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a Woodside, Utah exploration
Edit: I'm not sure why the pictures are rotated as they are displayed correctly on my PC???
You know that small and what appears to be an abandoned town, on your way to Moab coming from Salt Lake City? A town that once boasted a cold-water CO2 geyser.
I have talked about it a few times here on Bogley but have never stopped there except for once a few years back and that was when I randomly drove on a road behind the town that led to to the Woodside Cemetery.
Well, back in November 2015, my mother and I on our way back from a week-long Moab family trip - spent about an hour and half and took a few pictures and explored this town.
There isn't a lot of pictures of the town. Even the information online is scant. There are a few paragraphs created by a great-grandson (?) of one of the settlers for a Boy Scouts: Eagle Project. This is located on plaque by a gate that surrounds the cemetery.
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It Reads:
"The Post Office Department changed the name of Lower Crossing to Woodside. Among the first settlers were Henry Hutchenson, Pete Peterson, Scott Miller, Joe Curtis, Bradley Rutts, Walker Carswell, Pete and Abe Liddell, the Sandersons, Colemans, Watertons, Turners, McPhersons, Pressets and Seamountains. The early community consisted of a railroad station, section house, and a water tank. Nearby was a farm owned by three Swiss brothers name Louis, Felix and Bert Presset. Pressets and Petersons raised sugar cane to press into sorghum and molasses. Honey, gathered from wild beehives, along with flour and salt shipped in from Salt Lake City provided their food basics. Poker Pete owned the only commercial establishment. He lived in a two-room cabin along with a stock of overalls, flour, coffee, tobacco, salt and a large supply of whiskey and beer. He also had a table for player poker.
The early population included Chinese section hands. Cattle outfits came to Woodside for their mail and freight. Dances were held in an abandoned log schoolhouse. Candles consisting of a string and Tallow soap (grease, ashes and rabbit brush), provided light. Slickam or find ground sugar cane provided the floor. Felix Presset played the concertina with Tom Dilly accompanying him on the mouth organ.
Woodside's population grew as demands on the railroad continued. Extensions were planned for a shorter route from Woodside to Salina across the San Rafael desert and Cedar Mountain. The population peaked at 300, sometime between 1910-1920. At that time the town included a railroad hotel, depot and many railroad houses. Several cattlemen used Woodside as their headquarters of operation, including Preston Nutter, the Mays, Downards and McPhersons."
-Jon S Pressett, Eagle Scout Project 1995.
Two more pics of the cemetery. I wish I took more pics of the cemetery. Perhaps next visit. It is a fascinating place. If you are in the area, I would suggest a visit. You will humbled by the area and wonder "how did they even live out here?"
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We drove down the road about 1/2 mile and headed towards a fence which guards the town and this geyser which I have heard so much about. Be careful where you walk, there is a LOT of garbage, holes in the ground, broken glass and wire, and old nails.
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And here is the geyser as of Oct 2015. Not a drop in sight. And from the looks of it, it appears that is hasn't been operational for MANY years. I believe someone said that after the town closed itself down, they used a backhoe and covered it. You can obviously tell where the geyser was, but don't get your hopes up of seeing it spurt.
Here is a picture of it back in the glory years...
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It was fascinating to look at old pictures and compare the site to what it is now. One can only imagine.
There is much to see here and explore but time was ticking as the sun was setting...
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This is the house that you can see from the road. It looked like it was the "best" house back in the day. Multiple rooms, two bathrooms, two garages, basement and a (now collapsed) food storage unit.
Here are some shots of the house:
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