (see Utah's Dixie).[1] That winter the Virgin River, unpredictable at even the best of times, experienced the Great Flood of 1862, which destroyed most of the settlement along with such other nearby towns as Grafton. Chapman Duncan and most of the other original settlers fled in early 1862 in search of a more stable home, and the families who stayed behind named their village Duncan's Retreat.[2]

A local legend claims that Duncan's real reason for retreating was a botched surveying job. Duncan, so the story goes, was assigned to survey a canal to bring water from the Virgin River, but when it was dug, the canal was found to be useless as its route ran uphill.[1] Another version of the story says it happened in Virgin, and that Duncan retreated to Duncan's Retreat.[3]

More settlers took the place of the departing pioneers, and by the end of 1862 Duncan's Retreat had a population of about 70.[2] They planted crops and orchards,[1] producing large harvests in the years the river did not flood. Cotton, corn, wheat, and sorghum grew particularly well.[2] A post office was established here in 1863, and a schoolhouse in 1864.[1] In 1866, when the Black Hawk War caused widespread fear of Indian attacks, the town was evacuated to Virgin, although farmers returned to Duncan's Retreat each day to work their fields. Residents moved back permanently in 1868.[2]

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1870 71
1880 79 11.3%
1890 47 −40.5%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau[4]

Farming in Duncan's Retreat was a difficult life. The fertile land yielded bumper crops in good years,[1] but could be washed away by torrential floods at any time. Of the 11 families living here in 1870, 9 remained in 1880.[5] The next decade was much harsher; by 1891 Duncan's Retreat was all but deserted.[2] The last known birth in town was in 1895.

All that remains of Duncan's Retreat is some dead fruit trees, an irrigation ditch, and a few graves on the north side of Utah State Route 9 between Virgin and Grafton.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Thompson, George A. (November 1982). Some Dreams Die: Utah's Ghost Towns and Lost Treasures. Salt Lake City, Utah: Dream Garden Press. p. 39. ISBN 0-942688-01-5. 
  2. ^ a b c d e Carr, Stephen L. (1986) [1972]. The Historical Guide to Utah Ghost Towns (3rd ed.). Salt Lake City: Western Epics. p. 136. ISBN 0-914740-30-X. 
  3. ^ Van Cott, John W. (1990). Utah Place Names. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press. p. 119. ISBN 0-87480-345-4. 
  4. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". U.S. Census Bureau. http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/decennial/. Retrieved April 25, 2011. 
  5. ^ Alder, Douglas D.; Brooks, Karl F. (1996). A History of Washington County: From Isolation to Destination. Utah Centennial County History Series. Salt Lake City: Utah State Historical Society. p. 81. ISBN 0-913738-13-1. 
  6. ^ "Cemetery Database". Utah State History. Utah Department of Community and Culture. http://history.utah.gov/burials/execute/viewcemetery?id=WG3001. Retrieved November 10, 2010. 

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • List of ghost towns in Utah — This is an incomplete list of ghost towns in Utah, a state of the United States.Ghost towns are listed by name, and also by county.Listed by name* Ajax * Alunite * Argyle * Asay * Bingham Canyon * Black Rock (Millard County) * Blacks Fork *… …   Wikipedia

  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Washington County, Utah — Location of Washington County in Utah This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Washington County, Utah. This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic… …   Wikipedia

  • Dammeron Valley, Utah — Dammeron Valley   CDP   …   Wikipedia

  • New Harmony, Utah —   Town   Location of New Harmony, Utah Coordinates …   Wikipedia

  • Washington County (Utah) — Old Washington County Courthouse, gelistet im NRHP mit der Nr. 70000634[1] Verwaltung …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • United States — a republic in the N Western Hemisphere comprising 48 conterminous states, the District of Columbia, and Alaska in North America, and Hawaii in the N Pacific. 267,954,767; conterminous United States, 3,022,387 sq. mi. (7,827,982 sq. km); with… …   Universalium

  • religion — religionless, adj. /ri lij euhn/, n. 1. a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and… …   Universalium

  • Douglas Kent Hall — For other people of the same name, see Douglas Hall (disambiguation). Douglas Kent Hall Born December 12, 1938 Vernal, Utah Died March 30, 2008(2008 03 …   Wikipedia

  • performing arts — arts or skills that require public performance, as acting, singing, or dancing. [1945 50] * * * ▪ 2009 Introduction Music Classical.       The last vestiges of the Cold War seemed to thaw for a moment on Feb. 26, 2008, when the unfamiliar strains …   Universalium

  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Jefferson County, Kentucky — Location of Jefferson County in Kentucky This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Jefferson County, Kentucky. It is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”