John C. Fremont

When John Frémont staggered into Parowan, the town saved his life. His fifth and final expedition, hunting a winter railroad route across the Rockies, reached here on February 6, 1854, its men so starved and frostbitten they could barely walk. The settlers took them in, a few to each house, and fed and nursed them back to strength. 'We were all so feeble we could barely drag ourselves down the trail,' Frémont later wrote, 'but the Mormons took us in.' On this spot he himself was nursed to health in the home of Mrs. John C. L. Smith.

What the plaque says

Seeking a suitable railroad route through the central Rockies, John C. Freemont and Company reached Parowan February 6, 1854. These are Freemont's own words, "We were all so feeble we could barely drag ourselves down the trail, but the Mormons took us in, one or two in each home, fed us, and nursed us back to health." On this spot Freemont himself was nursed back to health by Mrs. John C. L. Smith who later became Mrs. Wm. C. McGregor. This location was donated to the Sons of The Utah Pioneers by the Laurence J. and Agusta D. Adams Family.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Brian Head — 10 mi
  Utah's highest town — a ski-and-bike base camp at the top of Parowan Canyon
• Parowan Gap Petroglyphs — 10 mi
  An ancient rock art gallery hidden in a desert canyon
• Panguitch Lake — 13 mi
  A Blue Ribbon trout lake at 8,400 feet on the Patchwork Parkway
• Cedar Breaks National Monument — 14 mi
  A 2,000-foot-deep amphitheater of vivid orange and red rock

More markers nearby

• Pioneer Sundial — steps away
• First School & Council House in Iron County — steps away
• Pioneer Rock Church — steps away
• Public Works — steps away