After Red Canyon we returned, exhausted to Panguitch. We had been told the evening before by Ardith about her cousin, The Panguitch Professer, Arthur who gives a walking tour of the town every evening at 7:00 p.m. Though we were spent, we were there and did not know when we'd be back. So, we met the professer, all 89 years of him at the Quilt Walk Park. Arther spent nearly two hours walking about the town giving us not only it's history but some great gossip! We very much enjoyed his company.
Panguitch was first settled in March 1864, when Jens Nielsen, a Danish convert to the Mormon faith, led a group of pioneers eastward from Parowan and Beaver to the Sevier River. Due to the area's high elevation, 6,600 feet above sea level, the settlers' initial crops did not mature and the community suffered severely during the first harsh winter. At a crisis point, seven men left the community to seek flour and foodstuffs from surrounding communities. Heavy snow forced the abandonment of wagons and teams, and the men finished their rescue mission on foot, reportedly by laying one quilt after another upon the snow to maintain their footing. The Park honors the seven men who rescued the town.
Due to a conflict with native tribes, the Black Hawk War, the community was temporarily abandoned in 1867 but was resettled in 1871. Some residents specializing in timber and livestock production were quite successful until economic shifts following World War I. Due to the establishment of Bryce Canyon National Park and the designation of nearby areas as national forests, tourism has since played a major role in the local economy.
Author
Topic: UFO_HOG's Extraterrestial Ride 2012 (Read 20989 times)