Giles, Utah facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Giles, Utah
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
 Giles, Utah
Location in Utah
Giles, Utah
Location in the United States
|
|
| Country | United States |
| State | Utah |
| County | Wayne |
| Established | 1883 |
| Abandoned | 1919 |
| Named for | Henry Giles |
| Elevation | 4,436 ft (1,352 m) |
| GNIS feature ID | 1428188 |
Giles was once a small town in Utah, but now it's a ghost town, meaning no one lives there anymore. It's found along the Fremont River in a place called the Blue Valley, in Wayne County. People lived in Giles from about 1883 until 1919.
Contents
History of Giles
How Giles Started
In the early 1880s, some Mormon farmers began to settle in Wayne County. These settlements were led by a man named Hyrum Burgess. By 1883, some members of the Burgess family moved to the Blue Valley area. They worked hard to build a dam and a special canal to bring water to their farms by 1884. This was important for growing crops.
Life in Blue Valley
The land near the Fremont River was very good for farming. The growing season, which is the time when plants can grow, was also longer here than in other parts of Wayne County. Because of this great farming potential, more settlers soon came to the valley.
The settlement was first called Blue Valley. This name came from the blue-gray color of the soil. This color was caused by special clays called Bentonite and Mancos Shale. The town was built on both sides of the river. However, most people lived on the south side. A small footbridge helped connect the two parts of the town.
Becoming Giles
In 1888, the people built a school building for their children. But the town itself wasn't officially planned out until June 1895. At that time, the residents decided to rename their settlement Giles. They chose this name to honor Bishop Henry Giles, who had been a very important person in the Blue Valley community.
The crops in Giles grew very well. By the year 1900, the town's population had grown to 200 people. In 1901, a new meetinghouse was built. People said it was the biggest one in the entire county! There was also a sawmill in the nearby Henry Mountains, which helped them get wood. The town also had a grocery store, a blacksmith shop (where metal items were made), and a boarding house (a place where people could rent a room).
Why Giles Became a Ghost Town
The early 1900s brought many big floods from the Fremont River. These floods were very damaging. The flooding in 1909 and 1910 was so bad that the local church leaders decided it was too difficult to keep the dam working. Without a working dam, the farmers could not get enough water to grow their crops.
Because they couldn't irrigate their fields, people started to leave Giles. They had to find other places where they could farm and live. By 1919, almost everyone had left, and Giles became a ghost town.
Today, you can still see two old rock buildings standing at the site. There are also many foundations (the bases of old buildings) and old corrals (places to keep animals). These remains show where the town of Giles once was.
