Cove Fort

A few weeks ago my mom called telling me about a road trip that she and dad were going to go on.  They planned to drive down through Yellowstone to Salt Lake City for General Conference weekend and then continue driving down to Southern Utah.  Since my mom and dad are simply awesome, they invited me to join them.  I flew into Salt Lake on Monday morning, where mom, dad, and my aunt Alice picked me up.  We headed straight south towards St. George and Zion's National Park.  On our way we saw a sign for Cove Fort and decided to take a quick detour.  Oddly enough I had never been to Cove Fort even though I lived in Utah for ten years and even taught Utah history for four of those years.

It was pretty interesting to hear the history behind the fort, especially since it was built and maintained by President Hinckley's family.

In April of 1867, Brigham Young wrote a letter to Ira Hinckley asking him to take charge of building a Fort on Cove Creek, located in central Utah.  The fort was to be a way station for travelers.  It was built of black volcanic rock and dark limestone quarried nearby.  The walls are one hundred feet long and eighteen feet high.  Lumber, mostly cedar and pine, was used for the roof, twelve interior rooms, and the massive doors at the east and west ends of the fort.

For more than twenty years Cove Fort was used and maintained by the Hinckley family, but as times changed so did the need for the fort.  In 1890 the Church sold the fort, but it was restored and dedicated a hundred years later in 1994, by President Hinckley.

We didn't stay too long, just long enough for a tour given by a senior missionary serving in the visitor's center.  A storm was following us, which continued to follow us throughout our week trip!

(Make sure to click on the collage to enlarge the pictures.)