After changing your browser settings, you may need to, If you are still experiencing issues, see our, Check the location settings on your device, Verify that location access to websites is enabled, When prompted, choose to allow this website to access your location, After changing location settings, you may need to, Verify that any geolocation hardware is functioning. [5] Organized under the name Utah Grand Coal Company, the miners hoped to keep the mine operating. Tell us the route you want to take and we'll give you some suggestions for how to get there, along with free and low cost camping along the way. Take exit 187 off the 1-70. That same year, the railroad ceased operations toSego, which required the new company to purchase dump trucks, and loading ramps, as well as building a new tipple. Please see our Moab Trip Planner and our Moab Itinerary for more. Motel 6 is pet-friendly! Just past the panel, after crossing the wash, take a right. In the center of the ghost town of Sego, the company store and a boarding house remain partially standing. A ghost town that held steady longer . Take exit 187 and drive north on the main road through the town of Thompson Springs. The rock art is located 3 miles north. It passes through the town of Thompson, crosses the railroad tracks, then continues into the Book Cliffs. Sego Canyon Drive: 28 Reviews, Map - Utah | AllTrails In 1920 the census count was 198,[3] and in 1930 just over 200. Slowly, buildings were put up and miners were allowed to build cabins and dug outs anywhere they chose in the canyon. The ramp and much of the grade, as well as three of the many single-span trestles crossing the wash, still exist, the first two miles being paved for use as an access road to Thompson's water supply. The miners went on strike in April 1915, not having been paid in five months. Wandering around any or all of these is very interesting. The rock art is great; the ghost town is not. You own these lands and you are entitled to use them. Just add your must see destinations as extra stops along the way. For several decades, the canyon was still lined with many homes and buildings, but in the spring of 1973, natures worst enemy people destroyed much of what was left. Sights: Sego Ghost Town, mining relics, cemetery, Water Info: Bring a bottle of water if needed. view and you will be listed as the contributor. Up to this time, the miners It is provided as a means to help locate new camp sites that have not The town quickly grew into a hub for ranching, mining, and other industries, and at its peak had a population of several hundred residents. We continued up the canyon and passed the petroglyphs, which are definitely worth stopping to see. In 1914, the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad built a spur line from Thompson to the coal camp, which crossed the stream 13 times in its five-mile journey. The main draw of Sego Canyon is its impressive collection of rock art. To fix the power issue, in 1916 shareholders agreed to securing service from Columbia at the painful price tag of over $100,000, making payroll a roll of the dice each time payday rolled around. With fire-damaged or destroyed equipment, Sego was barely limping when the final blow was struckthe railroad converted from coal to diesel, and in 1955, it was officially left for the ghosts. Were Matt and Cheryl, and were in the Rockies. More Native American designs can be seen amongst the later graffiti caused by later societies by Kathy Alexander Alexander. Chesterfield Coal Company in Sego, circa 1926. Visitors can get a rare view of both petroglyphs and pictographs created by peoples of the Barrier Canyon, Fremont, and Ute Indian Cultures, spanning some 10,000 years of history. Valid file types are jpg, jpeg, png and gif. Byways & Historic Trails Great Drives in America, Soldiers and Officers in American History, Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Railroad, Give Yourself A Break: How to Travel On a Budget With Kids. Indeed, their first year was very successful. Home of numerous petroglyphs and pictographs, a ghost town, nume. We are community driven, and while we will be adding many free camping spots, we hope that you will add some of your favorite camping places as well. 2WD was used for most of the trip, we kept following the trail up into the mountains and that's when things got dicey. Community reviews and ratings provide you with up to date information and help you select the best camp site for your next camping trip. The miners joined a union in 1933, Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad (D&RGW) eventually acquiredBallard & Thompson Railroad, and Sego enjoyed a heyday as coal production peaked in 1947. After about mile, the road forks, with the left fork headed into Thompson Canyon, and the right fork heading into Sego Canyon. Shacks and dugouts dotted the canyon. The trestles are in a dangerous condition and cannot be crossed.