Duncan's Retreat, Utah
Encyclopedia
Duncan's Retreat is a ghost town
located in the eastern part of Washington County
, in southwestern Utah
, United States
. Lying some 3 miles (4.8 km) east of Virgin
and just southwest of Zion National Park
, Duncan's Retreat was inhabited about 1861–1895.
of the Virgin River
. The colony was part of a southern Utah cotton
-growing project ordered by Brigham Young
(see Utah's Dixie). That winter the Virgin River, unpredictable at even the best of times, experienced the Great Flood of 1862
, which destroyed most of the settlement along with such other nearby towns as Grafton
. Chapman Duncan and most of the other original settlers fled in early 1862 in search of a more stable home, and the families who stayed behind named their village Duncan's Retreat.
A local legend claims that Duncan's real reason for retreating was a botched surveying
job. Duncan, so the story goes, was assigned to survey a canal
to bring water from the Virgin River, but when it was dug, the canal was found to be useless as its route ran uphill. Another version of the story says it happened in Virgin
, and that Duncan retreated to Duncan's Retreat.
More settlers took the place of the departing pioneers, and by the end of 1862 Duncan's Retreat had a population of about 70. They planted crops and orchard
s, producing large harvests in the years the river did not flood. Cotton, corn, wheat, and sorghum
grew particularly well. A post office
was established here in 1863, and a schoolhouse in 1864. In 1866, when the Black Hawk War
caused widespread fear of Indian
attacks, the town was evacuated to Virgin, although farmers returned to Duncan's Retreat each day to work their fields. Residents moved back permanently in 1868.
Farming in Duncan's Retreat was a difficult life. The fertile land yielded bumper crops in good years, but could be washed away by torrential floods at any time. Of the 11 families living here in 1870, 9 remained in 1880. The next decade was much harsher; by 1891 Duncan's Retreat was all but deserted. The last known birth in town was in 1895.
All that remains of Duncan's Retreat is some dead fruit trees, an irrigation ditch, and a few graves on the north side of Utah State Route 9 between Virgin and Grafton.
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
located in the eastern part of Washington County
Washington County, Utah
As of the census of 2000, there were 90,354 people, 29,939 households, and 23,442 families residing in the county. The population density was 37 people per square mile . There were 36,478 housing units at an average density of 15 per square mile...
, in southwestern Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Lying some 3 miles (4.8 km) east of Virgin
Virgin, Utah
Virgin is a town in Washington County, Utah, United States. The population was 394 at the 2000 census. It is located along the Virgin River , not far from Zion National Park. The elevation is...
and just southwest of Zion National Park
Zion National Park
Zion National Park is located in the Southwestern United States, near Springdale, Utah. A prominent feature of the park is Zion Canyon, which is 15 miles long and up to half a mile deep, cut through the reddish and tan-colored Navajo Sandstone by the North Fork of the Virgin River...
, Duncan's Retreat was inhabited about 1861–1895.
History
Chapman Duncan came here in 1861, settling with a few others on Mukuntuweep Creek, a small tributaryTributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of the Virgin River
Virgin River
The Virgin River is a tributary of the Colorado River in the U.S. states of Utah, Nevada, and Arizona. The river is about long. It was designated Utah's first wild and scenic river in 2009, during the centennial celebration of Zion National Park.-Course:...
. The colony was part of a southern Utah cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
-growing project ordered by Brigham Young
Brigham Young
Brigham Young was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877, he founded Salt Lake City, and he served as the first governor of the Utah...
(see Utah's Dixie). That winter the Virgin River, unpredictable at even the best of times, experienced the Great Flood of 1862
Great Flood of 1862
The Great Flood of 1862 or Noachian Deluge was the largest flood in the recorded history of Oregon, Nevada and California, occurring from December 1861 to January 1862. It was preceded by weeks of continuous rains that began in Oregon in November 1861 and continued into January 1862...
, which destroyed most of the settlement along with such other nearby towns as Grafton
Grafton, Utah
Grafton is a ghost town, just south of Zion National Park in Washington County, Utah, United States. Said to be the most photographed ghost town in the West, it has been featured as a location in several films, including 1929's In Old Arizona—the first talkie filmed outdoors—and the...
. Chapman Duncan and most of the other original settlers fled in early 1862 in search of a more stable home, and the families who stayed behind named their village Duncan's Retreat.
A local legend claims that Duncan's real reason for retreating was a botched surveying
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
job. Duncan, so the story goes, was assigned to survey a canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
to bring water from the Virgin River, but when it was dug, the canal was found to be useless as its route ran uphill. Another version of the story says it happened in Virgin
Virgin, Utah
Virgin is a town in Washington County, Utah, United States. The population was 394 at the 2000 census. It is located along the Virgin River , not far from Zion National Park. The elevation is...
, and that Duncan retreated to Duncan's Retreat.
More settlers took the place of the departing pioneers, and by the end of 1862 Duncan's Retreat had a population of about 70. They planted crops and orchard
Orchard
An orchard is an intentional planting of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit or nut-producing trees which are grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of large gardens, where they serve an aesthetic as well as a productive...
s, producing large harvests in the years the river did not flood. Cotton, corn, wheat, and sorghum
Sorghum
Sorghum is a genus of numerous species of grasses, one of which is raised for grain and many of which are used as fodder plants either cultivated or as part of pasture. The plants are cultivated in warmer climates worldwide. Species are native to tropical and subtropical regions of all continents...
grew particularly well. A post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
was established here in 1863, and a schoolhouse in 1864. In 1866, when the Black Hawk War
Black Hawk War (Utah)
The Black Hawk War, or Black Hawk's War, from 1865 to 1872, is the name of the estimated 150 military engagement between Mormon settlers in the Four Corners region and members of the Ute, Paiute, Apache and Navajo tribes, led by a local Ute chief, Antonga Black Hawk...
caused widespread fear of Indian
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
attacks, the town was evacuated to Virgin, although farmers returned to Duncan's Retreat each day to work their fields. Residents moved back permanently in 1868.
Farming in Duncan's Retreat was a difficult life. The fertile land yielded bumper crops in good years, but could be washed away by torrential floods at any time. Of the 11 families living here in 1870, 9 remained in 1880. The next decade was much harsher; by 1891 Duncan's Retreat was all but deserted. The last known birth in town was in 1895.
All that remains of Duncan's Retreat is some dead fruit trees, an irrigation ditch, and a few graves on the north side of Utah State Route 9 between Virgin and Grafton.
External links
- Duncan's Retreat at GhostTowns.com
- Utah's Dixie Historical Sites at Sons of Utah Pioneers