Cove Fort facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Cove Fort
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Front View
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 Location in Utah
Location in the United States
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| Location | Millard County, Utah, United States |
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| Built | 1867 |
| NRHP reference No. | 70000623 |
Cove Fort is an old fort and a historic place in Millard County, Utah. It was built in 1867 by Ira Hinckley. He built it because Brigham Young asked him to. Ira Hinckley was the grandfather of Gordon B. Hinckley, a former leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
What makes Cove Fort special is how it was built. Most forts in the western United States during the mid-1800s were made of wood. But Cove Fort was built with strong volcanic rock. This is why it is one of the few forts from that time that is still standing today.
Cove Fort is also known because it's near the end of Interstate 70. This big highway goes all the way across the country. Because of this, Cove Fort is sometimes listed on highway signs as a "control city." This means it's a major place drivers should know about, even though the fort itself is just a historical site with no people living there permanently.
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Discovering Cove Fort's Past
Brigham Young chose the spot for Cove Fort very carefully. It was about halfway between Fillmore (which used to be the capital of the Utah Territory) and Beaver. This made it a perfect stopping place for people traveling on the Mormon Road.
There was already a small wooden fort nearby called Willden Fort. This gave the builders of Cove Fort a safe place to stay while they worked. People thought about building a town at Cove Fort. But there wasn't enough water to support many people. So, it stayed a fort for travelers.
How the Fort Was Built
The fort is shaped like a square, with each side being about 100 feet (30 meters) long. The walls are made from black volcanic rock and dark limestone. These rocks were dug up from the mountains nearby.
The walls are very strong and tall. They are 18 feet (5.5 meters) high. At the bottom, they are 4 feet (1.2 meters) thick, and they get a little thinner at the top, about 2 feet (0.6 meters) thick. The fort has two big wooden doors, one on the east side and one on the west. These doors were filled with sand to help stop arrows and bullets. Inside the fort, there are 12 rooms, six along the north wall and six along the south wall.
A Busy Stop for Travelers
Cove Fort was a very busy place for many years. Two different stagecoach lines stopped there every day. Many other travelers also used the fort. Sometimes, up to 75 people would stay and eat there at one time.
Besides being a place to rest, the fort also had a blacksmith and farrier. This person would put new shoes on horses and oxen. They also fixed wagon wheels. Cove Fort was also important for communication. It had a telegraph office and was a stop for the Pony Express. This made it a key place for sending messages in the area.
Bringing Cove Fort Back to Life
In the early 1890s, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints decided the fort was no longer needed. They rented it out for a while. Then, in the early 1900s, they sold it to W.H. Kesler.
But in 1988, the Hinckley family bought the fort back. They then gave it to the Church as a gift. The Church worked hard to fix up the fort and make it look like it used to. They even moved Ira Hinckley's old cabin from Coalville, Utah, to the fort's site.
The Church also built a visitor center at Cove Fort. Now, the fort is a historic site that people can visit. They offer free guided tours every day. The tours usually start around 8 AM and continue until about 30 minutes before sunset.
Cove Fort and Major Highways
The very first highway to pass by Cove Fort was called the Arrowhead Trail. This road connected Salt Lake City with Los Angeles. Later, when the U.S. Highway system was created, this route became U.S. Route 91. Today, that same path is used by Interstate 15.
When the Interstate Highway System was being planned, people noticed there was no direct highway between the middle of the United States and southern California. To fix this, they decided to build a new freeway. This new road would go west from Green River, Utah, towards Cove Fort. Before this, there were no paved roads in that area. Since then, Cove Fort has been known as the western end of Interstate 70.
The Famous Cove Fort Sign
In 2004, the Federal Highway Administration was testing a new type of writing for highway signs called Clearview. They wanted to see if it was easier to read at night with car headlights. One test sign was put up in Baltimore, Maryland. Baltimore is the eastern end of Interstate 70. This sign listed Cove Fort as a "control city" and said it was 2,200 miles (3,540 km) away.
A worker said that many people asked about Cove Fort because of the sign. This showed that the test was a success! The sign became so popular that after the test was over, the government decided to keep it there permanently. This sign even led to many stories about Cove Fort being published in the Baltimore area. Because of this, some people in Utah and Maryland are trying to get the Utah Department of Transportation to put up a sign at Cove Fort showing the distance to Baltimore.
