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Show Garfield County Ghost Towns known as Aaron, and his combination grocery and hardware store and restaurant became a popular stop for travelers along the north-south route between Panguitch and Orderville. After the post office was established, the name of the settlement was changed to Aay Town. . A historical marker now commemorates the little town where 24 families once lived. The marker is located not quite five miles out of Hatch on U.S. Highway 89. The tiny little cemetery, is all that remains of Asay Town which was abandoned about the turn of the century when its sawmill burned (Continued on Page 23-B) : WIDTSOE Little remains of the once-flourishing once-flourishing town of Widtsoe that, in 1920 at its prime, boasted some 1100 people, four stores, a post office, two hotels, an LDS church, social hall and many homes. Located in John's Valley on state road 22 less than 13 miles north of its junction with Utah Highway 12 (the Bryce Canyon National Park turnoff), and a few hundred yards to the east of the road, weathered remains of a few of the old buildings still stand. The first settlers came to the area in 1876 and it was an important stop for the Hole-in-the-Rock pioneers as they made their way toward the Colorado River. It was known originally as Adairvilleand later, Winder, before finally being named Widtsoe. Large farms raised oats, wheat and barley until changes in climate brought the downfall of the community com-munity which once threatened Panguitch, the county seat, for prominence. One by one the families moved away as crop after crop failed due to drought. With only 17 families left in 1935, the federal government stepped in to help relocate families to more productive areas. It's interesting to study what remains of the old buildings and ponder the life their inhabitants once lived. Nearby in the foothills to the east, the old cemetery with One of the few buildings remaining at Widtsoe, a once flourishing town in Johns Valley. Buildings such as this may be found throughout th rounty where little towns existed and later died. its approximately 100 graves is mute testimony that life and death both happened once at Widtsoe. HENDERSON Only three and one-half miles north of Widtsoe another small town was once full of life. Part of one old ranch house is all that remains there now. OSIRIS One of the most picturesque spots in the county is the site of Osiris, where the remains of a rock-walled rock-walled creamery and old red-stained grain elevator with four concrete silos remind the visitor of a much earlier way of life. Located only 10 miles north of the last ghost town stop on the same road only eight miles south of Antimony, An-timony, the very photographic group is nestled in Black Canyon surrounded by tall trees and canyon walls, along a route where good fishing is Just a bonus. , ASAY In 1872, Joseph Asay settled on what later became known as Asay Creek which flowed into the Sevier River. His settlement, set-tlement, after a few others joined him nearby, was first Garfield County Ghost Towns who have lived in the area for any time, Loseeville, which was located about two miles east of Tropic in what the locals call "East Valley", once had its own church-schoolhouse and farms flourished in the area. Abandoned about the turn of the century, only a small graveyard remains. The townsite is located on private property in the valley where crops are still grown. benefited from what appeared ap-peared at first to be very favorable conditions with plenty of water, favorable soil, good pasture land, and nearby timber for homes and fuel, conditions changed and severe doughts soon drove people away. It is said that during the drought of 1896-1900, half of the cattle on the ranges died of starvation. star-vation. The little town began to dwindle in numbers and today there is little remaining. The little cemetery is visited often by local people whose ancestors are buried there and occasionally oc-casionally it is still used for burials for those whose cherished memories are associated with the little town. It is found by following the paved road to the Kane County line and making an immediate right turn to follow the dirt road west for about a mile. The cemetery will be easily missed unless the visitor watches closely for it on the north side of the road just before reaching the townsite. CLIFTON Located between Georgetown and Cannonville about the same time, Clifton was only a small village and there is nothing left at the site today to testify of its existence. LOSEE OR LOSEEVILLE Called Loseeville by most (Continued from Page 22-B) down. The townsite itself is located on private property. HILLSDALE Not quite six miles north of Hatch and only nine miles south of Panguitch, several weathered old houses await the ghost town enthusiast. Old rough-sawed log houses, barns and sheds scattered about the lovely meadows create a picturesque pic-turesque setting, evoking wonder about what life must have been like for the pioneering families who established the small town. Joel Hills Johnson, for whom Hillsdale was named ( the town of Johnson in Kane County to the south was formed just about a year earlier) was established in 1872. Like so many other areas, the almost-7,000 feet altitude was not conducive to suscessful farming and after several years of tyring so hard only to meet one defeat after another, in 1886 many began to leave. Not every one gave up, however, and some residents remained until almost the middle of the century. Occasionally, Oc-casionally, one of the old houses will be occupied for a short period. Hillsdale has never been totally given up for dead and the area makes for some very photogenic , scenery. SPRY This settlement consisted of a group of farms and homes located about Ave miles north of the junction of Bear Valley Road (Utah State Highway 20) with U.S. 89. Few people remain there today. It was named in honor of William Spry who was governor of Utah at the time the community was settled. ORTON Orton was named for William Orton who operated the Post office at his home at the mouth of Bear Creek at the junction of the Bear Valley Road (Utah State Highway 20) with U.S. 89, although little settlements set-tlements in the area had different names at different times. Between Pangutich and Circleville along U.S. 89, many remains of old dwellings and old businesses testify of former activity in the area. BUTCH CASSIDY HOME Located just inside the county line, an old Butch Cassidy residence still remains. The famous member of the Wild Bunch was reared in Circleville just over the county line in Piute County. GEORGETOWN -Located south of the little town of Cannonville on the Garfield-Kane County line, Georgetown once boasted some 200 people. Situated on Yellow Creek, the little town began to grow rapidly after 1886, growing to about 20 by 1894. While agricutlure had |
