Town #48: CASTLE DALE est. 1880

Our last stop on this trip through Utah was at Castle Dale just north of Clawson. Castle Dale is the county seat for Emery County. It is a coal mining town. They also have a natural history museum and a big pioneer museum. It was the last area that Brigham Young sent pioneers to settle before he died in 1877. Castle Dale was also the first community to have a high school in Southeastern Utah. I was just happy that all the kids decided to be in the picture this time.

Town #47: CLAWSON est. 1897

A few miles north of Ferron, we came across the town of Clawson. Clawson was originally named Kingsville after the King family, some of the original settlers. In 1904, the name was changed to Clawson to honor the apostle Rudger Clawson. When we found the town sign, we were surprised to find that the name had changed once more to Cla On. Sometimes gravity likes to play jokes. As you can see, John tried to find the missing letters, but he didn't have any luck.

Town #46: FERRON est. 1877

North of Moore is the bigger town of Ferron. Ferron couldn't be called big except in a comparison with Moore. Ferron's big celebration is Peach Days. The town is named after Augustus Ferron who surveyed the area in 1873. One of my great-great grandfathers lived here with his family for about a year in the early days of settlement before moving on to Giles. Ferron looks a lot greener than Giles. What was he thinking?

Town #45: MOORE est. 1895

It may be stretching things to call Moore a town. It is more of a spot on the map where there are a few farms. It was originally called Rochester after the town in New York, but it was changed to Moore in the 1940s. Moore was the name of the local postmaster. I think their town sign needed more paint.

It could have also used a few more buildings. Perhaps they should change the name to Less.

Town #44: EMERY est. 1883

Emery is one more little farming community in Central Utah. It was originally called Muddy Creek. It is named after Governor George Emery.

What amazed me about Emery was that it was so green compared to the bare desolation that surrounded it. I was impressed that anyone could grow anything in this.

Town #9: Woodside est. 1881

On our way home from Arches National Park, we stopped at Woodside in Emery County. It is on the highway between Green River and Price. John and I debated whether this small spot should be counted on our list of Utah towns. We decided that if there was a green town sign or other welcome sign and at least one person lives there we could count it. Woodside just barely qualifies.


We think someone lives behind this fenced off gas station. It is the only building in sight. There are no trespassing signs all over. Maybe an ogre lives there. If this counts as a town, it is the least friendly town in Utah.


Somewhere beyond the fence is the old ghost town of Woodside that was settled in 1881. It was a farming community and a livestock loading station along the railroad. Later on it catered to tourists with a cafe, a museum and a geyser that would go off every 20 minutes.The geyser appeared when the railroad was drilling a well in the middle of town. The cafe burned down in 1970, and the geyser was plugged up with rocks and debris which someone had thrown into it.

Town #7: Green River est. 1876

We arrived late in Green River, but we knew right where we wanted to stay. The Sleepy Hollow Motel was built in the 1950s, but it has been kept in good condition. It is our favorite old motel in Eastern Utah. Green River started out as a ferry station to transport people across the Green River. (Yes, the river does look green.) Green River has been a farming town, a railroad town, a uranium mining town and a missile base town over the years. Now it mainly caters to the tourist industry. If you are heading west along I-70, it is the last stop for food and gas for 105 miles. It is also only an hour away from Arches National Park, and the motels are not nearly as expensive as those in Moab. Green River also produces yummy watermelons that you can buy at farmer's stands.

This is our favorite old building in Green River. It was the Midland Hotel in its heyday. A fellow out of Los Angeles bought it a few years back and is in the process of fixing it up. It looks pretty good. The old transcontential Midland Trail highway passed through Green River a little less than 100 years ago. It may have got its name from that.

Green River also houses the Wesley Powell Museum that celebrates the trip of Wesley Powell down the Green and Colorado Rivers and on thru the Grand Canyon. Did you know that Powell only had one arm? He lost an arm during the Civil War. The museum is great for anyone interested in western river travel history.

The only problem we have with Green River is the absolutely desolate landscape surrounding it. You feel like your traveling in a moonscape.