Adventure At The Old Iron Town Ruins

After writing my piece on southern Utah ghost towns, I ventured out to the Old Iron Town ruins for a visit.

The way to the Old Iron Town ruins is well-marked and easily reached. It’s one of the smaller state parks but is still worth the visit. The Old Iron Town Ruins are 22 miles from Cedar City on Highway 56. 

I went with a friend on Saturday and although it was raining for part of the day, it made for cooler temperatures for visiting the park. 

Now that I’ve told you about the drive, let me give you a quick rundown on the history of the Old Iron Town Ruins.  

Originally known as Iron City, it was founded in 1868 as a second attempt to mine iron from Iron Mountain. Iron City was first discovered by Peter Shirts and grew with the investment of Ebenezer Hanks. 

In the summer of 1868, Hanks established the Union Iron Company which would later become the Great Western Iron Company. 

The ironworks included a furnace, pattern shop, grinding device, and two charcoal kilns. Only one kiln remains because of weather and vandalism. 

The 1870 census recorded 97 people, living in 19 households living in Iron City, and by 1871 the city had a post office, boarding house, brick schoolhouse, butcher shop, and general store. 

By 1876 Iron City was abandoned due to the expense of shipping items and the money made from selling items to Mormon settlers with little money.  

The signage at the Old Iron Town Ruins, the Frontier Homestead website, and Atlas Obscura were the resources I used for this piece and are linked.