Victor, Utah : Description, History Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Victor, Utah

Ghost town in Utah, United States

Victor, Utah Desert Lake
Ghost town
Victor, as seen from a dirt road near Elmo, August 2010
39°24′05″N 110°42′56″W / 39.40139°N 110.71556°W / 39.40139; -110.71556
Country	United States
State	Utah
County	Emery
Founded	1910
Abandoned	1920
Named for	George W. Victor
Elevation ^[1]	5,525 ft (1,684 m)
GNIS feature ID	1437712^[1]

Victor (also known as Desert Lake)^[1] is a ghost town in Castle Valley in northern Emery County, Utah, United States.

Description

The town was inhabited from 1910 to 1920.^[2] The community has the name of George W. Victor, a postal worker.^[3]

History

Victor was established in 1910, when a burst dam treated the soil near Desert Lake with alkaline water, preventing farming. Residents of Desert Lake, a town located near the lake, had to relocate to a more fertile area in order to continue farming.^[4] They chose a spot 6 miles (9.7 km) east of Elmo. The town was soon named Victor. Homes and a schoolhouse were built in town. Farming was more difficult at Victor, because the area was much drier than Desert Lake.^[2] Sand dunes located near the town were often blown by wind onto farmland and the surrounding buildings.^[5] In 1920, the continuous lack of rain caused the residents of Victor to leave. The schoolhouse and a couple of foundations remain in the town site.^[2]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Victor
^ ^a ^b ^c Carr, Stephen L. (1986) [1972]. The Historical Guide to Utah Ghost Towns. Salt Lake City: Western Epics. p. 85. ISBN 978-0-914740-30-8.
^ Lund, Anthon Henrik (1922). The Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine. Genealogical Society of Utah. p. 39.
^ Van Cott, John W. (1990). Utah Place Names: A Comprehensive Guide to the Origins of Geographic Names. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press. p. 108. ISBN 9780874803457. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
^ Thompson, George A. (1988). Some Dreams Die: Utah's Ghost Towns and Lost Treasures. Salt Lake City: Dream Garden Press. pp. 112–113. ISBN 0-942688-01-5.