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Georgetown – Kane County Ghost Town
Georgetown, Kane County, Utah, was a small Mormon pioneer settlement (later a ghost town) on Yellow Creek, a tributary of the Paria River, roughly three miles south of Cannonville.
Founding and Naming
Settlement began in the spring of 1886 when Seth Johnson and his sons Joseph and Eleazer built homes there. It formed part of the broader expansion into the upper Paria River country in the 1870s–1880s, after earlier nearby efforts such as the 1874–75 founding of what became Cannonville (initially involving sites like Clifton). Both Georgetown and Cannonville were named for George Q. Cannon, a prominent local Latter-day Saint (LDS) leader.
The community grew into a modest village of about 100 people. It supported basic institutions including a store, a school, and a post office. Like many Southern Utah settlements of the era, it depended on unreliable water sources for farming and livestock in an arid landscape.
Context in Kane County and Southern Utah Settlement
Kane County (created 1864 and named for Thomas L. Kane, a non-Mormon supporter of the Mormon pioneers) saw initial mid-1860s settlement attempts that were disrupted by Native American conflicts (primarily involving Southern Paiute groups and related hostilities). Permanent resettlement accelerated after 1870, with communities such as Kanab (reestablished under Levi Stewart at Brigham Young’s direction), Glendale, Orderville (notable for its United Order communal experiment), and others. The upper Paria area followed in the mid-to-late 1870s as settlers sought farmland and grazing.
Ranching and limited agriculture dominated early economies across the county. Water scarcity, isolation, and environmental challenges were constant themes. Nearby developments included irrigation efforts (such as later canal projects feeding Tropic) and the growth of Cannonville and Henrieville.
Decline and Legacy
Unreliable water supplies—typical of the region—led to Georgetown’s abandonment. It became a ghost town by the late 1940s. Remaining features include a small abandoned cabin and a nearby cemetery with headstones. The Georgetown Cemetery (sometimes associated in records with the Cannonville/Garfield County border area due to proximity and historical boundary considerations) holds pioneer burials; one documented figure connected to the broader Johnson family history in the region is Seth Guernsey Johnson (1839–1927).
Today the site is a minor historic remnant in the scenic landscape near Bryce Canyon National Park and Kodachrome Basin, reflecting the pattern of many short-lived Southern Utah pioneer villages that rose with Mormon colonization and faded under environmental and economic pressures. Sources for its history include local place-name studies (such as John W. Van Cott’s Utah Place Names), ghost-town documentation, and regional histories of Kane and Garfield counties.
Upper Kanab – Kane County Ghost Town
Upper Kanab was a 19th-century Mormon pioneer settlement in Kane County, Utah, in the high mountain valley near the headwaters of Kanab Creek (also associated with the East Fork of the Virgin River drainage). It lay roughly three miles northeast of the present-day town of Alton, at an elevation of about 7,000–7,200 feet. The site is now considered a ghost town; the original community faded as residents shifted to the nearby planned town of Alton in the early 20th century.
Early Settlement and Abandonment (1865–1866)
In the spring of 1865, Lorenzo Wesley Roundy (a Utah pioneer of 1847) and other families from the north, including Jerad C. Roundy, Myron S. Roundy, William Ford, members of the Smith and Partridge families, and others, settled in the upper Kanab Creek valley. They built log cabins (Roundy constructed two) just west of what later became the site of a Kane County dairy. The area offered tall grass for hay, clear streams, timber, wildlife, and wild fruit, though the high altitude brought colder conditions than the lower “Dixie” settlements of southwestern Utah.
The stay was brief. In spring 1866, amid broader Indian hostilities (related to the Black Hawk War period and Navajo/Paiute conflicts that also forced the temporary abandonment of Kanab and Long Valley settlements), Apostle Erastus Snow called the Upper Kanab settlers to move to Berryville and Winsor (present-day Glendale and Mount Carmel) to strengthen those communities. Lorenzo Roundy did not return; he later settled in Kanarraville and served as bishop there until his death by drowning in the Colorado River in 1876 while ferrying supplies.
