Cedar City Walks

200 North Main Street

Rail travel proved pivotal for Cedar City, bringing Hollywood to town for southern Utah’s vast landscapes as backdrops to film and as a jumping-off point for visitors enjoying Southwest’s national parks, Learn how the railroad led Cedar City to became America’s “Gateway to the National Parks” by clicking here.

Once stood at 199 North Main Street

During the golden age of rail tourism in the American West, Cedar City’s El Escalante was the gateway to Utah’s natural wonder. Sadly, the grand hotel was torn down but its history is relevant to Cedar City’s prominence internationally an international tourism destination, learn more by clicking here.

Now Wells Fargo Bank | 57 North Main Street 

The reality of the Great Depression really hit home in Iron County when the Bank of Southern Utah was forced to close on Christmas Eve in 1931. The tenaciousness of the residents in reopening its one and only bank is a testament that the people of Cedar City always put their community above self. See their story by clicking here.

57 North Main Street

Richard Harrison arrived in Cedar City in 1851 among the community’s very first settlers. Here he helped establish the Iron Mission and organize a company for the making of Iron. He was superintendent of the Iron Works, helped design and build the original furnace, and on September 30th, 1852, presided over the manufacture of the first iron from iron ore in Utah.

Now Bulloch Drug | 91 North Main Street

Established in 1881, members of the Cedar Sheep Association turned their sheep and land to the organization so that in return they could draw supplies, food, and staples from the store. 1917, a new building was built south of the original store with an archway opening between the two buildings that you still see today. The upstairs was occupied by doctors and served as Cedar City’s first hospital. In the 1960’s it was converted into a soda fountain and drug store, which is its primary use today.

91 North Main Street

Francis Webster was an early merchant in Cedar City. One of the stalwarts in the monumental effort to build the first building (Old Main) at what is now Southern Utah University, he was a member of the Building Committee and is credited with playing a crucial role in persuading townspeople to participate in the undertaking.

10 North Main Street

Fighting a blinding blizzard, Henry Lunt led 35 Mormon settlers to found Cedar City in 1851. After helping with the settlement of Parowan, Lunt was sent with the settlers 15 miles south to start the town and iron mining operations. He kept extensive journals of his experiences.

Now Cedar City Offices | 10 North Main Street

During the turbulent 1920s, the US Government promised Cedar City a needed Federal building and post office. The Chamber of Commerce campaigned for the building to be located in the downtown to bring residents and shoppers into the area. A site was selected but to much chagrin of many locals as it also meant that the Tabernacle built by the LDS church would have to be torn down. The businessmen won out and the Tabernacle was razed. The building’s clock tower was preserved and placed in the Rock Church steeple which was built at the same time next door. Today the Old Post Office serves as the City Offices and Police Station.

75 East Center Street

Cedar City’s Rock Church is a shining example of the resourcefulness and fortitude of residents during the Great Depression. LDS Church leaders felt it pertinent to build a new church building since their Tabernacle Building was being torn down to make way for a new post office. The new church would serve as a place of worship and community gathering place. Money for its construction was scarce so community members pledged their own funds while others donated their time, labor and talents. Community members gathered rocks and lumber from the nearby mountains and forged iron from Iron Springs for ornate chandeliers and door hinges. Using local materials made the building unique and also cut costs. The Rock Church is still used today as a place of worship but you are welcome to wander the church grounds. Tours are by appointment only, call Ed at 435-586-6345.

200 North 200 East 

This park features large scale memorials, statues and walking paths in honor of veterans of Afghanistan, Iraqi Freedom, Korean, Vietnam and World Wars I & II.

200 North Main Street

No one would have predicted the far-reaching impact of this girl born in Cedar City and her Gung Ho initiative that changed an entire nation half a world away. Learn Helen Foster Snow’s story by clicking here.

Cedar City Library | 303 North 100 East

Located on the outside of Cedar City Public Library, the Paiute Monument features several boulders with petroglyphs incised onto the rock face. The petroglyphs represent the stories of the Paiute people.

400 North 100 East 

This monument marks the spot where on Sept. 30, 1852, the first iron was manufactured west of the Mississippi River by the Mormon Iron Missionaries sent by Brigham Young.