[6]. Just in that 15 or so years since my first visit, a lot more has collapsed and become more dilapidated. Would love your thoughts, please comment. There are also some amazing petroglyphs on the way out to the Sego Canyon Ghost Town so it's a two for one stop. other necessities for their families. Sego Canyon In Utah: A Small Canyon With A Lot Of History Another rather large structure next to it (The original boarding house) was totally demolished, just a pile of wood. Check out the options to avoid highways and toll roads. Stay on this for 4.6 miles. One summer the water slowed to such a trickle that the coal washer could not even operate. This cemetery in particular seems to have more babies than adults. Beyond the rock art, the road continues about mile before it comes to a fork, with the left fork heading into Thompson Canyon, and the right, towards theSegoCemetery. This may take a minute. A wye was built at Thompson Springs to facilitate the turning of the steam locomotives, the grade of which is still visible. On that terrible day, two carloads of treasure hunters were seen searching the old town with metal detectors. Continue with Recommended Cookies. Trouble started almost immediately During the early twentieth century, a coal-mining town sprang up in the area. Courtesy Dolores Steele Old roofless, stone company store. You can even drag the route around if you see something interesting you'd like to check out. Be aware that the information presented here is more likely to contain errors Been Here? Like Atlas Obscura and get our latest and greatest stories in your Facebook feed. But, the employee-owned company persevered and recovered. There is only one road. The branch starts at the D&RGW tracks on the northwest end of Thompson, enters Thompson Canyon, and veers through a cut along Sego Wash up Sego Canyon to the townsite. Would you like automatic searches based on your position? The boys wanted to check out each one, so we did. Moab, Utah, is home to endless adventures. Many of those buried in the graveyard were coal miners. We strive to bring you new and interested things often. In Sego Canyon, the railroad played a crucial role in the establishment of the town and its coal mining industry. Some miners were not paid for as long as a While Sego is known by many as a former mining town, the human history of Sego Canyon dates back thousands of years before Henry Ballard, as can be seen in the petroglyphs and . Sego Canyon Rock Art: 54 Reviews, Map - Utah | AllTrails Employment was scarce in the region, and in October 1915 wages were cut by 1220%. Offer subject to change without notice. What settings would you like to keep between sessions? The town is accessed via the grade of the Ballard & Thompson Railroad, a spur from the Denver and Rio Grande Western built by the founders of the town to transport the coal. Note that on the road in, there is a small pull-over/BLM park with some petroglyphs of interest. We were unable to access local storage on your browser. Sego Canyon - History & Ancient History - Legends of America Note: The road is usually passable to all vehicles, except when wet, then it can be impassable even to 4x4s. //rvdumpsites.net/wp-content/themes/freecampsites/androidApp.php. The two adits that were sealed by the DWR are at the back of the small canyon (see GPS Coordinates above for locations). Exploring Utah's past! all with their own water supply. Easy to get to and a nice place to take a break when going across Utah. Submitted by Henry A crack flared at the base provides a pathway completely through a sandstone ridge near Moab. The railroad also brought supplies and equipment to the town, and many of the abandoned buildings and mining equipment in Sego Canyon are remnants of this era. Nestled in the east side of Utah, Sego Canyon is a hidden gem that offers visitors a glimpse into the areas rich cultural and geological history. Verify that your network hardware is connected and functioning properly. Not many homes were left standing, and one was partially collapsed from a boulder falling on top of it. Today, the remains of the town have almost all crumbled. Sego Canyon Road is located just 3.5 miles north of Thompson Springs, near Moab, and you'll want to give yourself an entire afternoon to check out the ancient petroglyphs and old mining ghost town along this road. Sego, Utah is a ghost town which was occupied from about 1910 to the 1950s. Sego Canyon, in east central Utah, 5 miles north of the town of Thompson Springs along I-70 has seen human habitation for thousands of years. It is about 5 miles on a dirt road, but our van made it just fine. Your permission is required to enable this feature. Grand County's ghost towns: Boom and bust in Sego I managed to find a house that was still partially standing. But some of them do seem to have some unsettled spirits wandering the grounds. Courtesy Dolores Steele Sego Courtesy Dolores Steele Sego We take the hassle and cost out of road trips by giving you easy to follow directions and combining them with FREE and low-cost camping destinations. October 29, 2020 5 Spooky Ghost Towns in Utah (and Awesome Nearby Campsites) Ghost towns aren't necessarily haunted; they're just places that are deserted for one reason or another. