Emmaville

A whole town lived and died here, and almost nothing marks it. In the 1860s, teamsters hauling granite from the quarry, miners, and stage drivers used a halfway camp on Little Willow Creek to rest, and a town grew up around it — Emmaville, with homes and boarding houses, two stores, three saloons, a blacksmith, a livery, even a real-estate office, and a population that reached around five hundred. After 1871 the whole place picked up and moved into Little Cottonwood Canyon, taking a new name, Ragtown. Nothing of Emmaville is left now but a few unmarked graves.

What the plaque says

In the 1860's miners, granite quarry freighters and stagecoach drivers used a halfway camping ground 333 yards to the So. West on Little Willow Creek. Others built homes, boarding houses, 2 stores, 3 saloons, slaughter yard, blacksmith shop, warehouse, livery stable. F.A. Hoofman & Co. Real Estate Office--John W. Lawrence, Agent. Population reached about 500. After 1871, town was moved to Little Cottonwood Canyon and renamed Ragtown. Several unmarked graves are all that remain.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Snowbird — 7.3 mi
  The aerial-tram resort of Little Cottonwood Canyon, with steep terrain, deep snow, and one of the longest seasons in the country.
• Alta Ski Area — 8.3 mi
  One of America's oldest and snowiest ski areas — ski-only, fiercely independent, and built on an old silver camp.
• Solitude Mountain Resort — 11 mi
  The uncrowded, Alterra-owned resort at the head of Big Cottonwood Canyon, with Honeycomb Canyon's bowls and a quiet village base.
• Gilgal Sculpture Garden — 11 mi
  A surreal and eccentric sculpture garden hidden in a residential neighborhood

More markers nearby

• Granite Settlement — 1.4 mi
• Temple Granite Quarry — 1.7 mi
• Cottonwood Paper Mill — 2.5 mi
• Stairs Hydroelectric Power Plant — 3.1 mi