19 North Main Street

The Thorley building anchored the southern end of Cedar City’s Main Street for many years. Two primary attractions dominated the retail space- Zion Candy Kitchen and the Thorley theatre. The theatre became one of the first in Cedar to show motion pictures including Cecil B. Demille’s Union Pacific. Shot at Iron Springs and using many locals as extras, the film told the story of the creation of the transcontinental railroad. Union Pacific is only one of many Hollywood films shot in the area. Others include: My Friend Flicka, Can’t Help Singing, Proud Rebel, and Drums Along the Mohawk.

52 North Main 

Once, the Cedar’s Hotel, this is one of the oldest buildings on Main Street and a wonderful example of historic structures serving a present-day purpose. Until the construction of the El Escalante Hotel in 1923, the Cedar’s was the finest hotel in Southern Utah. It was in the lobby of the Cedar’s that brothers Gronway and Chauncey Parry conceived of the Utah Parks Transportation Company. The Parry brothers conducted guided auto tours to Zion, Bryce Canyon, and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. This enterprise evolved, with Union Pacific as a partner, into the Utah Parks Company, bringing thousands of tourists to the area each year.

Frontier Homestead State Park | 635 North Main Street

The caboose provided the train crew with shelter and working space while they threw switches and inspected for problems such as shifting loads, overheated axle bearings, and dragging equipment. The conductor used the caboose for filling out various forms and reports. On longer trips, the caboose provided living quarters. Caboose 4618 was manufactured by Pacific Car and Foundry in 1978 and delivered to Southern Pacific. In its heyday, Southern Pacific operated nearly 14,000 miles of track covering various routes stretching from Tennessee to California. The body of Caboose 4618 was painted in mineral red with the bay window ends and the end walls in daylight orange, both traditional Southern Pacific colors. Cabooses in the SP system were designated C-XX-X. The “C” stood for caboose, the “XX” denoted the axle load in tons, and the final “X” represented the class, type, or design. Caboose 4618 is a C-50-7. Power for the caboose was provided by a small electrical generator mounted on the lead truck. This caboose was purchased from a California rail yard in 2005 by George Lutterman. In April 2013 it was donated to Frontier Homestead State Park and moved in partnership with Iron County, Union Pacific, Construction Steel, Inc., and Gilbert Development, Inc.

Rainbow Sign & Banner | 451 North Main Street

In the early days of National Park tourism, visitors rode buses to the parks from Cedar City, Utah after a thirty-five-mile railroad spur off the mainline from Lund was finished in 1923. These long buses featured convertible tops, which provided for much better viewing of the park’s spectacular scenery. During the mid-1920s, the Union Pacific and the Utah Parks Company built a bus garage in Cedar City to house and maintain forty 11-passenger buses purchased to take tourists on a tour of what became known as “The Grand Circle,” which included Bryce Canyon, Cedar Breaks, the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Pipe Springs, and Zion National Park.

Best Western Plus (near Post Office)
255 North Main Street 

During a recent upgrade to the Best Western Plus hotel, the owners wanted to pay homage to the history of the location as depot and passenger area for the Union Pacific rail line spur into Cedar City. The rail crossing sign is the original sign for the property preserved for generations to enjoy. The mining car was used in the iron mines west of Cedar City, which was also served by the railroad in shipping the raw ore to northern Utah.

200 North Main Street

Immediately after the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad across Utah in 1869, the Utah Central Railroad began to stretch to the south. Every extension of rail shortened wagon travel and shipping into the region, however, tracks didn’t cross into Iron County until 1905 and the spur in Cedar City wasn’t completed until 1923 (celebrated by a visit from President Warren G Harding and his wife on June 27, 1923). Railroads proved pivotal for Iron County. Freight trains were able to haul more raw materials than ever before, increasing profits for local mining companies. Hollywood came to Cedar City by train as well, thanks to brothers Gronway, Chauncey and Whitney Parry. Cedar City also marketed itself (and continues to do so today) as the “Gateway to the National Parks” and became the jumping-off point for national park tour groups brought in by the Union Pacific owned Utah Parks Company (UPC). The UPC provided meals, transportation, and entertainment for the guests, commonly referred to as “dudes.” The “Grand Circle” Tour took the “dudes” to Zion National Park, the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, and Cedar Breaks. Today, the historic Depot houses a restaurant, bakery, and an antique store.

