Discover the Desert: Explore Southern Utah’s past on a ghost town adventure

Written by Alysha Lundgren
March 15, 2024

ST. GEORGE — With a Smithsonian Institution exhibit in house, this spring is a great time to hit up this Leeds museum and ghost town.

Southern Utahns can learn more about this abandoned mining town at the Silver Reef Museum and Ghost Town in Leeds, Utah, Feb. 26, 2024 | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, St. George News

In this episode of “Discover the Desert,” presented by Findlay Subaru St. George, host Sydnee Imlay and her guest Rita Vigor take a trip to the past at the Silver Reef Museum and ghost town with museum President Ron Cundick.

“It really transports you back in time,” Vigor said.

Silver Reef Ghost Town and Museum is approximately 18 miles from St. George and 37 miles from Cedar City, according to Google Maps.

The ghost town was founded in the late 1800s after silver was discovered in the white sandstone reef — a geological rarity, which was considered impossible at the time, Cundick said.

This file photo shows Silver Reef’s Main Street in Silver Reef, Utah, circa 1880 | Photo courtesy Utah State Historical Society, St. George News

Silver Reef is the only place in North America and one of two across the globe where minable silver was found in sandstone.

Over $10 million worth of silver was mined in Silver Reef during its “boom years” — 1875-1888. Cundick said the mines benefited from those failing in Pioche, Nevada, with one-third of the latter’s population moving to Utah.

The burgeoning mining town was once Washington County’s largest city, with 1,500 residents. Its mile-long Main Street boasted six saloons, nine grocery stores, two dance halls, a billiard hall, a post office, a brewery and various others.

Uranium was also discovered in Silver Reef in 1880, according to the Washington County Historical Society. More than 5,000 pounds of Uranium oxide was shipped out of the area. 

“Silver Reef is the only place in the world where silver and uranium were mined from the same rock strata,” the historical society states.

The Wells Fargo and Company Express building hosts the Silver Reef Museum in Leeds, Utah, Feb. 26, 2024 | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, St. George News

The Wells Fargo and Company Express building, which now houses the museum, was constructed in 1877 with ornate arches and fortress-style metal doors. The bank occupied the building’s right side, along with freight and stagecoach operations. A stone dismount step for the stagecoach still sits just outside the doors.

The left side of the building hosted Woolley Lund & Judd Mercantile. These businesses closed in 1888 when the bulk of the mining “played out,” according to the historical society. The building is now included on the National Register of Historic Places.

“(Inside), you get to see the beautiful exhibits,” Imlay said. “You get to read up a lot about the history. You see the artifacts — they actually have a safe in there you can walk in. It’s really cool and really fun.”

Host Sydnee Imlay and her guest Rita Vigor explore the Silver Reef Museum and Ghost Town, including the Silver Reef Jail in Leeds, Utah, Feb. 26, 2024 | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, St. George News

Silver Reef was eventually abandoned but was later incorporated into Leeds. Washington County leased the Wells Fargo building to the Silver Reef Foundation, a nonprofit that currently runs the museum. The ghost town hosts walking paths and multiple historic buildings, including the Silver Reef Jail. 

The jail was originally built about 2 miles east of its current location but was moved into Leeds after Silver Reef was abandoned, serving as an ice house.

According to an informational sign on the building, it was moved to various other locations throughout Washington County and used to store grain and farming supplies before it was returned to Silver Reef in 2017.

Cassidy’s Powderhouse hosts a town diorama, which uses miniatures to give visitors a glimpse into the past, Cundick said.

“You can see exactly what the town looked like when it was in its prime,” Imlay said.

Host Sydnee Imlay and her guest Rita Vigor explore a replica mine at the Silver Reef Museum and Ghost Town in Leeds, Utah, Feb. 26, 2024 | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, St. George News

Silver Reef also offers tours of a replica mine, Cundick said.

“There were about 300 mines out here in its heyday, and everybody wants to go into a mine, but they can’t now because they’re closed,” he said. “So, we bring the kids down here, we put a mining hat on them, we give them a lantern and we take them through the dark part of the mine and they just love it.”

Additionally, Vigor said the view from the museum is “amazing,” featuring snow-capped mountains and carved red cliffs. Zion National Park adorns the horizon in the east, with the Pine Valley Mountains towering over Leeds to the west.

The Hurricane Cliffs can be spotted to the northeast. At the bottom of these cliffs is Southern Utah’s largest fault: the Hurricane Fault. It is 155 miles long, stretching from south of the Grand Canyon to Cedar City, St. George News reported.

Don’t miss the Smithsonian’s exhibit

The upcoming Smithsonian Instution’s Crossroads: Change in Rural America exhibit traveled to the Silver Reef Museum in Leeds on March 9 and will be there until April 28. It is making multiple tour stops in Utah, courtesy of Utah Humanities and partners, according to a news release issued by Arts to Zion.

Host Sydnee Imlay and Silver Reef Museum President Ron Cundick discuss the replica mine at the Silver Reef Museum and Ghost Town in Leeds, Utah, Feb. 26, 2024 | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, St. George News

The Silver Reef Museum is bringing Crossroads to Washington County to “spark conversations about the future and sustainability of rural communities” and highlight how things have changed, how people have adapted and what might come next, according to the release.

As part of the tour stop, the museum partnered with Arts to Zion-Southern Utah and the Washington County Historical Society on “Crossroads: Change in Washington County,” which includes lectures, exhibits, and events across Washington County, beginning in February.

Events include “Crossroads: Change at the Dinosaur Discovery Site,” a companion exhibit consisting of a timeline of the first peoples in North America to the creation of the museum and how the Jurassic site was formed 200 million years ago. And the Hurricane Heritage Park Museum will cover “all things water-related,” in Washington County, according to Arts to Zion.

This file photo shows the Dinosaur Discovery Site at Johnson Farm, St. George, Utah, May 2, 2023 | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, St. George News

Additional events and exhibits will be hosted at the Western Sky Warbird Museum, St. George Art Museum, Santa Clara Town Hall and others. Southern Utahns can learn more about upcoming events using Arts to Zion’s Museum Tour Map.

Crossroads is an “outstanding opportunity,” said Bobbi Wan-kier, the director of projects and manager at the Silver Reef Museum and executive director of Arts to Zion.

“We are proud to collaborate with our community partners in telling our local stories of growth and resilience in a rather harsh rural environment up until the tourism that supports us today,” she said in the release. “As our area grows, our new residents can take part and have pride in knowing what went on before with this county-wide project.”

Visiting Silver Reef

Southern Utahns can learn more about this abandoned mining town at the Silver Reef Museum and Ghost Town in Leeds, Utah, Feb. 26, 2024 | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, St. George News

The Silver Reef Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Entry costs $4 per person or $13 per family, including two adults and three children. Those interested in exploring the mine exhibit should call 435-879-2254.

To learn more about the museum and to plan a visit, click here.

And there’s no better way to end an adventure than with a scoop of Handel’s delicious homemade ice cream. Want free ice cream? Leave a comment on social media and tell the Canyon Media crew where we should hike next for your chance to win.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2024, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alysha Lundgren joined the St. George News team in 2022. She began her career as a freelancer, writing resource articles for families of children with disabilities. She's also covered topics such as astronomy, recreation and nature. Originally from Nevada, Alysha fell in love with Utah quickly after moving to Cedar City. In her free time, she enjoys wandering and photographing Utah's gorgeous landscapes or hunkering down in a blanket to play video games or read a good book.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGnews

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