Rhoades Valley Fort, on Relic Hall

As the Black Hawk War reached the Uinta foothills, the settlers of Rhoades Valley threw up a fort in 1866–67 the frugal way — running the log walls straight off the backs of their own houses, thirty rods to a side, sixteen feet high, with gates east and west. Some forty-seven families lived inside until the danger eased around 1870, when they platted the townsite outside the walls. That town became Kamas. This marker sits on the relic hall; the fort itself has long since dissolved back into the valley.

What the plaque says

Erected in 1866-67 for protection against hostile Indians. Was 30 rods square with walls 16 feet high built of logs that formed the back walls of the houses, with gates in the east and west walls. There were about 47 families who lived in this fort from the time of its erection until it was abandoned about 1870. The town of Kamas (Rhoades Valley) was surveyed and divided into lots 1869-70.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Kamas — steps away
  A ranching town and gateway to the Uinta Mountains
• Samak Smokehouse — 2.0 mi
  A rustic roadside smokehouse serving legendary smoked meats
• Jordanelle State Park — 7.8 mi
  A sapphire reservoir nestled between the Wasatch and Uinta mountains
• Deer Valley — 11 mi
  A ski-only luxury resort above Park City, now in the middle of the largest expansion in U.S. ski history.

More markers nearby

• First Settler of Kamas — 0.3 mi
• Grappa Restaurant Building — 11 mi
• Bogan Boarding House — 11 mi
• St. Mary's of the Assumption (3) Markers — 11 mi