The stone walls of Cove Fort have endured more than 100 years of wind and water, and the foundation of faith established there can now be felt by those stopping at the newly opened Church historic site.
Cove Fort is located in central Utah's Millard County and opened for tours on Memorial Day, according to A. Jay Blair, manager of exhibits for the Missionary Department. It will be open daily through Labor Day from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m."We have six couples assigned from the Fillmore Utah Stake to give tours at the fort," Blair explained. "They take people through, answer questions and present concepts of our belief in the family and how the gospel impacts the family. At this point, there is an average of 30 to 40 cars stopping daily. With future publicity and signs that are planned, we are hoping to attract more people. We think that being near the major junction of Interstates 70 and 15 will be a tremendous draw."
Blair said interest in the center should increase as Cove Fort is restored to recapture the flavor of the settlement in its heyday, from 1867-77.
The completed project, which will likely take five years, will include not only the fort, but a large barn, log home, blacksmith shop, ice house, pond, corral, animal shelters, orchard, gardens, pasture and a grain field on the surrounding land.
The restoration project is being managed by Church Physical Facilities under the supervision of the Missionary Department. The Historical Department is the restoration consultant; Cooper/Roberts Architects is the architectural consultant; and the Office of Public Archaeology at BYU is the archaeological consultant.
According to Don Enders, Historical Department senior curator of historic sites, historic information on the fort is combined with archaeological and architectural data to ensure restoration is as accurate as possible.
"The interpretive message at this historic site will be the Latter-day Saint settlers' commitment to gospel principles in everyday living," said Enders. "We hope Cove Fort will show the benefits of daily living of the gospel. This was a very active LDS community. What is significant about Cove Fort is that it was not only a fort built for protection, but was a settlement - a ranch with outbuildings, fields, orchards and gardens. It was a wonderful place with grasslands that served as a feeding ground for `tithing cattle' before the animals were shipped elsewhere.
"When completed, the site will reflect the lifestyle of the settlement in the 1870s. In this historical setting, visitors will be able to visualize and understand the efforts of Latter-day Saints to build the kingdom of God in the arid desert."
Enders said Cove Fort remains a "wonderful site," even after 120 years. "The fort's setting is still quite pristine. It is in a beautiful setting of grasses and cedar trees, nestled at the foot of the mountains. It will serve as an oasis today for the modern traveler as it did for travelers more than a century ago."
When Cove Fort was established in 1867, Ira Nathaniel Hinckley was called by President Brigham Young to spearhead construction. Hinckley - grandfather of President Gordon B. Hinckley, first counselor in the First Presidency - was assisted by his brother, Arza E. Hinckley, and workers from LDS wards in Fillmore and Beaver. Those who worked on the project received tithing credit for their labors.
Walls were made of volcanic rock, and the mortar of lime. Wood came from the surrounding hills. The 10,000-square-foot fort was substantially complete by November 1867.
The Church maintained ownership of the property until the early 1900s, when President Joseph F. Smith sold it to the William H. Kesler family. Ownership changed hands through the years, until descendants of Ira Hinckley organized the Cove Fort Acquisition and Restoration Foundation. The group acquired the fort and 11 surrounding acres, with water rights, and then presented the property to the Church last summer.
