Historic Fort Sanford - Panguitch, UT - Utah Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

This Utah Historical Marker is on the east side of Highway 89, just north of Sanford Creek Road. There is plenty of room to pull over and park. The black metal marker is set in stone, with a black iron sign above. As this marker indicates, there is another Fort Sanford Marker about a mile to the east.

The text on the marker is:

"Numerous fortifications were erected in Central and Southern Utah in 1865 and 1866 during the Black Hawk Indian War to protect small settlements against attack by bands of Ute, Paiute, and Navajo Indians. Most were built around the towns themselves, and generally by the local citizens, but Fort Sanford was unique in design, construction, and purpose.

By orders from the commanding officers of the Territorial Militia and the Iron Military District, Major Silas Sanford Smith was directed to raise a force of fifty well-armed men to help protect the settlements of Circleville and Panguitch and to construct a fortification near the confluence of Bear Creek and the Sevier River. This was a strategic location commanding the Ute Indian Trail as well as the north-south route taken by pioneer settlers traveling through the area and along the Old Spanish Trail. Each provided access to the western regions.

Although Fort Sanford was in operation for a relatively short period of time, it represented a unique chapter in the history of this area. This monument is a tribute to the soldiers who built the Fort and the pioneers it protected.

To learn more, turn east on Sanford Road and look for another marker."

Marker Name: Historic Fort Sanford Marker Type: Roadside County: Garfield City: Panguitch Group Responsible for Placement: D.U.P. Date Dedicated: 2020 Marker Number: 588 Addtional Information: Not listed Web link(s) for additional information: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
In your log, please say if you learned something new, and if you took any extra time to explore the area once you stopped at the historic marker waymark. If possible please post a photo of you OR your GPS at the marker location. Also if you know of any additional links not already mentioned about this bit of Utah history please include that in your log.

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