Resettlement and Development (1872 onward)
Upper Kanab remained abandoned until May 1872, when Lorenzo’s nephew Byron (Bye) Donalvin Roundy, his wife Matilda Ann (Lorenzo’s daughter), and their baby moved into one of the earlier cabins. They spent the first winter largely alone. Byron’s brother William Heber Roundy and others later joined, establishing permanent homes and 160-acre homesteads. The brothers were involved in cattle operations.
A sawmill operated in the area (with Graham Duncan Macdonald serving as bookkeeper). Macdonald acquired land nearby, married Annie Gardner of St. George in 1875, and became a pioneer of the nearby Ranch settlement (several miles southwest of present Alton). Mail for Upper Kanab and Sink Valley was addressed to Ranch, Utah, and held at Macdonald’s. The Canaan Cooperative Stock Company (headquartered in St. George) bought up many claims, though the Roundys declined to sell theirs. Dairy and livestock operations thrived due to the excellent grass and water; contemporary accounts praised the location for dairying.
In spring 1882, the David (or Daniel) Seegmiller and Edwin D. Woolley families arrived; Woolley had been called to manage the Church ranch. Mary Woolley (later Chamberlain) described a picturesque valley at the head of the Rio Virgin with lakes (including Levanger and Macdonald Lakes), pink cliffs (the same formation as Bryce Canyon), and community life that included a schoolhouse/church at a road fork and a recreation hall where dances lasted until daylight, with local musicians.
The settlement supported ranching, dairying, lumbering, and limited agriculture. It remained a scattered, primarily agricultural community rather than a densely built townsite.
Decline and Transition to Alton
By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Upper Kanab was one of three small communities in the high mountain area (alongside Ranch and what became Alton). Residents sought better homes and a more formal town layout. In 1901, Jonathan Heaton bought significant land (including the Seegmiller estate) and moved his large family there. He had the “Oak Flat” area surveyed and lots sold. A schoolhouse was completed around 1908.
In 1908–1912 the new community adopted the name Alton (drawn from a hat containing suggestions including Heatonville, Oaktown, Snowville, and Klondyke; the winning name was inspired by Norway’s Alton Fjord and the local high elevation). Alton was formally planned in the Mormon village style, incorporated in 1935, and persisted as a ranching and agricultural town. Upper Kanab itself ceased to function as a distinct community and became a ghost town, with the original site largely abandoned in favor of Alton a few miles away.
Present Status and Context
Little remains of Upper Kanab beyond possible scattered foundations, cabin remnants, or landscape features associated with the early ranching and dairy operations. The high valley near the Sunset Cliffs / Paunsaugunt Plateau edge retains its scenic character. Alton continues as a small community (population historically fluctuating, around 100–200 in recent decades) focused on ranching and agriculture, serving as a quiet base near Bryce Canyon and other southern Utah attractions.
Upper Kanab’s history reflects typical patterns of southern Utah pioneer settlement: initial exploratory colonization, interruption by Indian conflicts in the mid-1860s, resilient return and economic focus on livestock and dairy suited to the high country, and eventual consolidation into more permanent townsites. Primary accounts come from local pioneer histories, family recollections (including Roundy and Woolley descendants), and Kane County histories. Note that some popular “ghost town” summaries occasionally conflate Upper Kanab details with the better-known history of Kanab itself (settled/abandoned/resettled on a different timeline farther south).
San Jorge – Colorado River Steamship
The San Jorge was a small screw-propeller steamship that operated briefly on the lower Colorado River and into the Gulf of California in 1901 as part of the late-era commercial navigation on the river.
It belonged to the Mexican-Colorado Navigation Company, a short-lived operator formed in Los Angeles by Alphonso B. Smith, W. S. Twogood, and E. E. Busby. The company ran vessels from Yuma, Arizona, between 1901 and 1907, competing in the final phase of Colorado River steamboating after railroads had already captured most long-distance traffic. Its fleet included the San Jorge (1901), the paddle-wheel launch Retta (1900–1905), and the sternwheeler St. Vallier (1901–1907).