Learn more here. 

200 North Main Street 

The park was established in 1886 and originally known as Liberty Park. The Liberty Flagpole in the center of the park was built by the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers and is considered to be one of the tallest historic flagpoles in the West. The first City Hall was located on the southwest corner of the park but was later torn down to make way for park improvements. After World War II, the grounds became a makeshift campground for National Park visitors traveling by automobile rather than train. Nowadays, the park serves as the hub of historic downtown and hosts many events each year including the Midsummer Renaissance Faire, July 4th and 24th Celebration, Pioneer Day, and July Jamboree.

Once stood at 200 North 200 West 

Supported by the Cedar City Chamber of Commerce and designed by Randall Jones in 1919, the El Escalante hotel, located conveniently across from the railroad depot became the answer. Construction began under the direction of city leaders with locally made brick and soon the hotel was purchased by Union Pacific to accommodate tourists to the nearby Utah parks. In 1923, the hotel began hosting thousands of visitors a year, including movie stars and President Warren G. Harding. Not only did the El Escalante serve as a hotel, but also as community event space, dorms for pilot trainees during WWII, and as the anchor of the north end of Main Street for nearly 50 years. With the decline in rail travel, the hotel was sold to the city in the late 1950s. In August of 1971, it was sold to a private enterprise and was demolished.

Learn more here. 

Cedar Post Pawn Shop | 221 North 100 West 

This building served as the headquarters for the UPC. All supplies, reservations, accounting, maintenance, and hiring for the UPC was coordinated through this office. Supplies for the various operations were shipped to the commissary by train and sent to the Parks by truck. Four to five hundred dollars of merchandise was sent to the UPC locations three times a week – Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. The building was equipped with a large freight elevator that moved canned goods and bulk supplies down to and up from the basement. There were large refrigerators for the meat, which was sliced to order by the butcher on site. The building also housed a large humidor for tobacco products and large shelves for concession items. The commissary staff controlled nearly every UPC field operation.

As you walk down this portion of 100 West, you see a nice row of houses. This section of town was developed to help house the many workers of the Union Pacific Railroad and their subsidiary company Utah Parks Company.

500 North/Coal Creek

In 2009, the late Mayor Gerald Sherratt requested that the Cedar City Memorial Grove be created so the public could donate a tree in honor of a deceased loved one. the trees were selected with the help of Utah State University’s Extension Office. Many factors were considered in choosing the trees including, springtime color, fragrance, the value of urban trees to city life and maintenance needs.

500 North/Coal Creek

Water is diverted from Coal Creek into a series of canals and ditches for irrigation.

500 North Coal Creek Road 

In the early days of National Park tourism, visitors rode buses to the parks from Cedar City, Utah after a thirty-five-mile railroad spur off the mainline from Lund was finished in 1923. These long buses featured convertible tops, which provided for much better viewing of the park’s spectacular scenery. During the mid-1920s, the Union Pacific and the Utah Parks Company built a bus garage in Cedar City to house and maintain forty 11-passenger buses purchased to take tourists on a tour of what became known as “The Grand Circle,” which included Bryce Canyon, Cedar Breaks, the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Pipe Springs, and Zion National Park.

440 North Paiute Drive 

As you are walking the Coal Creek trail, you’ll see the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah’s official headquarters, pow wow grounds and reservation land for the Cedar Band of Paiutes. In the late 19th century, the Paiute people merged into five tribal bands known as the Cedar, Indian Peaks, Kanosh, Koosharem and Shivwits Bands. Reservations were established by 1929, however, in 1954 the federal government terminated the band’s federal recognition. The results of the termination were devastating to the Paiute people socially and economically. Without federal assistance, the people didn’t have access to proper medical care, housing, and adequate income. Tribal members dwindled to less than 800 and lands were lost due to the inability to pay taxes. On April 3, 1980, an act of Congress restored federal recognition for the entire Paiute tribe and by 1984 a new reservation land base was added with the return of 4,800 acres of economically viable land. Every June, the Paiute Tribe of Utah celebrates their restoration here a the Pow Wow grounds their annual Paiute Pow Wow and Restoration Gathering., everyone is invited.

