RonnieAdventure #0146 - Cove Fort, Millard County, Utah

Cove Fort is located near the junction of Interstate 15 and Interstate 70 in Millard County, Utah.

I have driven by the freeway exit to Cove Fort numerous times, but I have only stopped to visit the facility one time -- and that was when the fort was first opened to the public.

In 1867 Brigham Young wanted to establish a way station that was about halfway between Fillmore (the capital of Utah Territory) and Beaver (the next nearest settlement) to protect pioneers traveling on the Mormon Corridor; so Ira Hinckley was selected to move to old Wilden Fort and establish a new facility. One of the main reasons for the selection of the site was that workers could live in the old wooden-palisade Wilden Fort while they were constructing the new facility. Unfortunately, there is very limited water in the area, so a town was never constructed near the fort.

The new fort was constructed using black volcanic rock and dark limestone that was available in the area, which is the main reason that the fort still exists today. Most of the forts built in this time period were made of wood and were destroyed years ago. 

The Cove Fort walls are 18 feet high and 4 feet thick at the base, tapering to 2 feet thick at the top. Access to the fort’s interior is by openings in the east and west walls. The large wooden doors on the east wall were originally filled with sand to stop arrows and bullets; however, the extra protection was never needed because the fort was never attacked.

The fort was located on two stagecoach lines, so the interior of the fort was finished with twelve rooms – six of the rooms were used for business, domestic and entertainment purposes and six rooms were used for overnight guests and family living quarters. People that lived in the area relied upon the fort as the main communication center and the fort was also used as a Pony Express stop until a telegraph office could be installed at the fort. 

At times there were up to 75 people staying and eating at the fort, which was a tremendous burden for the families that lived there. 

Located on the outside of the fort and to the are large gardens and a blacksmith shop where they shod horses and oxen and repaired wagon wheels. To the north is a large barn that was reconstructed using the same tools and construction techniques available in 1867. 

For 23 years Cove Fort was a major way station; then, in 1890, the fort was leased and later abandoned and sold. The fort sat vacant until 1989 when the Hinckley family purchased the fort and donated it to the Mormon Church. The Church restored the fort, rebuilt some of the original structures, moved Ira Hinckley’s cabin to the site,  added a visitor center, and opened the fort to the public on May 21, 1994. Free guided tours are now offered daily, starting at 8 AM; or, you can just do a self-guided tour.