Elk Mountain Mission

Twenty-two years before Moab was settled for good, forty-one men tried it and failed. Sent from Salt Lake in 1855 to build a mission in the Elk (La Sal) Mountains, they reached the Grand — the Colorado — in June and threw up a stout stone fort by mid-July, on land that was the Utes'. It lasted only months. That autumn, relations broke into violence; three of the missionaries were killed and buried inside the walls, and the rest abandoned the place and went home. The monument, moved here in 2006, marks that first, failed attempt at Moab.

What the plaque says

In April 1855, forty one men under the leadership of Alfred N. Billings were called to establish a mission in the Elk Mountains. They left Salt Lake City May 7, 1855, arrived at Grand River June 11, and selected the site for a settlement. By July 15, they had built a fort 64 feet square, with stone walls, 12 feet high, 4 feet at the base and 1 & 1/2 feet at the top. Three of the pioneers, James. W. Hunt, Edward Edwards and William Behunin were buried within the enclosure, which was located about 800 feet from this monument. Plaque below marker: This monument was relocated in April 2006. The monument was formerly located at 995 N. Highway 191, which is 1.5 miles northwest of where the monument now stands. The location of the Old Fort was 3000 ft W, 1320 ft from the NW corner of Sec 34 Township 25 S, Range 21 E, Salt Lake Base Meridian.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Moab — steps away
  The adventure capital of the American Southwest
• Grandstaff Canyon — 2.6 mi
  A shaded creek-bottom walk to Morning Glory, the sixth-longest natural rock span in the country
• Corona Arch Trail — 4.0 mi
  A massive arch you can hike to without a national park fee
• Potash Road Dinosaur Tracks — 4.7 mi
  Dinosaur footprints embedded in a cliff face along the Colorado River

More markers nearby

• Early LDS Church — steps away
• Moab Veterans Memorial — steps away
• Dewey Bridge — 21 mi