400 North 100 East

Across the Coal Creek, you’ll note a vacant lot. this marks the spot of the first Iron Works Blast Furnace. This monument marks the spot where on Sept. 30, 1852, the first iron was manufactured west of the Mississippi River by the Mormon Iron Missionaries sent by Brigham Young.

450 East Center Street

Born in 1888, Ann J Gardner was the daughter of Cedar City pioneers Lehi and Henrietta Jones and was active in the civic affairs of the city. She served on Cedar City’s first planning commission but her ultimate dream was to build a park in the mouth of Cedar Canyon. She paid for the plans to be drawn and watched its development by the City. She passed away December of 1970 before it was completed. *Ann’s son is Lehi Robert Gardner, aka Bob Gardner, was a regionally acclaimed architect famous for his distinctive mid-century modern style prevalent throughout Cedar City. Bob designed the old Cedar city Library on Center Street and the Cedar High School.

200 North and 200 East

Established in 2006 to honor Cedar City’s veterans. Monuments have been constructed for both World Wars, the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, as well as the Korean and Vietnam wars.

Cedar City’s most prominent geological feature is the Red Hill. The land here in Iron County is a study in contrast, it’s here the verdant Colorado Plateau ends and the landscape breaks away in ribbons of color westward into the arid western reaches of Escalante Desert and Great Basin ranges. The starkness of the landscape is a result of millions of years of tectonic plate movement and the reseeding of ancient seas and lakes created layers of deposited sediment. About 35 million years ago, faulting allowed molten rock to come up through the earth’s crust and spew onto the surface creating small cones and lava flows. Earthquakes created the escarpment known as the Hurricane Fault which began to lower the Cedar Valley area to the west and moving land to the east upward. As a result, the Markagunt Plateau was lifted to its current elevation of over 10,000 feet and the Cedar Valley lowered to 5,800 feet. The uprising exposed layers of sediment and the vivid color of the Red Hill is a result of the oxidation of iron, manganese and other various sediments and minerals.

Fork of Coal Creek Trail & Cedar Canyon Trail 

The site marks the spot where the original flour mill was constructed with the Mormon settlement of the 1850s. A grist mill grinds grain into flour. Most old ones are watermills. They have a waterwheel and 2 stones for grinding. Water pushes the wheel causing it to spin. This movement causes an axle inside to turn. The axle is connected to a gear which causes the grinding stones to spin. At the top, there is a chute filled with grain. The grain slowly falls through into the grinding stones.

As you walk the trail, if you look across the Coal Creek you’ll see a monument near Hwy 14. This marks the site where in 1876 the Cedar Cooperative Mercantile & Manufacturing Institution constructed. The actual grinding stones used in the Old Mill are placed on the monument and in the ground surrounding it.

This man-made waterfall was constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corp in the 1930s.

As you are walking the trail, you’ll see deposits of coal just above Rusty’s Ranch House restaurant. In 1944, Southern Utah Power constructed a coal-powered, steam generating electrical plant at this location. Water for the plant came from Coal Creek and 5,700 tons of coal was delivered to the site each month to generate 10,000 kilowatts of power.

450 East Center Street 

Born in 1888, Ann J Gardner was the daughter of Cedar City pioneers Lehi and Henrietta Jones, and was active in the civic affairs of the city. She served on Cedar City’s first planning commission but her ultimate dream was to build a park in the mouth of Cedar Canyon. She paid for the plans to be drawn and watched its development by the City. She passed away December of 1970 before it was completed. *Ann’s son is Lehi Robert Gardner, aka Bob Gardner was a regionally acclaimed architect famous for his distinctive mid-century modern style prevalent throughout Cedar City. Bob designed the old Cedar city Library on Center Street and the Cedar High School.

