Plaque Text for Utah Landmark #418:
Iron ore having been discovered at Iron Springs, Brigham Young called missionaries to Iron County to make iron. A militia of 35 men was organized in Parowan, Nov. 5, 1851, under Captain Henry Lunt. Part of the company left Nov. 10th in 11 wagons and camped overnight on Summit Creek. Late in the afternoon of Nov. 11th, after driving in a snowstorm, they took refuge in the cove of this knoll. They set their wagon boxes on the ground in a line, protected them with brush enclosures, and began building a stockade. Within two weeks, the remainder of the company arrived. They lived in this encampment throughout the winter, made the many explorations and preparations necessary to manufacture iron, built a fort and homes on the Wm. H. Dame Survey to the west of the knoll and moved there April 1852. Other contingents of hand-picked immigrants were called periodically from England, Scotland, and Wales to assist them.
More about the First Cedar Encampment:
While building this first fort, the miners used wood from local trees they called cedar trees. That’s where Fort Cedar, and later Cedar City, got their name, only they weren’t cedar trees at all. They were junipers!
How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?
- Volunteer with Daughters of Utah Pioneers!
- Buy something from the DUP online store!
- Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!
How Do I Get There?
1203 N Main St
Cedar City, UT 84721
(Take Me There!)
When Should I Visit?
Whenever the mood strikes you!