RonnieAdventure #0166 - Utah Heritage Highway 89 - Bear Valley Junction to Interstate 70, Utah

Robert Leroy Parker was born April 13,1866 in Beaver, Utah, and in 1879 the Parker family moved to a ranch south of Circleville (Utah). Robert's parents were Mormon pioneers from England and Robert was the oldest of 13 children. However, Robert was never much of a farmer, so in later years he formed the Wild Bunch Gang and changed his name to Butch Cassidy. As Butch Cassidy he had a much more lucrative career, until November 7, 1908, when he and the Sundance Kid met their demise in San Vicente, Bolivia. 

Robert's boyhood home is located on the west side of Utah Heritage Highway 89 two miles south of Circleville. The land is privately owned, but the owner allows the public to visit the homestead and enter the cabin during certain seasons of the year.

There is a very nice Veteran's Memorial at the City Park in Circleville. The monument contains the names of local people killed defending their country and an inscription on the monument reads "Freedom is not Free." 

In Junction (Utah) you can sleep in a courthouse without being incarcerated. 

The Old Piute County Courthouse was constructed in 1903 and has now been converted into a Family Reunion Vacation Rental property that contains 8 bedrooms, 4.5 baths, and a complete kitchen facility. There are beds for 23 people and additional people can bring sleeping bags and bunk on the floor. 

The historic John and Ella Morrill House, a unique example of the Victorian Gothic Style of architecture, is located adjacent to the Courthouse, but it is privately owned and not open to the public.

In 1898 JC Penney started working for the Golden Rule store chain and then in 1902 he opened his first Golden Rule store in Kemmerer, Wyoming. In 1903 he opened his second store in Marysvale (Utah). In 1907 JC Penney purchased the Golden Rule chain and then changed the store names to JC Penney. Thus, the people in Marysvale claim that the second JC Penny store built in the world is located in Marysvale. 

The original store is now home to Lessie and Charlie's Rag Rugs, Quilts & Creative Arts. All handcrafted items sold in the store are made in the USA, mostly from Utah artisans. 

If you are over 60 years of age, you probably remember the song "Big Rock Candy Mountain" that Burl Ives mad famous in the 1950s. The famous mountain actually exists a few miles north of Marysvale on the west side of Utah Heritage Highway 89.  

After the song was released, the Big Rock Candy Mountain became one of the most recognized geological sites in Utah -- people came from all over the world to see the mountain that the song describes. However, most of the younger generation has never heard of the song and now the mountain's location is being removed from many road maps. 

The mountain was formed millions of years ago when erupting volcanoes deposited large volumes of lava and ash more than 3,000 feet deep in the area. Then, through a complex chemical process the volcanic rock was altered and the colors that exist today are a result of mineralization. The yellow, orange, and red colors are a result of iron minerals and the white color is from potassium. Where is Burl Ives when we need him?