About 1/4 mile north of the 400 East Trailhead

Not much is known about how this steep narrow canyon and cave got its name. The only known written reference comes from historian William Palmer who once referred to the cave in his writings about the Old Spanish Trail. The trail, which runs through Cedar City, was a popular trade route from Sante Fe to California from 1830 until the mid-1850s. It wasn’t uncommon for American Indians to be captured along the route and led for hundreds of miles on foot to camps where they were sold into slavery According to Palmer, one day, a native girl escaped her captors and ran towards the hills near Cedar City with one of her captors in hot pursuit. She climbed a 60-foot cliff where she found a cave to hide. As she watched her pursuer come closer, she readied herself to jump, possibly to her death, in order to avoid capture. Just in time, the man turned away and she hid inside the cave until nightfall. When it was safe she ran further into the mountains, walking for days until she found a camp and luckily was reunited with her betrothed. You can explore the cave but with caution, the trail is steep and the surface is slippery so you are entering at your own risk.

Since its settlement in 1851, Cedar City was prone to flooding as it sits in a major flood plain. The mountains of Cedar Mountain drain into Cedar Canyon, Fiddlers Canyon, Dry Canyon, Squaw Creek, and Green’s Lake so it’s not surprising that heavy summer thunderstorms could cause great damage. In 1958, the Green’s Lake Watershed Project was built; a series of three basins to catch floodwater you see along the foothills of the East Bench Trail. They were built just in time as a major thunderstorm hit on August 17th that same year. Cedar City’s streets became virtual rivers but over 160 feet of floodwater was diverted to the basins. They held perfectly and the damage was minimal. Modern engineering and planning, the basins are no longer needed for flood mitigation.

C trailhead, 1/2 mile south of the East Bench trailhead on 400 East

As you walk along the trail, you might notice a large “C” on the mountain above. Originally, the letter was an “A” to represent the Branch Agricultural School(BAC), now Southern Utah University. It was constructed by BAC students in the fall of 1912. In 1959, some high school students, lead by David Humphreys, championed to change it a “C” to represent Cedar High School. Utilizing as much of the material from the original A, students moved rocks and the senior class whitewashed them so the C would stand out from the mountain landscape. Thus starting the tradition that each year the senior class would whitewash and clean up the C during Homecoming week. For years, the C would be lit on fire on graduation night by the Junior class using tires and wood. Due to the possibility of wildland fire and more homes being built in Cedar Highlands, the C is rarely set ablaze anymore.

Standing at 88 feet tall, developers claimed the Cedar City Providence Center Lighthouse was the tallest inland lighthouse in the United States when constructed in 2000. The lighthouse is 450 miles away from the nearest ocean, it’s never guided any ships, and it doesn’t have a lighthouse keeper. The lighthouse was originally built to be an icon that would set Providence Center apart from other developments in Utah. But there’s also an underlying reason for its construction. According to local legend, it was built in preparation for a big earthquake when California may drop off into the ocean, at which time the lighthouse in Cedar City, Utah will be the only lighthouse standing on the ‘new’ Pacific Coast of the United States.

Junction of Greens Lake and Old Highway 91

In the late 90’s, a conflict between developers and the Iron County stockmen was putting a stop to the construction of the Providence Center Shopping District. A historic livestock trail ran through the site that had been used by stockmen for over 100 years. A prescriptive easement protected the historical trail and allowed ranchers to move their herds to and from the pastures of Cedar Mountain to the west desert country unobstructed. However, developers were concerned for the safety of shoppers and residents with the increase of traffic to the area. A plan was devised to divert the herds through a tunnel system under the Cross Hollow Road and the mile long “Sheep” tunnel was constructed. Yet, no one considered the wild and wooly nature of sheep and the tunnel was only used for one season. Sheep didn’t like the dark tunnel and the noise from the traffic overhead made it unbearable for sheep and herder, both refused to move. Ultimately the Sheep tunnel was abandoned.

You can see a video of a 1,000 head of sheep using the original livestock trail through Providence Center here https://youtu.be/Te_1RoLM6hQ.

The sheep tunnels are now used as a place for local artists and rambunctious kids to express themselves through graffiti art. Bring a flashlight and grippy, waterproof shoes as the tunnel surface is uneven. Note: The Sheep tunnels feature amazing panels of graffiti art that changes constantly, however many of the messages are graphic, may be offensive and/or adult in nature.

Enter at your own risk.