Lund, Utah facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lund, Utah
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Abandoned building in Lund, October 2011
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 Lund, Utah
Location in Utah
Lund, Utah
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Utah |
| County | Iron |
| Founded | 1898 |
| Named for | Robert C. Lund |
| Elevation | 5,085 ft (1,550 m) |
| GNIS feature ID | 1430015 |
Lund is a small, quiet place in Iron County, Utah, United States. It's an unincorporated community, which means it doesn't have its own local government like a town or city. Lund is located in a desert area called the Escalante Valley, about 35 miles (56 km) northwest of Cedar City. It was first settled in the late 1800s and became a stop on a major railroad line.
History of Lund
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1910 | 24 | — | |
| 1920 | 148 | 516.7% | |
| 1930 | 191 | 29.1% | |
| 1940 | 118 | −38.2% | |
| 1950 | 42 | −64.4% | |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau | |||
People started settling in the Lund area when a railway line was finished in the Escalante Valley around 1898–1899. For a while, only a few people lived there. But in 1911, the valley was opened for homestead settlement. This meant people could get land from the government to build farms and homes.
The town of Lund was officially planned out in 1913. This started a busy time for the area that lasted about ten years. The town was named after Robert C. Lund. He was a state lawmaker in Utah, owned local mines, and was a director for the Union Pacific Railroad.
Challenges and Changes
The number of people living in Lund started to go down in the 1920s. This happened because many of the farms started by homesteaders didn't succeed. The desert climate was very dry and harsh, making farming difficult.
One of the biggest events in Lund's history happened in February 1922. A very unusual flood hit the desert valley, and parts of the town were covered in water.
The Railroad's Role
Lund became more important as a railroad spot in 1923. The Union Pacific Railroad built a new line from Lund to Cedar City. This new line was built to help people travel to southern Utah's beautiful National Parks. Passenger trains used this line during the summer until 1960.
At other times, people going to Cedar City would take a bus operated by the railway. The bus would pick them up in Lund and follow State Route 19. As part of building this new line, the railroad put up a grand building called a depot. This depot was designed by a famous architect named Gilbert Stanley Underwood.
The last passenger trains stopped in Lund in 1969. The depot building was taken down the next year. This marked the end of Lund's time as an important railroad town.
Lund Today
A post office operated in Lund from 1901 until 1967. When it closed, it showed that fewer and fewer people were living in the area. Today, only a few people live near Lund.
