The Fielding Garr Ranch is a ranch located on the southeastern portion of

Antelope Island State Park Antelope Island, with an area of 42 square miles (109 km2), is the largest of ten islands located within the Great Salt Lake in the US state of Utah. The island lies in the southeastern portion of the lake, near Salt Lake City and Davis Cou ...

in the Great Salt Lake,

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

, United States and is part of the

Utah State Parks Utah State Parks is the common name for the Division of Utah State Parks and Recreation; a division of the Utah Department of Natural Resources. This is the state agency that manages the state park system of the U.S. state of Utah. Utah's ...

system. A portion of the original ranch is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. The Fielding Garr Ranch is located at Garr Springs, which is one of the strongest and most consistent springs of the 40 known springs on

Antelope Island Antelope Island, with an area of 42 square miles (109 km2), is the largest of ten islands located within the Great Salt Lake in the US state of Utah. The island lies in the southeastern portion of the lake, near Salt Lake City and Davis Cou ...

, though even this spring has shown some signs of drying up in recent years. The ranch is one of the oldest working ranching operations in the Western United States. The ranch was initially established in 1848, the year after the first Mormon pioneers came into the Salt Lake Valley. Fielding Garr, a widower with nine children, was sent by

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ch ...

(LDS Church) to live on

and establish a ranch to manage the church's Tithing Herds of cattle and sheep. The first building was an adobe house built in 1848 by pioneers of European descent and it is still in existence as the oldest building in Utah that still remains on its original foundation. The adobe ranch house was continuously inhabited thereafter until 1981 when the

State of Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to its we ...

prepared to set up Antelope Island as a Utah State Park. At various times other people tried to live on the island, but the harsh conditions, isolation and a lack of fresh water made it very difficult. The ranch remained under the control of the LDS Church until 1870, when it was purchased by John Dooly, Sr. Dooly lived on the island and set up the Island Improvement Company to provide cattle and sheep ranching. At one point the island supported a population of 10,000 sheep and it was one of the largest sheep ranches in the United States. In 1893, John Dooly and William Glassman imported 12

American bison The American bison (''Bison bison'') is a species of bison native to North America. Sometimes colloquially referred to as American buffalo or simply Bubalina, buffalo (a different clade of bovine), it is one of two extant species of bison, alongs ...

to the island. Buffalo (American bison) were becoming extinct over much of their range at the time, and he felt that their novelty value was high enough that he could ranch them, and charge people to hunt them. Ranching continued until 1981, when

was established. The cattle and sheep were removed and the island park was created to protect the wildlife and allow park visitors to enjoy the scenic beauty and to camp, boat and visit the beaches of the Great Salt Lake.

Location

The ranch is on

along the southeast portion of the island. Follow I-15 to Syracuse,

, 25 miles north of

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...

. Take the Syracuse exit of I-15 (Exit 332) and go straight west 7 miles on Utah State Road 108 (Antelope Drive) to the

fee booth (at the beginning of the causeway). Continue straight along the causeway 6 miles to the island then take the left fork of the road, turning towards the south. In less than a half mile, at the second juncture, bear to the left again, and travel south along this road about 11 miles to the ranch. There is a gate that controls the southern portion of the road. This gate and the ranch opens daily during the summer; it closes a bit earlier each day during the winter.

Historic site

The Fielding Garr Ranch was listed on the

in 1983. The listing included four contributing buildings and one contributing structure on . The ranch house was originally a double pen adobe building; there have been later additions. Outbuildings are a milk house, a

blacksmith shop A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such as gates, gr ...

, and a

spring house A spring house, or springhouse, is a small building, usually of a single room, constructed over a spring. While the original purpose of a springhouse was to keep the spring water clean by excluding fallen leaves, animals, etc., the enclosing stru ...

, and there is a rock stable structure. With

Activities

The Fielding Garr Ranch is part of

is known for its scenic beauty, especially in the northwest quadrant of the island at Buffalo Point and White Rock Bay, where mountains and hills overlook beaches as well as the reflecting waters of the Great Salt Lake and other islands that are visible in the lake. A balloon festival is held yearly around Labor Day. Birdwatching on Antelope Island is well known.http://www.utahbirds.org/PrintCenter/ChListAntelopeIsland.pdf Trail running on the island has devotees, and several trail running races are held on the island each year at distances of 25 kilometers, 50 kilometers, 50 miles and 100 miles. Hiking and cycling are popular activities, but water is scarce and there are few trees on the island. Though not strictly a

desert island A desert island, deserted island, or uninhabited island, is an island, islet or atoll that is not permanently populated by humans. Uninhabited islands are often depicted in films or stories about shipwrecked people, and are also used as stereot ...

there are no permanent human inhabitants and conditions are quite dry and can be very hot during the summer. Freely flowing fresh water is not readily available on the island, though there are a few natural springs, mostly in the mountainous spine of the island and towards the south end of the island, near the Fielding Garr Ranch. Water and restrooms are available in the visitor areas of the island. There is a giftshop and small fast food restaurant, on the northern end of the island, that is open during the main visitor season. It is located at Buffalo Point. Public beaches, a marina and overnight camping areas are available and popular on the northern part of the island. Observing wildlife is also popular on Antelope Island, especially the large numbers of bison which are part of the

Antelope Island bison herd The Antelope Island bison herd is a semi–free-ranging population of American bison (''Bison bison, ''buffalo) in Antelope Island State Park in Great Salt Lake, Utah. Bison were introduced to Antelope Island in 1893. The herd is signific ...

