Historic Utah Ghost Town Is Offered For Sale
The ghost town of Woodside, located
along Hwy 6 in Emery County, is up for sale. It is an old rail road
town that once boasted a population of about 300. Now it consists of
a deserted service station, a couple other tumble-down buildings and
about 700 acres extending along the Price River on both sides of the
highway.
Oh, there is also an unpredictable cold
water geyser and two or more “free range” llamas.
Woodside is located about halfway
between Price and
Green River, on
the main road to Moab. Many
people drive past it every day and the current owners think it has
recreational potential. They are asking almost $4 million.
It is not often that a historic Utah
town comes on the market. The official town charter would need to be
renewed, but the town could be resurrected.
This
Deseret News article provides background information. Here are
excerpts:
Woodside got its
start in 1881. It was called Lower Crossing then and was used by the
Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad as a water stop.
The town grew to
include several stores, a blacksmith shop and even a school. The
population peaked around 1920, when about 300 people called Woodside
home.
"When the
railroad had no more use for (Woodside), it was just kind of doomed
to a slow death," said Edward Geary, a retired BYU professor and
the author of "A History of Emery County."
The land is owned
by the Pogue family and sits midway between Price and Green River on
the way to Moab, so it could become a viable stop for
travelers.(Mike) Metzger also noted that if the nuclear power plant
goes in near Green River, that could increase the properties
development potential.
Geary conceded
that some ghost towns — and even towns facing the threat of
extinction — have made impressive comebacks.
"You have to
remember, Park City was never a ghost town, but it was close,"
he said. "It was only a shadow of what you see there now, but
they (developed) recreation and then it became just a wonderful place
to live.
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