Where is fruita utah

Though no Dodge City or Tombstone, Fruita operated sort of on the fringe of Mormon social culture -- the town, for example, never had a church, and moonshining was not uncommon. And if Fruita was on the edge of Mormonism, it was also on the edge of lawfulness: polygamists, fleeing federal agents, often found shelter in the nearby maze of canyons, aided by sympathetic locals. Too, Butch Cassidy maintained a hideout nearby.

When the surrounding canyons were protected by presidential decree in the s, Fruita was forced to face the outside world. Locals went to work serving tourists or working for the Park Service. Beginning in the s the government began to purchase private land within the monument's boundaries. Today, Fruita is a semi-preserved and well-managed historic district maintained by the National Park Service.

The historic district contains cabins, barns, the one-room schoolhouse and, of course, the orchards. Learn more. View Map. The Fruita Rural Historic District is nestled among the soaring red rock canyons of Capitol Reef, known for its famous orchards and well-maintained cultural sites. Things to do in Fruita Fremont Petroglyphs. Fruita Orchard. Gifford Homestead. Merin Smith Implement Shed. Info Alerts Maps Calendar Reserve.

Alerts In Effect Dismiss. Dismiss View all alerts. Visit Fruita. Scenic Drive. Fruita Campground. Hiking in Fruita.

Petroglyph Panel. Gifford Homestead. Fruita Schoolhouse. Although it became widely known in south-central Utah for its orchards, Fruita residents also grew sorghum for syrup and molasses , vegetables, and alfalfa.

Fruit growers usually picked the fruit prior to maturation and hauled it by the wagon load to bigger towns like Price and Richfield - and beyond. This was a formidable undertaking when one considers that in it took the Mormon Bishop of Torrey more than an hour and a half to travel the ten miles between Fruita and Torrey in the best weather. If the road between Torrey and Fruita was difficult, the route between Fruita and Hanksville - 37 miles In , residents of Fruita then Junction had built a passage through Capitol Gorge that extended to Caineville and Hanksville.

This primitive roadway was called the Blue Dugway and it served to connect the river settlements with the rest of Utah until after World War II. This narrow wagon track was so difficult, however, that the little communities remained some of the most isolated in America until the midth century. Along the Fremont River, barter served as the means for acquiring goods and services; cash was in short supply.

Although some Fruita men worked on state roads, annual fruit sales remained the major source of cash income. The one-room schoolhouse , constructed by residents in , also served as a community center. The desks were movable, and the community enjoyed dances and box socials in the little building. Residents also held church activities there, as well as in private homes. Women often quilted together, and men and boys were especially fond of baseball.

Well into the modern era, farming techniques in Fruita remained as they had been in the nineteenth century. It was not until World War II that the first tractor was purchased.