Utah State Parks
Frontier Homestead State Park and Museum Cedar City, UT
The Iron Mission State park was started in 1973 as a way to preserve the history of the Mormons who settled in Cedar City. The need for iron in 1847 led to the colonization of the area in 1851. Within 10 months the area had a blast furnace and iron foundry up and running. The name of the park was changed to the Frontier Homestead State Park and Museum in 2009. The park now offers hands-on school programs, living history activities as well as artifact and historic building preservation.
One of the largest collections of horse drawn wagons and carriages is now housed in the museum. Most of the collection came from a private collector named Gronway Parry.
The hands-on aspect of this park makes it easy to submerge yourself into life on the frontier. There are pioneer cabins, 19th century printing presses, a 100-year old rug loom, horse drawn farm equipment, and a saw mill. There are also historic structures like the Hunter House. This house was the oldest remaining home in Cedar City. The George Wood cabin is the fifth oldest structure still standing in Utah.
The Frontier Homestead State Park and Museum is truly a great place to visit. The museum is well organized and engaging. http://www.frontierhomestead.org/
Dead Horse Point State Park Moab, UT
The mesa of Dead Horse Point State Park overlooks the Colorado River and provides views of Canyonlands National Park. The geology of the area has created the 2,000-foot-deep canyon that has been carved out of the ancient sand dunes and sedimentary rock, by wind and water. The park offers hiking and biking trails as well as an informative visitors center.
The plants and animals of the high desert are uniquely adapted to live in this harsh dry climate. The plants grow slowly and remain low to the ground. This helps plants to conserve the limited water and nutrients available to them. Most of the animals are nocturnal and have developed to thrive in this harsh environment over time.
According to legend the peninsula at the end of the mesa was used to corral wild Mustangs during the early 19th century. The horses were herded to the area and the cowboys would select the ones they wanted to keep. The unwanted horses were left to find their own way out. Many horses would die of thirst after they were trapped out on the narrow peninsula overlooking the Colorado River.
We enjoyed the beauty of Dead Horse Point State Park from the overlooks. We were able to see more of the Colorado River than we could from any of the national parks we visited. The natural landscape around the visitor’s center had many of the native plants along the pathways. Be sure to visit this park if you are in Moab, UT it is well worth the trip. https://stateparks.utah.gov/parks/dead-horse/