Grafton, Nevada
Semi-Ghost Town

I will be seeing several ghost towns on my trip through Nevada, Utah and Arizona.  Though most will be at the latter end when I am away from the tricky landscapes–within previous Gold Rush hot spots.  But Grafton, established 1859 on order of Mormon bigwig Brigham Young, is right outside Zion National Park (up next!)

Grafton was a farming community, but flooding and silt deposits from the Virgin River created challenges–as did the union of the Ute, Southern Paiute, Apache and Navajo tribes who banded to fight Mormon settlements in the land they were already inhabiting.  What would later be referred to as the Black Hawk War–named for Ute warrior chief, Antonga Black Hawk–would eventually drive out most of the Mormons out of Grafton to another less isolated settlement.  The town officially died in 1944 when the last of the stragglers left.

Grafton had a second life after a movie producer Harry Sherman purchased it in 1946. It was featured in Wild West classic Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.  With a 1997 restoration, 24 hour video surveillance and a caretaker on the premises, it is not a true Ghost Town.  Even still it has the distinction of being considered the most photographed “Ghost Town” in the United States, no doubtedly thanks to its proximity to one of most popular National Parks.