Design and Construction
The San Jorge was a propeller-driven (screw) steamer measuring approximately 38 feet in length and 9 feet in beam, with a very shallow draft of about 18 inches. It was built in Chicago, shipped to the Colorado River, and launched at Yuma in June 1901.
Unlike the dominant sternwheel paddle steamers that characterized Colorado River navigation for decades (such as the Gila, Mohave II, or Cochan), the San Jorge used a screw propeller. This design choice reflected an attempt at a more compact, potentially more efficient vessel suited to open-water runs into the Gulf of California rather than the river’s shifting sandbars, shallow channels, and debris. Sternwheelers excelled on the shallow, variable Colorado because their large paddlewheels at the stern provided good traction in low water and could be more easily repaired or protected. Screw propellers, by contrast, were more vulnerable to damage from sand, snags, and the river’s muddy bottom and proved less ideal for the shallow inland stretches. The San Jorge’s small size and light draft made it suitable for coastal/gulf service connecting to the river mouth, but its propellers were poorly adapted to the river proper.
Contemporary accounts note practical limitations: on its maiden return voyage from the Gulf around early June 1901, it ran out of coal and was delayed for about two weeks. Disposition records simply note it went “to the Gulf” in July 1901, with little further documented river service under the company.
Role in Expanding (and Sustaining) Trade
Colorado River steamboating began in the early 1850s primarily to supply the isolated U.S. Army post at Fort Yuma more cheaply than overland wagon freight from California ports. George A. Johnson & Company (later the Colorado Steam Navigation Company) dominated for decades, carrying military supplies, mining equipment, ore, settlers, and passengers between the Gulf of California (via Port Isabel and related landings) and upriver points as far as the Virgin River area in high water. Peak traffic supported mining booms (La Paz, Eldorado Canyon, Searchlight, etc.), military posts, and early settlement.
By 1901 the era was in steep decline. The Southern Pacific Railroad reached Yuma in 1877 and other lines followed, undercutting steamboat rates and volumes. The Mexican-Colorado Navigation Company entered as a late competitor, aiming at residual local freight, passenger traffic, and connections into Mexican waters of the Gulf of California (including runs toward San Jorge Bay, roughly 75 miles below the river mouth). The San Jorge was specifically intended for these gulf runs, supporting trade links between Yuma and coastal points while the company’s other boats (Retta and later St. Vallier) handled more upriver work.
Its contribution to “expanding” trade was limited and late-stage. It helped sustain short-haul and cross-border connections after the main boom years, when railroads already dominated long-haul movement of goods and people. The company competed with remaining Colorado Steam Navigation Company vessels (such as the Cochan) for mining-related freight and passengers on the lower river. Operations faced the same challenges that had always marked the Colorado: shifting channels, low water, snags, and fuel shortages. Broader commercial navigation effectively ended with the completion of Laguna Dam (about 14 miles above Yuma) in 1909, which blocked the channel; residual activity continued only a few more years.
In summary, the San Jorge was a minor, specialized vessel in the twilight of Colorado River steam navigation—a small screw steamer built for gulf connections rather than the classic shallow-draft sternwheelers that had opened the lower river to reliable commerce decades earlier. Its short documented career illustrates both the ingenuity applied to the difficult waterway and the rapid displacement of river steam by rail and, ultimately, dams. Primary details derive from Richard E. Lingenfelter’s Steamboats on the Colorado River, 1852–1916 and contemporary vessel lists.
Uncle Sam – Colorado River Steamship
The Uncle Sam (1852) was the first steamboat to operate commercially on the Colorado River. It was a small side-wheel paddle steamer that pioneered steam navigation on the lower river, primarily to supply the isolated U.S. Army post at Fort Yuma and demonstrate that river transport could replace expensive overland mule trains.