. Coyotes and antelope are sometimes seen close to the main roads and campsites, and bison often wander across the roads, though the bison are most often found towards the south end of the island near the Fielding Garr Ranch. Tours are available of the historical Fielding Garr Ranch and surrounding environs. Buildings include the adobe ranch house, silo, bunkhouse, stables, springhome, and blacksmith shop. The Fielding Garr Ranch is a demonstration ranch and visitors can get an idea of the lifestyle that was lived by ranch inhabitants in the past. The ranch area is one of the most popular bird watching locations on the island. Hiking and photography are also popular. Horseback riding is available and horses can be rented at the ranch on an hourly basis. Riders can go out to observe the bison but are required to stay on established trails.

Habitat and wildlife

Antelope Island is mostly dry grassland. The eastern side of the island is a grassy plain or prairie habitat from the eastern shoreline to the central mountainous spine of the island. Few trees and little fresh water is present on the island, though there are a few small, sometimes inconsistent springs, especially in the areas near the Fielding Garr Ranch. The trees surrounding the ranch, a small stream and pond, and an extensive marsh area, provide an isolated haven for birds along the east shore of the 15-mile-long sagebrush and grasslands covered Antelope Island. There are approximately 250 species of water and shore birds, grassland birds and raptors that have been seen on Antelope Island, and many of them are found in the vicinity of the Fielding Garr Ranch. Some of these birds include northern waterthrush,

American redstart The American redstart (''Setophaga ruticilla'') is a New World warbler. It is unrelated to the Old World (common) redstart. Taxonomy The American redstart was described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the 10th edition of his ''Systema Naturae'' und ...

, other warblers, vireos,

great horned owl The great horned owl (''Bubo virginianus''), also known as the tiger owl (originally derived from early naturalists' description as the "winged tiger" or "tiger of the air"), or the hoot owl, is a large owl native to the Americas. It is an extre ...

long-eared owl The long-eared owl (''Asio otus''), also known as the northern long-eared owlOlsen, P.D. & Marks, J.S. (2019). ''Northern Long-eared Owl (Asio otus)''. In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook o ...

hermit thrush The hermit thrush (''Catharus guttatus'') is a medium-sized North American thrush. It is not very closely related to the other North American migrant species of ''Catharus'', but rather to the Mexican russet nightingale-thrush. The specific na ...

Townsend's solitaire Townsend's solitaire (''Myadestes townsendi'') is a medium-sized thrush, the only solitaire native to America north of Mexico. Range and habitat This solitaire ranges from southern Alaska, British Columbia and Alberta to northern Zacatecas in Me ...

loggerhead shrike The loggerhead shrike (''Lanius ludovicianus'') is a passerine bird in the family Laniidae. It is the only member of the shrike family endemic to North America; the related northern shrike (''L. borealis'') occurs north of its range, however it ...

(winter) varied thrush and

northern shrike The northern shrike (''Lanius borealis'') is a large songbird species in the shrike family ( Laniidae) native to North America and Siberia. Long considered a subspecies of the great grey shrike, it was classified as a distinct species in 2017. Si ...

. The

is a herd of 500 to 700

that is still present on the island and the herd is partly managed from the Fielding Garr Ranch.YouTube - 2007 Bison Roundup
/ref> The bison may wander the entire island, but most tend to stay in the area around the ranch, since the habitat is excellent for them and more of the natural springs are in that part of the island. Other large mammals in the vicinity include

coyotes The coyote (''Canis latrans'') is a species of canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the wolf, and slightly smaller than the closely related eastern wolf and red wolf. It fills much of the same ecological nich ...

pronghorn The pronghorn (, ) (''Antilocapra americana'') is a species of artiodactyl (even-toed, hoofed) mammal indigenous to interior western and central North America. Though not an antelope, it is known colloquially in North America as the American a ...

big horn sheep The bighorn sheep (''Ovis canadensis'') is a species of sheep native to North America. It is named for its large horns. A pair of horns might weigh up to ; the sheep typically weigh up to . Recent genetic testing indicates three distinct subspec ...

and

mule deer The mule deer (''Odocoileus hemionus'') is a deer indigenous to western North America; it is named for its ears, which are large like those of the mule. Two subspecies of mule deer are grouped into the black-tailed deer. Unlike the related whi ...

. File:Bison On Antelope Island.jpg, A herd of bison on Antelope Island File:GSLview.JPG, Bison near a freshwater spring on Antelope Island File:Fielding Garr Ranch on Antelope Island.jpg, Fielding Garr Ranch on Antelope Island File:Antelope Island State Park Ranch.jpg, Antelope Island State Park Ranch File:AntelopeIsland_jackrabbit.JPG, Jack rabbit in Antelope Island State Park File:Buffalo Bison Pair.jpg, Buffalo bison pair File:Coyote arizona.jpg, Coyote File:Venado bura.JPG, Mule deer File:Desert Bighorn Sheep Joshua Tree 3.JPG, Bighorn sheep File:Pronghorn antelope.jpg, Pronghorn File:Haliaeetus leucocephalus -Snake river, Wyomng, USA -juvenile-8.jpg, Juvenile bald eagle File:Circus hudsonius male Antelope Island.jpg, ''Circus hudsonius'' (northern harrier) male, on Antelope Island

Notes

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External links