Cove Fort is the only remaining intact structure of the many fortresses built by the Mormons during the early years of settlement in the Utah Territory.
In 1849, Latter-day Saint President Brigham Young called Ira Hinckley to move from Coalville, north of present-day Park City, to Cove Creek, where he led a group of men to construct a stout fort to protect travelers and provide a waystation down the “Mormon Corridor,” a series of roads, postal routes, and, eventually, telegraph stations that connected Mormon settlements from Idaho to Nevada.
The site was chosen because it was halfway between the towns of Fillmore and Beaver and because there was an existing wooden structure, Willden Fort, in which the working crews could find shelter and safety. There would, however, be no true town at Cove Creek because of its inadequate water supply.
In a mere eleven months, Hinckley and his crew assembled a formidable fortress. Built of lava stone and a dark limestone available nearby, the fort is one hundred feet square and eighteen feet high, with walls four feet thick at the footings and two-and-a-half feet at the top. Massive wooden doors were placed at the east and west ends with sand filling the gap between the inside and outside planks to blunt bullets and keep flaming arrows from burning the doors.
The interior featured twelve rooms, six each on the north and south walls, all six interconnected. The northern rooms were living room-bedrooms, each with its own fireplace, while the southern ones were working rooms, including a post office, a kitchen, an assembly room, a weaving area, a stagecoach office, and, later, a telegraph station.
Between 1867 and about 1890, Cove Fort served an invaluable purpose, connecting communities through the telegraph, mail service, and two daily stages, one coming north and one coming south. A blacksmith lived on the premises, with his shop outside the western walls. On occasion, as many as seventy people were housed and fed within the fort. There was never an assault on the structure, likely because its intimidating stature discouraged hostilities. There were, however, many Indian attacks on Mormon farmers, especially between 1866 and 1868 (see the Spring City and Grafton entries, pages 234–239 and 244–249).
By the turn of the twentieth century, Cove Fort had outlived its purpose, and the church sold it to the Otto Keslar family. In 1988, the Hinckley family purchased the fort from the Keslars and presented it to the church. A completely restored fort was dedicated in 1994, with historic furniture, artifacts, and implements reflecting the period of 1867 to 1877. In addition, the original Ira Hinckley cabin from Coalville was also moved to the site.
Although no attack was ever made on Cove Fort, likely because of its imposing appearance, Indian hostilities did occur in the vicinity.
TOURING COVE FORT
The only way to see the inside of Cove Fort, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is to take a tour accompanied by a guide from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There is no admission charge. My guide, who was pleasant and informative and who in no way pressured his beliefs upon me, led me from room to room, on a couple of occasions handing me off to a second guide who had a thorough knowledge of certain rooms.
I was inside Cove Fort for about thirty-five minutes, which might have been longer than some people, because I asked many questions about life at the fort.
Note: Some people might be uncomfortable in what is at least, in part, a Mormon proselytizing effort, as you will be offered various books and videos at the end of your tour. I, however, felt no such discomfort.
WHEN YOU GO
From Spring City, drive 70 miles south on U.S. Highway 89 to its junction with Interstate 70 just south of Salina. From there, take Interstate 70 southwest for 56 miles to its terminus with Interstate 15.
Cove Fort is just north of the junction of Interstates 15 and 70. Signs clearly mark the turnoffs from both interstates.