Historical Background and Context
Fort Yuma was established in 1849 (on the California side of the river near the Gila confluence) to protect emigrant trails during the California Gold Rush and to secure the southwestern frontier after the Mexican-American War. Supplying the remote post was extremely difficult and costly. Overland freight by mule train from San Diego or other California points often cost $500–$800 per ton. Earlier experiments (including barges and surveys by Lt. George Derby) showed the river’s potential but also its hazards: strong currents, shifting sandbars, snags, variable water levels, and a braided delta.
In 1852, Captain James Turnbull received a contract to supply the fort. He acquired a small steam tug (or had one built/adapted), had it disassembled, and shipped the sections from San Francisco to the Colorado River Delta aboard the schooner Capacity. The vessel was designed/built by Domingo Marcucci in San Francisco in June 1852. It was reassembled and launched in the estuary roughly 30 miles above the river’s mouth (near the Gulf of California).
Build and Design Principles
The Uncle Sam was a compact wooden-hulled side-wheeler optimized for the Colorado’s challenging conditions rather than for speed, power, or passenger comfort:
- Dimensions and form: Approximately 65 feet long, 12–16 feet in beam (reports vary slightly; one account gives ~16 feet wide), and about 3–3½ feet deep. It was often described as more of a steam tug than a full river steamer, with a simple, open-deck (or minimal-deck) configuration and little or no formal cabin/wheelhouse in some descriptions.
- Draft and hull: Shallow draft (capable of operating in as little as ~22 inches of water when loaded in one account) to clear sandbars and navigate low water. The design prioritized a light, relatively flat or shallow hull suited to the river’s variable depths and silty conditions.
- Propulsion: Side-mounted paddle wheels driven by a modest 20-horsepower (some sources say 20–25 hp) steam engine of locomotive type. The limited power made upriver progress slow against the current, especially when loaded.
- Capacity: About 35 tons of freight (some contemporary notes cite ~40 tons capacity; loads of ~20–32 tons of commissary stores are recorded on early trips).
- Construction approach: Built (or adapted) in San Francisco, then knocked down for ocean shipment and reassembled on-site. This modular approach was practical given the remote location and lack of local shipbuilding facilities. Fuel was wood, later supported by woodyards (often tended by Cocopah laborers) spaced along the river.
These principles reflected mid-19th-century adaptations for western rivers: prioritize shallow draft and simplicity over deep-water ocean or large Mississippi-style designs. Side-wheels were used (later Colorado boats often shifted toward stern-wheelers for even shallower effective draft and better maneuverability in narrow or obstructed channels). The underpowered engine was a clear limitation and contributed to slow early voyages.
Operations and Fate
The Uncle Sam made its first major upriver run in late November 1852, covering roughly 120 miles from the assembly point to Fort Yuma in about 15 days (impeded by current, sandbars, and even an earthquake that altered the channel in one account). It arrived on or about December 3, 1852, with commissary stores; the event was noted by observers including Lt. Thomas W. Sweeny. Downstream runs were far faster (one report of ~15 hours). With experience, round-trip times improved to about 12 days.
It operated for roughly four months, making multiple trips that completed delivery of the Capacity’s cargo and supplied the fort. In spring 1853 (accounts vary slightly on exact date, often cited as around April–June, with one specifying June 24 near Pilot Knob), negligence caused it to sink at its dock below Fort Yuma. It was washed away in the spring flood before it could be raised and was lost. Turnbull had returned or was returning with a more powerful engine and additional cargo; he later sought a new hull but faced financial collapse and disappeared, leaving creditors unpaid.
Role in Expanding Trade Along the Colorado River
Although short-lived and limited in power and capacity, the Uncle Sam proved that steamboats could navigate the lower Colorado and deliver supplies far more efficiently than overland methods. It directly addressed Fort Yuma’s chronic supply crisis, reducing reliance on costly, slow mule trains and demonstrating commercial viability. This success encouraged further investment.
