Castleton, Utah

{{Infobox settlement

| name = Castleton, Utah

| settlement_type = Ghost town

| image_skyline =

| imagesize =

| image_caption =

| pushpin_map = Utah#USA

| pushpin_label = Castleton

| pushpin_label_position = left

| map_caption = Location of Castleton with the State of Utah

| subdivision_type = Country

| subdivision_name = United States

| subdivision_type1 = State

| subdivision_name1 = Utah

| subdivision_type2 = County

| subdivision_name2 = Grand

| established_title = Established

| established_date = {{circa}} 1880

| named_for =

| extinct_title = Vacated

| extinct_date = 1967

| elevation_footnotes =

| elevation_ft = 5896

| elevation_m = 1797

| coordinates = {{coord|38|36|12|N|109|19|4|W|region:US-UT|display=inline,title}}

| blank_name = GNIS feature ID

| blank_info = 1439525

}}

Castleton is a ghost town in the Castle Valley in southeastern Grand County, Utah, United States.

Description

The community located on the La Sal Mountain Loop Road, some {{convert|18|mi|km}} northeast of Moab. The nearest inhabited town is Castle Valley, approximately {{convert|6|mi|km}} to the northwest.

History

A short-lived gold placer mining camp existed here in the 1860s, but the area was first settled by a prospector named Doby Brown in the late 1870s or early 1880s. By 1882 enough settlers had gathered to establish a post office. In 1888 when a local gold rush began at nearby Miners Basin, Castleton became important as a supply town. It had a general store, hotel, two saloons, and several other businesses. At its peak in 1895, the population exceeded that of Moab. In fact, when Grand County was organized in 1890, Castleton vied with Moab for the chance to be county seat.

The Panic of 1907 closed down the area's mines, and soon ranchers were Castleton's only residents.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z3Pqk9tazU4C&pg=PA70|title=Utah Place Names: A Comprehensive Guide to the Origins of Geographic Names: A Compilation|last=Van Cott|first=John W.|publisher=University of Utah Press|location=Salt Lake City|page=70|year=1990|accessdate=7 May 2018|isbn=978-0-87480-345-7|oclc=797284427}} By 1910 the businesses were gone, leaving only the post office, and the population had dropped to 50. In 1930 there were six residents. A few people stayed in the dead town for decades, but in 1967 the county commission officially vacated Castleton as an occupied town.

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Castleton has a semi-arid climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.[http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=32134&cityname=Castleton%2C+Utah%2C+United+States+of+America&units= Climate Summary for Castleton, Utah]

References

{{reflist|22em|refs=

{{cite book | last = Thompson | first = George A. | title = Some Dreams Die: Utah's Ghost Towns and Lost Treasures |date=November 1982 | publisher = Dream Garden Press | location = Salt Lake City, Utah | isbn = 0-942688-01-5 | page = 122}}

{{cite book | last = Firmage | first = Richard A. | title = A History of Grand County | series = Utah Centennial County History Series |date=January 1996 | publisher = Utah State Historical Society | location = Salt Lake City, Utah | isbn = 0-913738-03-4 | page = 137 | url = http://utah.ptfs.com/awweb/guest.jsp?smd=1&cl=all_lib&lb_document_id=34305 | format = PDF | accessdate = July 15, 2012}}

{{cite book | last = Carr | first = Stephen L. | title = The Historical Guide to Utah Ghost Towns | edition = 3rd | origyear = June 1972 | year = 1986 | publisher = Western Epics | location = Salt Lake City, Utah | isbn = 0-914740-30-X | page = 155}}

Firmage, p.267.

Firmage, p.350.

}}

External links

Category:Ghost towns in Grand County, Utah

Category:Populated places established in 1880

Category:1880 establishments in Utah Territory

Category:Ghost towns in Utah