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Sego is a must see ghost town. The earliest art, Barrier Style is estimated to be up to 5,000 years old. Take the Thompson exit (#187) off of I-70. [2], Henry Ballard, one of the founders of Thompson Springs, discovered an exposed vein of anthracite coal here in 1908[3] while exploring the many canyons of the Book Cliffs. Twice. The remaining miners still worked the coal until a series of fires destroyed equipment. He sold his interests in 1911, and by 1912 a railroad spur was completed to the then named Neslen. There are about 6-7 houses or small building in this condition. [4] The miners that once had numbered 125 had been reduced to just 27. 800 tons of coal were being mined per day during 1920 and 1947 so you could imagine a busy little community. Check out: www.TrailTaker.com to find your next Adventure!More about the area and town:http://www.climb-utah.com/Moab/sego.htmhttps://www.legendsofamerica.co. If you have trouble finding a desired feature, you may need to disable the filter and research individual sites. Only campsites that meet at least one of the selected criteria will be displayed. No purchase necessary. Old Iron Town Location: Cedar City Old Iron Town In 1997 the town of Thompson Springs no longer served as a stop for any rail line as traffic became scarce with the construction of Interstate 70. Their many services include morning coffee, expanded cable TV, outdoor pool, free wifi and guest laundry facility. The exit toSegoCanyon is 25 miles east of Green River,Utahon I-70. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. Sego /seo/ is a ghost town in Grand County, Utah, United States. Place your device with a clear view of the sky. The cemetery provides an overgrown look at the past in its few marked and unmarked headstones. Remains of the old railroad cuts and trestles are also still visible. It lies in the narrow, winding Sego Canyon, in the Book Cliffs some 5 miles (8.0km) north of Thompson Springs. 1 No views 2 minutes ago #rockart #segoghosttown #wendyleaphotography The canyon contains rock art from several peoples; Fremont, Ute and Barrier-style. problems as well all of which contributed to little or no profit What remains of the town that fought the good fight include foundations and dugouts, the old boarding house and company store, and coal seam fires still burn, causing ghostly smoke to rise up from the abandoned shafts. Formerly an important eastern Utah coal mining town, Sego was inhabited about 19101955. Enable cookies and local storage in your browser settings. [10], Last edited on 14 December 2021, at 12:38, U.S. National Register of Historic Places, U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Sego, "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Ballard-Sego Coal Mine Historic District", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sego,_Utah&oldid=1060265602, This page was last edited on 14 December 2021, at 12:38. Sego Utah Townsite - Ghost town - coloradosghosttowns.com Use your imagination. It was standing in 2008 when I visited, and not in 2011, so collapsed sometime in those years. On October 13, 2017, much of the historic area of Sego was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Ballard-Sego Coal Mine Historic District. I recently had a surprisingly delightful visit to a very strange place in Utah: Sego Canyon. Stone building, built into the mountainside Courtesy Dolores Steele Sego Cemetery Courtesy Dolores Steele When a road was built into the canyon in 1909, it required 13 bridges to get across the stream. It is fenced, so we didnt go in, but its not big enough to wander through anyway. Head north toward the town of Thompson. Harry Ballard. We are compensated for referring traffic and business to Amazon and other companies linked to on this site. Ballard bought the land surrounding his find and Here are 9 Things to do Nearby, Things To Do Along Scenic Potash Road In Moab, Utah, How to Visit Gemini Bridges in Moab, Utah (the easy way or the fun way). Low-clearance vehicles could work getting to the ghost town, but high-clearance would be best. )_____________________________________________________________ Find us on Instagram, Twitter \u0026 Facebook - @cactusatlas. Check out our website - https://cactusatlas.comWelcome to the Cactus Atlas! The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. [6] The next year the Ballard & Thompson became a subsidiary of the D&RGW. There is a. [7] When the railroad was completed in 1912, Neslen was granted its own post office. Moab, Utah. If everyone contributes a few campsites, we'll all have more places to go camping. Sego ghost town which was established in the early 1900s in Grand County was known for its rich