George A. Johnson & Company (and later the Colorado Steam Navigation Company) quickly followed with larger, more powerful vessels such as the General Jesup (launched 1854; ~104 feet, far stronger engine). These expanded service, established woodyards, and extended routes upriver. Over subsequent decades, steamboats carried military supplies, mining machinery and equipment, merchandise, mail, passengers, and outbound ore, wool, and hides. They supported mining booms, settlements, and military posts along a corridor stretching hundreds of miles (at times reaching toward El Dorado Canyon and points relevant to Mormon settlements or Nevada mining). At the height of the era, multiple steamers and barges operated; the trade remained important until railroads (beginning in the late 1870s) and later dams made river steam navigation obsolete.
In short, the Uncle Sam was a pioneering proof-of-concept vessel. Its design emphasized shallow draft and practical assembly for a difficult frontier river; its brief service opened the Colorado to sustained steamboat commerce that transformed logistics, trade, and development in the lower Colorado River region through the mid-to-late 19th century.
Undine – Colorado River Steamship
The Undine was a small stern-wheel steamboat built specifically for the challenging upper reaches of the Green and Colorado (then often called the Grand) Rivers in Utah. Owned and captained by Denver entrepreneur Frank H. Summerhill (also spelled Summeril or Summerhil in some accounts), it represented an ambitious but short-lived attempt to open commercial navigation, freight transport, and tourism in a remote, canyon-bound stretch of river that had largely resisted steamboat traffic. Launched in late 1901, the vessel operated for only about six months before wrecking in 1902. Its story illustrates both the engineering ingenuity required for shallow, obstruction-filled western rivers and the practical limits of steam navigation on the upper Colorado system.
Construction and Design Principles
The Undine was constructed in Rock Island, Illinois, then shipped in pieces by rail to Green River, Utah, where it was assembled and launched on November 22, 1901. This modular approach was common for remote western riverboats, allowing transport overland to launch sites far from established shipyards.
Key specifications (drawn from contemporary accounts and later historical summaries):
- Type: Flat-bottomed stern-wheel steamboat (sternwheeler).
- Length: 60 feet.
- Beam (width): 10 feet.
- Draft: Approximately 12 inches when light (unladen); up to 20 inches when carrying a full load of about 15 tons of cargo.
- Propulsion: Coal-fired steam engine of about 20 horsepower driving a stern paddle wheel.
- Additional equipment: Capstan and cable system (with block-and-tackle) for warping the boat through rapids or off sandbars; provisions for self-rescue after groundings.
Design principles emphasized extreme shallow draft, light construction, and maneuverability suited to the upper Green and Colorado Rivers’ conditions: shifting sandbars, submerged boulders, low water in many seasons, swift currents, and frequent riffles/rapids. A flat-bottomed hull minimized grounding risk and allowed operation in waters only a foot or so deep. The stern wheel (rather than side wheels) concentrated propulsion aft, improved steering in narrow channels, and reduced vulnerability to bankside obstacles. The modest power and cargo capacity reflected a deliberate scaling-down from the larger sternwheelers that successfully worked the lower Colorado River (below the canyons). Equipment such as the capstan enabled the crew to “line” or warp the boat upstream through difficult spots by anchoring cables and winching forward—an adaptation of techniques used on other western rivers. Overall, the design prioritized practicality for freight, limited passengers, and exploratory tourist trips over speed, luxury, or heavy cargo capacity.
These principles mirrored broader late-19th/early-20th-century approaches to western river steam navigation, where boats had to cope with seasonal low water, sediment loads, and unimproved channels rather than the deeper, more stable Mississippi-style systems.
Operational History
Summerhill’s primary goals were tourist excursions from Green River downstream toward the Colorado River cataracts (Cataract Canyon area) and the establishment of a shipping service, potentially linking to Moab and beyond. He also envisioned a resort and possible channel improvements (dredging or rock blasting).
