Arinosa, Utah facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Arinosa, Utah
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ghost town
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 Arinosa, Utah
Location in Utah
Arinosa, Utah
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Utah |
| County | Tooele |
| Elevation | 4,220 ft (1,290 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (Mountain (MST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
| Area code(s) | 435 |
Arinosa is a ghost town located in Tooele County, Utah, United States. A ghost town is a place where people used to live and work, but now it's completely empty. Arinosa is about 19 miles east of Wendover and 100 miles west of Salt Lake City. It sits in the middle of the huge, dry Great Salt Lake Desert. Even though the main highway, Interstate 80, passes nearby, there's no exit to get to where Arinosa once was.
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Arinosa: A Desert Ghost Town
Arinosa is a fascinating example of a ghost town. It's a place that was once busy with people and activity. Today, however, no buildings are left standing. It's just an empty spot in the desert.
Where is Arinosa Located?
Arinosa is found in Tooele County, Utah. It's quite isolated, deep within the Great Salt Lake Desert. This desert is known for being very flat and dry. The nearest larger towns are Wendover to the west and Salt Lake City to the east.
How to Get There?
You can't actually visit Arinosa directly. Even though Interstate 80 goes right by the area, there isn't an exit. This means you can't drive off the highway to explore the exact spot where the town used to be.
The History of Arinosa
Arinosa started in the early 1880s. It began as a small community for people who worked on the railroad. They helped maintain the train tracks.
Railroad and Road Connections
In the early 1900s, Arinosa was an important stop on the Western Pacific line. It was located between two other stops called Salduro and Barro. The historic U.S. Route 40 also ran alongside the railroad tracks through this part of Utah.
Chlorine Production
In the 1920s, a company built factories in Arinosa. They used the facilities to produce chlorine. This shows that the town had some industrial activity for a while.
Why Arinosa Became a Ghost Town
Arinosa was abandoned in the 1950s. There were two main reasons why people left.
Lack of Water
One big problem was the lack of available water. Living in the middle of a desert without enough water is very difficult. It made it hard for people to stay and for businesses to operate.
Changing Transportation
Another reason was that transportation patterns changed. New roads and ways of moving goods and people meant that Arinosa was no longer a convenient or necessary stop. As a result, people moved away, and the town became empty.
What's Left of Arinosa Today?
Today, there are no buildings left from the original settlement of Arinosa. The desert has reclaimed the area. However, a famous art installation called Metaphor: The Tree of Utah is only a few miles east of where Arinosa used to be. It's a unique landmark in the vast desert landscape.