coal mines for decades before it was abandoned and left for the ghosts. Stay left at the next junction, reaching the ghost town proper in 5.6 miles. Found this by accident looking for Sego. It's quite well known though. The Cemetery, Sego Canyon Gap and the old family house are all located just before you enter Sego. This passes the Sego Cemetery. The ghost town of Sego is about another mile or so on up the canyon. The water table had The final blow to Sego was when the railroad converted to diesel fuel and the demand for coal fuel severely dropped. With ancient rock art and an abandoned ghost town, Sego Canyon is a worthwhile detour for travelers driving along I-70 through Utah. Take the right fork, which quickly leads to Segos old cemetery. Keeping his discovery a secret, he began to buy the adjacent property and started coal operations on a small scale. Apparently, you can still see the smoke from the mine shafts. Theyd been anticipating a real-live ghost town all week, and they werent sure if they should be scared or not! primary view as the prices have not been determined. Sego Canyon - Destination Green River Courtesy Dolores Steele, Old boarding house Eventually, themining operations werent profitable and many people left Sego. The ruins of Sego are scattered throughout the canyon, but many of the more notable structures, such as the company store and boarding house, have collapsed in recent years. Rate it! Plan to spend about 2 hours to visit both the rock art and ghost town combined with a little exploring on your own. Located north ofThompson Springs,UtahisSego Canyon, also known as Book Cliffs and Thompson Wash. We depend on ad revenue to craft and curate stories about the worlds hidden wonders. This window will close when a signal is acquired. You have enabled research data. Despite miners going on strike and the never ending water problem, Sego chugged along. Sign up for our newsletter and enter to win the second edition of our book. Its a bizarre spot with aliens, cars painted like Lightning McQueen or the Scooby Doo van, and a lot of tongue-in-cheek humor. The first town is Thompson Springs. A man by the name of Henry Ballard found a vein of coal in Sego in 1908 and soon, mining operations were underway. It is about 5 miles on a dirt road, but our van made it just fine. Sego Canyon, UT - Ghost Town (Urban Exploring) - YouTube On our road trip to Moab, Utah, we took a short detour to Sego Ghost Town, Thompson Springs. Keeping his discovery a secret, he began to buy the adjacent property and started coal operations on a small scale. Sego continued to make people rich, but was plagued with problems. Exploring Utah's past! Total size for all uploaded files must be less than 8MB. Sego Canyon - Rock Art & Ghost Town - Climb Utah Reaching Sego involves first reaching Thompson, which is east of Crescent Junction (The junction to Moab.) 2023 Atlas Obscura. Thompson Springs is a very run-down town with abandoned and collapsed buildings. Join us on a journey through Sego Canyon to the ghost towns of Sego \u0026 Thompson Springs. Many of these sites The water table was dropping, the creeks and springs drying up. Sego Canyon contains three culturally distinct styles of rock art: Fremont, Ute and Barrier-style. Dont miss out on the best things. This data is not complete and many campsites will have more features than are listed here. Henry Ballard while exploring Sego Canyon discovered rich coal mines in the region. We'll keep trying to access your location. Questions or comments? Driving Directions: Take I-70 for 21.9 miles, take Exit 187 towards Thompson Springs and follow for 5 miles. A well preserved ghost town and ruins of a coal mine are located nearby. Visiter Sego Canyon, en Utah : situation, accs et tout ce qu'il faut voir It really depends on how much youre into rock art and ghost towns. Cheryl teaches special ed, and Matt teaches American history. EXPLORING SEGO CANYON GHOST TOWN & CEMETERY / NATIVE AMERICAN - YouTube Verify that any geolocation hardware is functioning. From the cemetery mentioned in the trailhead section, there are foundations, cellars, and other ruins all the way to the large stone building and parking area that is Sego proper. Ghost towns can be found all over Utah, mostly the remains of old Utah mining towns that didnt quite last. Anton Flegar. Papa Joes Gas & Go is a gas station-turned-tourist trap located at the next freeway exit west of Thompson Springs. We also hope to delight you with our exciting adventures! We are not actively seeking Wal-Marts, truckstops or other parking lots and will not be adding very many of these. Book Cliffs, Sego Canyon - FunTreks All of the entrances to the coal mine have been closed. Our community provides the best free camping information available. Lying at the narrow Sego Canyon is a former coal-mining town Sego. "Legend says the ghost of the . There is so much to do in Moab, Arches, and Canyonlands. We love the American West and the national parks.