On its maiden voyage, the Undine headed downstream on the Green River with Summerhill, his son, a photographer (Oliver E. Aultman, hired to document the trip), and a small crew. Almost immediately it struck a submerged boulder and required hull patching. Repeated groundings on sandbars followed; the crew freed the boat using block-and-tackle. Progress was slow through Labyrinth and Stillwater Canyons. The party reached Spanish Bottom (above the first major cataracts) after roughly a week, where Summerhill scouted potential resort sites.
They then turned upstream, ascending the Grand (Colorado) River to Moab—arriving triumphantly after about three days of easier upstream travel in higher or clearer water. This demonstrated the vessel’s ability to cover significant distances (on the order of 100+ river miles in segments) and reach the Moab area.
Summerhill later concluded that a more practical commercial route would run roughly 30–40 miles upstream from Moab toward a landing near the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad railhead at Cisco, Utah, rather than the longer Green River path. He spent months blasting rock hazards to improve the channel, then attempted the ascent in May 1902 during higher spring water. Using the cable and capstan, the Undine struggled through the first riffle (with cables snapping on earlier tries). At Big Bend (about eight miles upstream of Moab), while warping through a second rapid, the bow caught in the current, the boat swung broadside, capsized, and wrecked on May 21, 1902. The pilothouse and boiler were lost; wreckage lodged on a midstream rock. Summerhill escaped with minor injuries and walked back to town; two crewmen clung to the wreck and were later rescued by locals with rowboats. The engine and boiler were salvaged, but the vessel was a total loss. Summerhill was financially ruined and abandoned the venture.
Role in Expanding Trade Along the Colorado River
The Undine was part of a broader but largely unsuccessful effort in the early 1900s to extend commercial steamboat service onto the upper Green and Colorado Rivers in Utah, beyond the better-established lower Colorado trade (Yuma to the Virgin River area and beyond, which had flourished from the 1850s into the early 1900s with larger boats hauling military supplies, mining freight, and passengers).
Its intended contributions included:
- Freight and mining support: Potential carriage of supplies and ore between Green River/Moab and railroad connections, reducing reliance on overland wagon transport in difficult terrain.
- Tourism and settlement: Excursions to scenic canyons and cataracts, plus a hoped-for resort, which could have stimulated local economic activity and visitor traffic.
- Channel improvement: Rock blasting and proposed dredging were early attempts at making the river more reliably navigable, foreshadowing later (mostly unrealized) ideas for upper-river commerce.
In practice, the Undine achieved only limited success: it proved a shallow-draft sternwheeler could reach Moab from Green River and operate in the upper canyons under favorable conditions. However, the combination of frequent groundings, the need for constant self-rescue and channel work, high operational difficulty, and the fatal wreck demonstrated the severe constraints of the upper river’s hydrology and geography. Steamboat commerce on these stretches never developed into a sustained trade network; later small vessels (such as the Cliff Dweller, Comet, and others) also had brief or unsuccessful careers. Railroads and, eventually, roads and modern shallow-draft craft (jet boats, rafts) proved far more practical. The Undine thus serves mainly as a historical illustration of entrepreneurial ambition and the engineering limits of early-20th-century river transport in the Colorado Plateau rather than as a transformative commercial success.
Legacy
The Undine is remembered in local Utah history (particularly around Moab and Green River) as a colorful episode of pioneer-era river ambition. Photographs from the 1901 voyage, taken by Oliver Aultman, preserve visual records of the landscape and the boat. Its wreck marked the end of Summerhill’s plans and underscored why sustained commercial steamboating remained confined largely to the lower Colorado. Today the same river stretches are primarily recreational, with modern craft far better adapted to the conditions the Undine struggled against.
Primary sources and further reading include the Wikipedia summary of the vessel, contemporary newspaper accounts of the launch and wreck, Moab Museum materials, and regional steamboat histories of the Colorado River system. Note that this Undine should not be confused with other vessels of the same name (notably a Columbia River sternwheeler or Civil War-era gunboats).