Desert Lake, Utah

Ghost town in Emery County, Utah, United States

Ghost town in Utah, United States

Desert Lake, Utah

Ghost town

Desert Lake

Location of Desert Lake in Utah

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Desert Lake

Desert Lake (the United States)

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Coordinates: 39°22′24″N 110°46′57″W﻿ / ﻿39.37333°N 110.78250°W﻿ / 39.37333; -110.78250
Country| United States
State| Utah
County| Emery
Founded| 1885
Abandoned| 1910
Elevation

[1]

| 5,577 ft (1,700 m)

Desert Lake is a ghost town in Castle Valley in northern Emery County, Utah, United States. It was inhabited from 1885 to about 1910.[2][3]

## History

[edit]

In 1885, several families moved from the nearby town of Cleveland to an area they called Desert Lake, and built a 500-foot (150 m) embankment dam to impound a 300-acre (1.2 km2) irrigation reservoir (Desert Lake).[4] In 1896, the dam broke, causing significant damage.[2] The LDS Church provided $1000 to rebuild the dam, and also to extend a ditch southwest to Cleveland.[4]

The 1900 United States Census reported Desert Lake's population at 127.[5] Six years after the Census was taken, in 1906, the Desert Lake area was surveyed. An LDS church, a general store, several frame homes, and a school were constructed. The general store also served as the town's post office.[6]

A problem throughout the valley occurred as farmers irrigated land, which dropped the water table and caused alkali in the soil to rise.[4] The alkaline soil eroded adobe structures and caused many crops to fail.[4] As the alkali in the soil concentrated, the residents of Desert Lake moved about 6 miles (9.7 km) away and founded the town of Victor. A few log homes make up what's left of the town of Desert Lake.[6]

## See also

[edit]

* Utah portal

* List of ghost towns in Utah

## References

[edit]

1. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Desert Lake
2. ^ a b Thompson, George A. (1988). Some Dreams Die: Utah's Ghost Towns and Lost Treasures. Salt Lake City: Dream Garden Press. pp. 111–112\. ISBN 0-942688-01-5.
3. ^ Van Cott, John W. (1990). Utah Place Names: A Comprehensive Guide to the Origins of Geographic Names. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press. p. 108\. ISBN 9780874803457. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
4. ^ a b c d Taniguchi, Nancy J. (2004). Castle Valley, America: hard land, hard-won home. Logan, Utah: Utah State University Press. pp. 113. ISBN 0-87421-589-7.
5. ^ Geary, Edward A. (1996). A History of Emery County. Salt Lake City: Utah State Historical Society. p. 115\. ISBN 0-913738-05-0.
6. ^ a b Carr, Stephen L. (1986) [1972]. The Historical Guide to Utah Ghost Towns. Salt Lake City: Western Epics. p. 85\. ISBN 978-0-914740-30-8.

## External links

[edit]

Media related to Desert Lake, Utah at Wikimedia Commons

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Emery County, Utah, United States

County seat: Castle Dale

Cities|

* Castle Dale
* Ferron
* Green River
* Huntington
* Orangeville

Map of Utah highlighting Emery County

Towns|

* Clawson
* Cleveland
* Elmo
* Emery

Unincorporated
communities|

* Lawrence
* Molen
* Moore

Indian
reservation|

* Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation‡

Ghost towns|

* Connellsville
* Desert Lake
* Hiawatha‡
* Mohrland
* Victor
* Woodside

Footnotes|

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

* Utah portal
* United States portal

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