Birth of Hurricane

For eleven years, farmers cut a canal out of the cliffs of the Virgin River gorge by hand, chasing water they could not yet see across a dry bench. On August 6, 1904, it finally arrived: five or six wagonloads of neighbors gathered — solemn, one of them recalled, but happy — and shouted as the river water gushed down onto the land. Then they put the name of the town-to-be to a vote. This Sons of Utah Pioneers monument marks the spot; the Hurricane Canal carried water for some eighty years afterward.

What the plaque says

1893–1904 This monument is near the spot where a celebration took place on August 6, 1904. After nearly eleven years of arduous work on the canal, water was ready for diversion onto the land. “Five or six wagon loads of people came from the little towns nearby, the crowd was solemn but happy.” The let out a big shout as the water gushed down the hill. Names for the new city-to-be were discussed and voted upon. We thank God for these pioneers of our valley.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Hurricane Canal Trail — steps away
  The hand-dug canal that built Hurricane, now a walking trail blasted into the Virgin River gorge
• Grafton Ghost Town — 12 mi
  A photogenic ghost town used in the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
• Springdale — 16 mi
  Zion's south-entrance gateway town, wedged between the Watchman and the Virgin River
• Zion National Park — 16 mi
  Towering sandstone cliffs that glow like fire at sunset

More markers nearby

• Spencer and Helen Isom "Home" — 0.4 mi
• Hurricane Pioneers — 0.4 mi
• Sheltlar Wagon — 0.5 mi
• Stanworth Home — 0.5 mi