At the junction of I-15 and I-70 in south central Utah, a short drive off the highway leads to one of the more intact pioneer-era fortifications in the American West — a 100-foot square volcanic rock fort built in seven months in 1867, maintained by the Hinckley family as a way station for two decades, and restored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a free historic site open year-round.

A quick stop on June 14, 2012 with Alexis, Luca, LaRee, and Sam — part of a family road trip celebrating my parents’ 50th anniversary that took us through the Grand Canyon, Glen Canyon Dam, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Salt Lake City, Cedar Breaks National Monument, and Las Vegas. Cove Fort was a natural stop on the I-15 corridor heading south — the kind of historic site that rewards even a brief visit for the quality of the preservation and the directness of the story it tells.

The History — Way Station on the Utah Frontier

In 1867 Brigham Young directed Ira N. Hinckley to build a fort at Cove Creek — halfway between Fillmore, the former capital of Utah Territory, and the nearby towns of Beaver and Kanosh. The location was strategic — on the main travel corridor connecting Salt Lake City to the Mormon settlements of southern Utah, southern Nevada, and California, at a point where travelers needed rest, food, fresh teams, and protection.

Ira Hinckley, his brother Arza, and local workmen built the fort from the volcanic rock abundant in the surrounding landscape — completing it in seven months between April and November 1867. The walls form a 100-foot square, 18 feet high, with 12 rooms lining the north and south interior walls — six rooms on each side. The volcanic rock construction is immediately distinctive — dark, dense, and built to last in a way that the adobe and timber construction of most frontier-era structures was not.

The fort served as a way station for travelers, stage coaches, U.S. mail carriers, and the Deseret Telegraph from 1867 to the early 1880s. Two stage coaches stopped daily — one northbound, one southbound — and the Hinckley family provided drivers and passengers with meals, lodging, and replacement teams. One of the 12 rooms housed a telegraph station on the Mormon communication line. Another served as a post office. President Brigham Young was a regular visitor during his annual trips to the southern Utah settlements — Cove Fort was a favorite stopping point.

The fort was never attacked. The Hinckley family maintained good relationships with the local Pahvant Ute and Navajo peoples throughout the fort’s operating years — a notable distinction in a period of significant frontier conflict across the American West.

Ira Hinckley maintained the fort as his residence until 1877. The Church leased it out in 1890 and sold it in 1911. The property remained in private hands for nearly a century before being donated back to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1988 for restoration. The restored fort was dedicated on May 9, 1992 by LDS General Authority Gordon B. Hinckley — a direct descendant of the fort’s builder.

Cove Fort is one of only three forts listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Utah and the only fort built by the LDS Church in the 1800s that still stands.

The Fort — What to See

The 12 restored rooms inside the volcanic rock walls cover the full range of fort life — post office, telegraph office, kitchen and dining area, sleeping quarters for guests and the Hinckley family, and the storage and utility rooms required to run a self-sufficient frontier way station. The interior courtyard — enclosed by the 18-foot walls — gives the fort its character as both a defensive structure and a domestic space. The rooms are period furnished — the telegraph equipment, kitchen implements, and sleeping arrangements creating a direct picture of daily life at a frontier way station in the 1870s.

External reconstructed buildings complete the picture — a blacksmith shop, ice house, bunkhouse, and large barn — along with the Ira N. Hinckley home, a log structure dismantled from its original location in Coalville, Utah, and reconstructed at the Cove Fort site. A garden behind the fort reflects the self-sufficient farming and ranching operation the Hinckley family maintained to supply the way station.

Our Visit — June 14, 2012

A quick stop on the family road trip south — Alexis, Luca, LaRee, Sam, and I. The volcanic rock construction is the first thing that registers — the dark, dense walls unlike anything in the red rock and sandstone country of southern Utah. Even a brief walkthrough of the exterior and grounds delivers the essential character of the place. The fort is compact enough that a 20 to 30 minute stop covers the exterior, the courtyard, and enough of the rooms to understand what was here and why. A full guided tour — offered free by LDS missionaries on site — would add an hour and the full room-by-room context. Worth returning for the complete experience.

More Information:

• Guided tours by LDS missionaries — free, allow 1 to 1.5 hours for full tour

• Introductory video available at visitor center

• 12 restored rooms — post office, telegraph office, kitchen, dining, sleeping quarters

• Reconstructed blacksmith shop, ice house, bunkhouse, and barn on site

• Ira N. Hinckley log home reconstructed at site from original Coalville, Utah location

• Garden behind fort reflects original self-sufficient farming operation

• One of only three forts listed on National Register of Historic Places in Utah

• Only fort built by the LDS Church in the 1800s still standing

• Most of fort accessible to visitors with disabilities — some historic doorways too narrow for wheelchairs

• Fort is approximately 1 mile off I-15 — not visible from highway

Phone: (435) 438-3134

Hours: Open daily — early morning until sunset

Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day

Admission: Free — no entrance fee. Guided tours by LDS missionaries at no charge.

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