Located about 15 miles southeast of St. George in the red sand dunes of Utah are the remains of old Fort Pearce.
Between 1865 and 1873, Chief Black Hawk led the Ute Tribe in raids against the Mormon pioneers that were attempting to settle lands the Ute Tribe considered to be there homeland. To protect the settlers, the local Mormon Militia constructed a series of "forts" along major trails in central and southern Utah Territory.
Describing the structures as "forts" is a little misleading, because the "forts" were actually about the size of guard posts. Each "fort" was 42 feet long and 22 feet wide, with small protrusions at the northwest and southeast corners of the building to act as flanking walls. There were ten vertical firing slots located along the tops of the walls. Each "fort" was staffed with four to six men, with the intent that this small group of men could hold off an attack until help arrived.
The Fort Pearce site was selected because it is located on a high bluff overlooking a steep canon that contains one of the few spring in the area. The fort was never attacked, but it was manned until 1873, when a peace settlement was negotiated with the Ute Tribe.
Fort Pearce is one of only three "forts" remaining that were constructed during Utah's Black Hawk War and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Located about three miles east of Fort Pearce is the Warner Valley Dinosaur Track Site that contains an estimated 400 plus dinosaur tracks. It is not possible to know for certain which dinosaurs made the tracks, but according to the Bureau of Land Management "the larger tracks are Eubrontes while the smaller tracks are Gallator."
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