| OCR Text |
Show Form No. 10-300a (Aev. 10-74) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OE THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY -- NOMINATION FORM CONTINUATION SHEET ITEM NUMBER FOR NPS USE ONLY RECEIVED 8 RAGE The Elk Mountain Mission Fort stood until after the permanent settlement of Moab in the early 1880's. Prior to that time two men, George and Silas Green brought a herd of 400 cattle into Grand Valley in 1874 or 1875. They occupied the fort until the winter of 1876-77 when they were apparently both killed by Indians. The next residents of the fort were a French-Canadian trapper and a Negro, William Granstaff. They entered the valley to prospect and raise vegetables. Arriving in 1877 they gathered some of the cattle belonging to the Green Brothers and grazed them in the vicinity of the fort. Each claimed half of the fort in addition to substantial areas of the valley. In October 1877 the Thomas R. Ray family arrived at the fort from Mount Pleasant in Sanpete Valley and remained at the fort with William Granstaff and the French-Canadian until New Year 1 s Day, 1878. In the spring of 1878 A. G. Wilson and his son Alfred arrived at the fort. They traded with the Frenchman for his land but when they returned later in the year they found that the Frenchman had traded the land to Walter Moore then left traveling down the Colorado. His disappearance was perhaps encouraged by an unsuccessful attempt to kill William Granstaff at the fort. Walter Moore took up residence in the fort during the winter of 1878-79. The fort continued to provide new settlers in the Moab area with shelter until they were able to construct permanent homes. The disuse coupled with spring time flooding of the site by the Colorado River quickly led to the deterioration of the fort erected in 1855. |
