Exploring Millard County, UT

[Skylinerider]

I finally was able to make it to some areas that I have wanted to go to for quite a while in Millard county.

The first stop in Millard was Fort Deseret:

It was built in 18 days by 98 men. They worked in two teams and raced to see who would finish first.

From there we headed to Pahvant Butte or "Sugarloaf" as it is locally known. I prefer "Sugarloaf", it gives it a more romantic, western feel.

To get to "Sugarloaf" you have to drive through the clear lake migratory bird refuge. We saw quite a few interesting birds there.

Once we arrived, we made our way to the north side of the Butte to what is called the Lace Curtain:

The photos don't do this formation justice, it is easily 100+ feet tall.

 

[Skylinerider]

From the Lace curtain, we headed east and around to the south side:

What is that up there? Utah's Stonhenge?

So What is it already? Apparently the 1920's Millard County hired a man to construct a wind turbine of some sort, and the legend goes that he got the pillars and concrete bunker erected before he decided to take the rest of the county's money and head for Mexico with his ill-gotten fortune.
The pillars atop Sugarloaf are in 2 concentric circles with the tops level with each other, the "bunker" sits in the middle of these rings of pillars and is mostly underground.

 

[Skylinerider]

From there we headed to the Great Stone Face:

"The Great Stone Face is known as the "Guardian of Deseret". This popular tourist attraction is well worth the time, especially if you are a Mormon. The Mormons were driven out of Nauvoo, Illinois and their beloved prophet and leader Joseph Smith was killed at the hands of a mob while in the protection of government authorities. After trekking several hundred miles by wagon train and handcarts, across uncharted and hostile mountains, the pioneers settled in this western wilderness. They yearned to be left alone so they could practice their religion. Imagine their surprise when they rounded the corner of a lava flow and saw the image of their recently slain prophet naturally carved in stone. He appeared to be watching over them, like a sentinel sent from God." Text from http://www.millardcounty.com/stoneface.html

I'm sure the natives saw someone elses face there as well.

There are also petroglyphs on numerous rocks near the face.

We also went out to Topaz relocation camp, but little remains there, it was a sobering experience to drive through the streets and think about what took place. It was a great day trip, and "Ol' Sugarloaf" is definitely worth the trip all by itself.

 

[Kris K]

I've been there a couple times a really awsome place.

I've never seen the rock face though.