Posts Tagged ‘springdale’
Friday, February 5th, 2010
Grafton, Utah
 Grafton School House Grafton is a historic ghost town just south of Zion National Park and located along the Virgin River. The modern day town nearest Grafton, is Rockville. Grafton was first settled in 1859 and was located just one mile west of its present town site. In January of 1862 the town was completely washed away by a flood on the Virgin River. Settlers rebuilt the town a mile further up stream at its present site.
 Gravestone of young teenager killed in uprisings There were many log houses, a post office, a church, a school, and a community hall. The town was deserted in 1866 due to Indian attacks and resettled once the threat had subsided.
Said to be the most photographed ghost town in the West, it has been featured as a location in several films, including 1929’s “In Old Arizona” and the classic “Butch Cassidy and the Sandance Kid”, filmed in 1969 and starring Robert Redford and Paul Newman. If you are familiar with the movie “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” you may remember the scene where Newman is riding a bicycle while the music of B.J. Thomas serenades he and Katherine Ross (Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head). This was part of the scenes that were filmed at Grafton.
Directions: To get to Grafton Ghost town you will drive to the town of Rockville and look for a road labelled “Bride Road” at the east end of town (south side of street). Turn on this road and go south across the old iron bridge. Follow the road to the right as it turns west and becomes a dirt road. Travel this direction for a couple of miles until you see the Grafton cemetery on the left. The road to the old Grafton town site curves right (north) toward the Virgin River (just a few hundred yards). Park your car and wander around the old school house and through the old cemetery.
 Grafton Cemetery
Tags: butch cassidy, butch cassidy and the sundance kid, church, flood, Grafton, grafton ghost town, grafton utah, in old arizona, indian, indian attacks, katherine ross, paul newman, post office, robert redford, rockville, rockville utah, springdale, Springdale Utah, sundance kid, virgin river, Zion National Park, zion park Posted in Cities - Towns, Education, Geography, Ghost towns, Hiking, History, Scenic Drives, Springdale Utah, Weather, Zion National Park, virgin river
Tuesday, August 18th, 2009
The town of Springdale, Utah sits at the southwest entrance to Zion National Park. The 2000 census listed the population of Springdale at 457 and somehow this small community plays host to many of the visitors to Zion National Park. At an elevation of 3,900 feet Springdale was named in 2008, by Forbes Traveler, as one of the 20 ‘prettiest towns’ in America.
 View toward Zion National Park - Springdale, Utah One visit to this community and the beauty of this small town is immediately evident. Springdale is surrounded by the emerging red-rock formations of Zion National Park and other formations that lie just outside the park.
Two different forks of the Virgin River (north and east forks) come together in the Springdale area. Both of these rivers have been major contributors to the erosion, and therefore the creation, of Zion National Park.
 Scenic Highway 9 - Springdale Utah - Zion National Park For Zion National Park visitors, Springdale, Utah offers many excellent lodging, dining and shopping opportunities. In addition to this there are several entertainment options such as the Zion Canyon Giant Screen Theatre where IMAX films are shown, and the O.C. Tanner Amphitheater which offers outdoor entertainment through the summer season. Several outfitters in Springdale provide gear and guided outdoor adventures for activities such as; hiking, canyoneering, mountain biking, jeep tours, rappelling, rock climbing and more.
History: This area was visited and inhabited by Native Americans and was explored by early Mormon pioneers in the 1850’s and 1860’s. In 1862 Mormon pioneers settled the Springdale community, and it was the wife of one of these pioneers that suggested the name of Springdale, because of the proximity to some freshwater springs.
Tags: america, dining, forbes traveler, History, lodging, native americans, pioneers, Shopping, springdale, Springdale Utah, united states, virgin river, zion, Zion National Park, zion national park hotels, zion national park lodging Posted in Adventure, Biking, Canyoneering / Climbing, Cities - Towns, Entertainment, Geography, Geology, Hiking, History, Restaurants, Scenic Drives, Shopping, Springdale Utah, Zion National Park
Thursday, July 9th, 2009
The St. George and Zion National Park area is filled with some incredibly scenic back-roads and byways. One official definition of a back-road or byway is “a small side road not regularly used by people or traffic.” So with that in mind, let’s take a look at one of the back-roads or byways that you may want to consider exploring.
 - Grafton Historic School House
Smithsonian Butte
Scenic Byway:
Attractions along this dirt-road include (Town of Rockville, Grafton Ghost Town, Gooseberry Mesa, Smithsonian Butte).
Directions / Things to See and Do:
This road begins/ends in two places; Rockville and Apple Valley. Access in Rockville (from Scenic Highway 9 near Springdale/Zion National Park) is via the “Bridge Road” at the eastern edge of town. Look for a small street sign and turn south on this road. You’ll know if you are going in the right direction if you immediately cross an old iron bridge across the Virgin River. Follow this road as it curves to the right (west) and toward the ghost town of Grafton (1.5 miles).
Turn right in the fork of the road (2 miles) to visit Grafton Ghost Town. Check out the cemetery (on left) just as you enter the old town. Be sure to read some of the interesting gravestones.
 - Grafton Cemetery
The town of Grafton was settled in the 1960’s but up-risings among the local Native Americans forced the people to vacate the town for a few years. Reasons for this are found on the gravestones. Local farmers battled the frequent flooding of the Virgin River before finally giving up on raising crops in this area. There is a school-house and some old homes that still remain. This is the location of the famous bicycle scene in the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, where Butch (Paul Newman) gives Etta (Katherine Ross) a ride on a bicycle and the song “rain-drops keep falling on my head” is sung by B.J. Thomas. Many scenes for this movie (Robert Redford also stars) were shot in this area.
Returning to the main road you were on, you will move south (left at fork - uphill) toward Gooseberry Mesa. You’ll see Smithsonian Butte (large formation to southeast) as you move up the hill toward Gooseberry Mesa. The turn-off to get onto the mesa is 4.5 miles (right / west). The road moves back to the north on top of the mesa and there are many look-out points on the northern rim of the mesa. One road follows a northwest course (5 miles) to a look-out area and another road (splits west) and goes to the end of the mesa (approx. 7 miles).
 - Mountain Biking on Gooseberry Mesa - Utah
This is famous mountain biking terrain so bring your bikes if that is your As always, be considerate of bikers, hikers or other travelers as you proceed down these dirt roads in your vehicle.
Once you return to the point where you started out onto Gooseberry Mesa you are just 2.75 miles to reach the main highway (SR-59). Of course you can reverse your course and start here, or even return down the road back to Rockville (Scenic Highway 9).
Tags: back-road, backroad, byway, cemetery, dirt road, gooseberry mesa, grafton ghost town, rockville, scenic byway, smithsonian butte, springdale, St. George, utah, Zion National Park Posted in Adventure, Biking, Cities - Towns, Geography, Hiking, Scenic Drives, Springdale Utah, St. George Utah, Zion National Park
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