Cove Fort is a

fort A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...

, unincorporated community, and historical site located in

Millard County, Utah Millard County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 12,975. Its county seat is Fillmore, and the largest city is Delta. History The Utah Territory legislature created the county ...

. It was founded in 1867 by Ira Hinckley (the paternal grandfather of Gordon B. Hinckley) at the request of

Brigham Young Brigham Young ( ; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second President of the Church (LDS Church), president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1847 until h ...

. One of its distinctive features is the use of volcanic rock in the construction of the walls, rather than the wood used in many mid-19th-century

western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

forts. This difference in construction is the reason it is one of very few forts of this period still surviving. Cove Fort is the closest named place to the western terminus of

Interstate 70 Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from Interstate 15, I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to Interstate 695 (Maryland), I-695 and Maryland Route 570 (MD 570) in Woodlawn, Baltimo ...

, resulting in Cove Fort being listed as a

control city A control city is a city, locality, or other location posted on a series of traffic signs along a particular stretch of road indicating destinations on that route. Together with route numbers and cardinal directions, these focal points aid the mo ...

on freeway signs, though the fort itself is historical and has no permanent population.

History

The site for Cove Fort was selected by Brigham Young because of its location about halfway between Fillmore (formerly the capital of the

Utah Territory The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah, the 45th st ...

) and the nearest city,

Beaver Beavers (genus ''Castor'') are large, semiaquatic rodents of the Northern Hemisphere. There are two existing species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers are the second-large ...

. It provided a way station for people traveling the Mormon Road. A town would have been constructed at the Cove Fort site, but the water supply was inadequate to support a sizable population. Another key factor in the selection of the site was the prior existence of a wooden-palisade fort, Willden Fort, which provided shelter and safety for the work crews who constructed Cove Fort. The fort is a square, on each side. The walls are constructed of black

volcanic rock Volcanic rocks (often shortened to volcanics in scientific contexts) are rocks formed from lava erupted from a volcano. Like all rock types, the concept of volcanic rock is artificial, and in nature volcanic rocks grade into hypabyssal and me ...

and dark

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

, both quarried from the nearby mountains. The walls are 18 ft high and 4 ft thick at the base, tapering to 2 ft thick at the top. The fort has two sets of large wooden doors at the east and west ends, originally filled with sand to stop arrows and bullets, and contains 12 interior rooms (six on the north wall and six on the south wall.) As a daily stop for two

stagecoach A stagecoach (also: stage coach, stage, road coach, ) is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by ...

lines, as well as many other travelers, Cove Fort was heavily used for many years, often housing and feeding up to 75 people at a time. In addition to providing a place to rest, a

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

farrier A farrier is a specialist in equine hoof care, including the trimming and balancing of horses' hooves and the placing of shoes on their hooves, if necessary. A farrier combines some blacksmith's skills (fabricating, adapting, and adju ...

resided at the fort, who shod horses and oxen, and also repaired wagon wheels. With its

telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas ...

office and as a

Pony Express The Pony Express was an American express mail service that used relays of horse-mounted riders between Missouri and California. It was operated by the Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company. During its 18 months of opera ...

stop, it also acted as a regional communications hub.

Restoration

In the early 1890s,

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 Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

determined the fort was no longer required and leased it out to a number of parties, eventually selling it to W.H. Kesler in 1911. By 1903 when Kesler visited the Fort, a fire had destroy the north side rooms and parts were greatly deteriorated. The Keslers leased the Fort later that year and in the spring of 1904 moved into it with his wife Sarah to raise a their family and earn a living with cattle, horses, and cows. They slowly fixed up the fort, raised alfalfa, planted fruit trees, and rebuilt the north side rooms in 1917. In 1988, the Hinckley family purchased the fort and donated it back to the Church. The Church restored the fort, transported Ira Hinckley's

Coalville, Utah Coalville is a city in and the county seat of Summit County, Utah, Summit County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City metropolitan area, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,486 as of the 2020 ...

, cabin to the site, constructed a visitor center, and reopened the fort as a historic site. The site provides free guided tours daily, starting from about 8 am until one half-hour before sunset.

Transportation

The first highway to traverse Cove Fort was the Arrowhead Trail, which connected

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...

with

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. When the U.S. Highway system was formed, this route became U.S. Route 91, and is today

Interstate 15 Interstate 15 (I-15) is a major Interstate Highway in the Western United States, running through Southern California and the Intermountain West. I-15 begins near the Mexican border in San Diego County and stretches north to Alberta, Ca ...

. When the

Interstate Highway System The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, or the Eisenhower Interstate System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Hi ...

was in the planning stages, planners noted no direct connection existed between the

central United States The Central United States is sometimes conceived as between the Eastern United States, Eastern and Western United States, Western as part of a three-region model, roughly coincident with the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau's d ...

and

southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...

. The result to fill this gap was a new freeway that would be built west from Green River, Utah, towards Cove Fort, along a path that used to be inaccessible by paved roads. Since that time, Cove Fort has also served as the western terminus of Interstate 70. I-70Baltimore-CoveFort2200

In 2004, the

Federal Highway Administration The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two programs, the Federal-aid Highway Program a ...

was testing a new typeface, Clearview, designed to have improved readability at night with headlight illumination. One test sign was placed at

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

– the eastern terminus of Interstate 70 – that listed Cove Fort as a

with a distance of . One employee stated with the number of queries the department received about Cove Fort, the test was a success. The sign became so popular that after the test was over, federal authorities made arrangements with Maryland authorities to keep the sign permanently installed. The sign prompted a series of stories about Cove Fort to be published in the Baltimore area. Since that time, a small effort has been made by people in both states to lobby the

Utah Department of Transportation The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) is an agency of the state government of Utah, United States; it is usually referred to by its initials UDOT (pronounced "you-dot"). UDOT is responsible for approximately 5,900 miles (9,495 kilomet ...

to reciprocate by placing a sign at Cove Fort listing the distance to Baltimore.

References

External links

Official web site of the Cove Fort Historic Site

Unofficial Cove Fort Historical Site

from Utah.com *

at the Millard County tourism site.

at Legends of America historic site.

at Great Basin National Heritage Route website. * {{LDSsites 1867 establishments in Utah Territory Buildings and structures in Millard County, Utah The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Utah Forts in Utah Forts on the National Register of Historic Places in Utah Great Basin National Heritage Area Historic American Buildings Survey in Utah History museums in Utah Landmarks in Utah Museums in Millard County, Utah National Register of Historic Places in Millard County, Utah Open-air museums in Utah Pony Express stations Pre-statehood history of Utah Properties of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Unincorporated communities in Millard County, Utah Utah Territory Waystations

History

Restoration

Transportation

See also

References

Further reading

External links