The Grafton (Utah) Photograph Collection, 1890s-1950s

A Register of the Collection at the
Utah State Historical Society
The machine-readable finding aid for this collection was created by the Collections Management staff, Utah State Historical Society.

Utah State Historical Society
Salt Lake City, Utah

Copyright, 2005, Utah State Historical Society. All rights reserved.
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Summary Description | Background | Scope and Content | Administrative Info | Container List

Summary Description
Repository:Utah State Historical Society
Call number:Mss C 406
Creator:
Title:Grafton (Utah) Photograph Collection, 1890s-1950s
Quantity:1 lin. ft. (2 boxes)
Abstract: The collection contains photographs of Grafton (Utah) that includes early buildings and residents. There are also photographs of the surrounding areas, movie sets and remains of the original town that was fully abandoned in the early 1930s.

Places:
Washington County, Utah

Form or Genre:
Photographs (dry-mounted on acid free boards), negatives, several photos that have not been dry-mounted onto boards.
Summary Description | Background | Scope and Content | Administrative Info | Container List

Background

Background Note

Grafton, Utah is located in Washington County, two miles west of Rockville, and a quarter mile from the Virgin River. It was a small settlement established in 1859 by a group led by Nathan C. Tenney from Virgin City. The early settlers had to contend with extensive flooding and both Virgin and Grafton were literally washed away requiring relocation. Confrontation with the Native Americans of the area was also a problem. Despite the troubles the settlers faced, they experienced some degree of prosperity in Grafton. However, as the Virgin River eroded farmland, people began to move to other areas that offered more opportunities and accessibility. Because Grafton was located on the "wrong" side of the river it was totally abandoned in the 1930s. Some buildings, fruit trees, and the cemetery still remain. The town has been used as a movie set, and there has been interest in preserving what little remains of Grafton.
Summary Description | Background | Scope and Content | Administrative Info | Container List

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation:

Grafton (Utah) Photograph Collection, 1890s-1950s, Utah State Historical Society.

Restrictions on Use

The Grafton (Utah) Photograph Collection is the physical property of the Utah Historical Society, Salt Lake City, Utah. Literary rights, including copyright, may belong to the authors or their heirs and assigns. Please contact the Historical Society for information regarding specific use of this collection.

Processing Information:

Collection processed by Susan Whetstone, 2005

Finding aid compiled by Susan Whetstone, 2005

Finding aid edited by Linda Thatcher, 2005

Collection cataloged by Linda Thatcher, 2005

Finding aid encoded for the World Wide Web by Craig Ringgenberg, 2005

Summary Description | Background | Scope and Content | Administrative Info | Container List

Container list

1

Prints
1-16. Area and panoramas
17-22. Church/School
23. Hotel
24-49. Miscellaneous Buildings
50-52. Miscellaneous loose prints

2

1. Gibson, George and Emily
2. Hastings, Sarah
3. Russell, Frank, daughter & granddaughter
4. Wood, John and Ellen
5-31. People (Unidentified)
32-36. Ruins
37. Rockville School
38-53. Miscellaneous loose prints of people/ruins