Mountain Meadow, Utah facts for kids
Mountain Meadow, also known as Mountain Meadows, is a special area in Washington County, Utah. It was once a very important resting spot for travelers. People used it to let their animals graze and to take a break during long journeys.
Many different groups of people traveled through Mountain Meadow. This included traders on the Old Spanish Trail, and later, Mormon pioneers, gold seekers heading to California (called Forty-niners), mail riders, and other migrants and teamsters using the Mormon Road. They all used this route to travel between Utah and California.
History of Mountain Meadow
In 1856, some Mormon settlers created a community called Hamblin. This settlement was located just east of what was then called Meadow Canyon, now known as Holt Canyon.
Mountain Meadow is also known as the place where a very sad and tragic event happened on September 11, 1857. This event is called the Mountain Meadows Massacre. Today, there is a special memorial at the site to remember what happened. You can find the memorial at 37°28′32″N 113°38′37″W / 37.47556°N 113.64361°W. The children who survived this event were first cared for by families in the Hamblin settlement.
Originally, Mountain Meadow was much larger than it is today. It had better water sources and more grass for animals. It stretched for about 10 miles, from Holt Canyon in the north (at 37°35′35″N 113°38′08″W / 37.59306°N 113.63556°W) all the way to the upper part of Magotsu Creek in the south. The area is located around 37°31′03″N 113°37′17″W / 37.51750°N 113.62139°W, 37°29′34″N 113°37′57″W / 37.49278°N 113.63250°W and 37°30′35″N 113°37′43″W / 37.50972°N 113.62861°W. Its elevation is about 5,869 feet (1,789 meters).
Over time, too many animals grazed in the meadows. This caused the land to wear away, a process called overgrazing and erosion. As a result, the water level underground dropped, and many of the natural springs dried up. The grassy meadows also became much smaller and less healthy. Because of these changes, the settlement of Hamblin eventually had to be abandoned by 1905.
