062417_Cove Fort

Heading home from the pageant, just before the beginning of I-70 at the Mile 1 marker is Cove Fort.  It's a way station that was in service as a stopping place for travelers from the 1860s until the 1890s.  Built in the middle of nowhere at the time by Ira Hinckley, the grandfather of the recent president of the church, it was a pretty active place to be for those years.

After listening to a 15 minute video we walked across the street to Cove Fort.  We also talked to the missionary that was our guide.  They have 18 couples there that are guides or 36 tour guides.  They live in small houses behind where I am taking the picture.  I suppose they live there all year round but they do live in the same mission that we live in.  Only there is no costco within a two hour drive of the place.  Pretty remote.  They have the same mission president we do.  NIce tour guide, though.

 

Arlene and our guide approaching the fort.

 

Over the gate.  The guide told us they never used to fort as they thought they would.  Never fought off an attack of any kind.  It just ended up being a way station for travelers.  

 

The fort had 6 rooms on each side.  The North side was for family and the South side was for visitors.  Each room had one or two beds and a chimney plus various furniture.   

 

The main office had a strong box that weighed 70 or 80 pounds.  That made it so difficult to move that it discouraged theft just by pure weight and, I suppose, location.

 

Of course, it was a Post Office, so had to have a picture of it...

 

Interior of the fort.

The fort had a telegraph for communication.  Here is a sample of it receiving.  I believe it's saying welcome to Cove Fort but I'm a bit rusty on my Morse Code.  It's been a while.

 

The kitchen/eating area.  Our guide says they fed up to 40 people a day plus, when Brigham Young came through, and additional 40 or so.

 

They made about 40 loaves of bread a day.  The bread pans, upper right hand corner, were five pound loaf pans.  That's a lot of bread each and every day! 

 

This is an outside gun port.  Never used that could be verified.  Only one shooting incident was ever recorded where two brothers found a revolver and one shot the other.  The one receiving the gunshot survived.  It was Gordon B Hinckley's father. 

 

They have quite an extensive garden project at the fort.  It covers the back and the side of the fort.

 

They had Elder and Sister Crow out guarding the garden.

 

Well, now, that place looks very familiar.

 

Ira Hinckley and his wife. 

We had a great time while there and learned a couple of things about an interesting place in the middle of nowhere.  It's still the middle of nowhere, too.