Frontier Homestead State Park Museum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Frontier Homestead State Park Museum |
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 Frontier Homestead State Park Museum
Location in Utah
Frontier Homestead State Park Museum
Location in the United States
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| Location | Iron, Utah, United States |
| Area | 11 acres (4.5 ha) |
| Elevation | 5,800 ft (1,800 m) |
| Established | 1973 |
| Visitors | 17617 (in 2011) |
| Operator | Utah State Parks |
The Frontier Homestead State Park Museum is a fun state park and museum in Cedar City, Utah, United States. It helps us learn about the lives of early settlers in Utah.
Contents
Explore Frontier Homestead State Park
This museum first opened its doors in 1980. It was originally called Iron Mission State Park. This name honored the early settlers who tried to start an iron industry here.
In 2009, the museum's name changed to Frontier Homestead State Park Museum. It grew a lot, adding many cool things. The park expanded around a huge collection of old horse-drawn vehicles and farm tools. These were collected by a person named Gronway Parry.
What You Can See and Do
Today, the museum offers many exciting activities. You can watch people demonstrate pioneer crafts. There are also changing art exhibits and interesting talks. You can even take special tours behind the scenes. Kids can join a Junior Curator program to learn more about museums.
The museum shows off many horse-drawn vehicles from the 1850s to the 1920s. You can also see a big collection of items used by pioneers. An exhibit about the iron industry has the town bell. This bell is the only known item left from the original iron factory.
You can also explore several old cabins and a recreated pioneer home. There's a large collection of old farm equipment pulled by horses.
The Frontier Homestead also looks after the historic ruins of Old Iron Town. This was an iron factory located west of Cedar City. It operated in the middle of the 1800s.
The Story of the Iron Mission
When pioneers started settling in Utah in 1847, they needed iron. Iron was important for tools and building. When people found iron deposits in southern Utah, a leader named Brigham Young asked for volunteers. He wanted people to move there and start an iron industry.
Building the Iron Works
In November 1851, a spot near Coal Creek was chosen. This area is now Cedar City. Ten months later, the settlers finished building a small blast furnace. This was a special oven used to make iron. They began to operate their iron foundry (iron factory).
Challenges and Closure
The 'Iron Mission' faced many problems, even though it started well. They had money troubles and big floods. Freezing weather and furnace breakdowns also caused issues. At one point, there wasn't enough food, which threatened starvation.
The people worked very hard to overcome these challenges. However, the iron factory eventually closed in 1858. Even so, their efforts helped shape the history of the area.
