Harper, Utah
Encyclopedia
Harper is a ghost town
located in Nine Mile Canyon
in the southern part of Duchesne County
, Utah
, United States
. This stagecoach
town came into existence in 1886. The nearest inhabited town is Wellington
. The remaining buildings are located mostly on private property and permission must be granted before accessing them.
Alfred Lund came from Nephi
in the spring of 1885 with his cattle and was the first homesteader in Argyle Canyon. Mr. Lund's first home, a log cabin, stands in ruins on the south side of the creek. Tom Taylor also homesteaded this ground before the Army built the road through to Fort Duchesne and the Uintah Basin
in 1886.
In the 1890s, the government was freighting to Fort Duchesne over a road which passed through Nine Mile Canyon. This road is the lowest in elevation of any road between Price
and the Uintah Basin. During the years 1888 to 1895 there were 600 soldiers at Fort Duchesne who hauled their supplies over this route. As nothing of any consequence was raised at the Post everything had to be shipped in: hay, grain, and other produce. Ed Lee purchased Taylor's homestead and it became known as "Lee Station", a stagecoach stop. A large barn housed the recuperating horses for the stage line and was noted for having a "real" sink. The army installed steel telegraph poles in the Canyon around 1886, that were American Civil War
surplus. This telegraph line became the telephone line into the Basin in 1907 and remained until 1917. The poles have since served a local line until the 1990s.
According to government maps in the 1890s the name of the settlement is "Nine Mile", but some traditional accounts called it "Minnie-Maud", named for two girls who lived there. A creek that feeds Nine Mile Canyon is still called Minnie Maud
. When the post office was established the town was named Harper. The greatest number of votes ever cast in the voting precinct was 72 in 1900.
Starting sometime before 1895, residents of Nine Mile Canyon struggled to keep a school district going. The first school house, built of logs by residents, sat in the mouth of Argyle Canyon. Until 1916 there were two schools, one in Carbon County
and one in the Duchesne district. From 1916 to 1924, one school was maintained. This was closed for good in 1931 and moved to Wellington in the 1930s; it later burned.
Today, only a few structures remain, including the old stagecoach stop and some other log dwellings. The two-story Harper Hotel burned to the ground in the late 1980s or early 1990s; only the stone foundation remains now. Most of the town site is on private property, so permission is required to explore the area.
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
located in Nine Mile Canyon
Nine Mile Canyon
Nine Mile Canyon is a canyon, approximately long, located in the counties of Carbon and Duchesne in eastern Utah, in the Western United States. Promoted as "the world’s longest art gallery," the canyon is known for its extensive rock art, most of it created by the Fremont culture and the Ute people...
in the southern part of Duchesne County
Duchesne County, Utah
Duchesne County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of 2010 the population was 18,607, a 29.5% increase over the 2000 figure of 14,371. Its county seat is Duchesne and the largest city is Roosevelt.-Geography:...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. This stagecoach
Stagecoach
A stagecoach is a type of covered wagon for passengers and goods, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand. Widely used before the introduction of railway transport, it made regular trips between stages or stations, which were places of rest provided for stagecoach travelers...
town came into existence in 1886. The nearest inhabited town is Wellington
Wellington, Utah
Wellington is a city in Carbon County, Utah, United States. The population was 1,666 at the 2000 census. The community was settled in 1878 by a band of thirteen Mormons led by Jefferson Tidwell. The town was named for Justus Wellington Seeley, Jr., of the Emery County Court...
. The remaining buildings are located mostly on private property and permission must be granted before accessing them.
Alfred Lund came from Nephi
Nephi, Utah
Nephi is a city in Juab County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Provo–Orem, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 4,733 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Juab County. It was settled by Mormon pioneers in 1851, and is the principal city in Juab Valley, an...
in the spring of 1885 with his cattle and was the first homesteader in Argyle Canyon. Mr. Lund's first home, a log cabin, stands in ruins on the south side of the creek. Tom Taylor also homesteaded this ground before the Army built the road through to Fort Duchesne and the Uintah Basin
Uintah Basin
The Uintah Basin, also spelled Uinta Basin, is a physiographic section of the larger Colorado Plateaus province, which in turn is part of the larger Intermontane Plateaus physiographic division. It is also a geologic structural basin in eastern Utah, east of the Wasatch Mountains and south of the...
in 1886.
In the 1890s, the government was freighting to Fort Duchesne over a road which passed through Nine Mile Canyon. This road is the lowest in elevation of any road between Price
Price, Utah
Price is a city in Carbon County, Utah, United States. The city is home to the USU-College of Eastern Utah, as well as the large USU Eastern Prehistoric Museum affiliated with the college. Price is located within short distances from both Nine Mile Canyon and the Manti-La Sal National Forest...
and the Uintah Basin. During the years 1888 to 1895 there were 600 soldiers at Fort Duchesne who hauled their supplies over this route. As nothing of any consequence was raised at the Post everything had to be shipped in: hay, grain, and other produce. Ed Lee purchased Taylor's homestead and it became known as "Lee Station", a stagecoach stop. A large barn housed the recuperating horses for the stage line and was noted for having a "real" sink. The army installed steel telegraph poles in the Canyon around 1886, that were American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
surplus. This telegraph line became the telephone line into the Basin in 1907 and remained until 1917. The poles have since served a local line until the 1990s.
According to government maps in the 1890s the name of the settlement is "Nine Mile", but some traditional accounts called it "Minnie-Maud", named for two girls who lived there. A creek that feeds Nine Mile Canyon is still called Minnie Maud
Minnie Maud
Minnie Maud is the name of a creek and canyon in eastern Utah that is noted as the western starting point of the Nine Mile Canyon petroglyphs section. Minnie Maud Creek is a stream whose headwaters begin where the Western Tavaputs and Wasatch Plateau meet the Uinta Mountains. The creek flows...
. When the post office was established the town was named Harper. The greatest number of votes ever cast in the voting precinct was 72 in 1900.
Starting sometime before 1895, residents of Nine Mile Canyon struggled to keep a school district going. The first school house, built of logs by residents, sat in the mouth of Argyle Canyon. Until 1916 there were two schools, one in Carbon County
Carbon County, Utah
Carbon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. Named for the major coal deposits in the area, the county seat and largest city, is Price. Carbon County is the second largest natural gas producer in Utah , with 94 billion cubic feet produced in 2008. As of 2010 the population was...
and one in the Duchesne district. From 1916 to 1924, one school was maintained. This was closed for good in 1931 and moved to Wellington in the 1930s; it later burned.
Today, only a few structures remain, including the old stagecoach stop and some other log dwellings. The two-story Harper Hotel burned to the ground in the late 1980s or early 1990s; only the stone foundation remains now. Most of the town site is on private property, so permission is required to explore the area.
External links
- Harper at UTGenWeb Ghost Town Stories