In 1867, Cove Fort was erected by Mormon pioneers between the two towns of Fillmore and Beaver in a period of eight months as a stopping place for settlers, stagecoaches and freighters.
Today, Cove Fort is gaining a new life as a living museum, part of an ambitious project of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In all, the restoration will attempt to make the fort resemble, as closely as possible, the Cove Fort of the late 1800s, featuring clothing and furniture of the period.Workers recently completed the restoration of the fort's interior courtyard. Continuing restoration will focus on the outside of the fort, including buildings such as a barn, corral, pig pen and two "privies" - one "his" and one "hers." Restoration work began in the summer of 1989.
Historical information on the fort has been combined with archaeological and architectural data to ensure the restoration is as accurate. Open to visitors between April and October, the fort is staffed by LDS missionary couples who demonstrate what life was like for pioneers who lived there.
Since it is restored rather than reconstructed, Cove Fort is one of only three forts on the National Register of Historic Sites.
During its heyday, the fort served as a transportation and communication hub. Cove Fort was an important stop for stagecoaches and freighters, and a telegraph office was also located inside the fort.
The fort offered shelter, protection and rest to the weary travelers. At first, the stagecoaches - which averaged close to 50 miles in 10 hours - were brought inside but were later left outside because of space.
Ron and Evalo Anderson of Fillmore, LDS missionaries at Cove Fort this past summer, related some of the fort's lore.
One snowy, cold night, gold bars were brought in by wagon, Ron Anderson said. The freighters did not want to wake up the inhabitants in front of the fort, so the gold was dumped in the snow and the freighters went their way. The gold was picked up the following morning by the people of the fort.
The living museum also helps visitors appreciate other aspects of the fort's history. One purpose of the fort was to unite the different cultural groups in the surrounding area. To accomplish this, the pioneers became friends with surrounding Indian tribes, teaching the Indians how to farm and build homes. At one point, two Indians worked in the kitchen in the fort. The pioneers of the area acted under Brigham Young's instruction to "feed the Indian rather than fight him."
Cove Fort never suffered an Indian attack and was never fired on. A deciding factor was Kanosh, chief of the Pahvant Indians. He was known around the region for his friendliness toward the Mormon settlers, and he periodically intervened on their behalf.
Although the purposes of the fort were mostly of a serious nature, the pioneers still enjoyed having a little old-fashioned fun. At a place called Sunflower Flat four-tenths of a mile from the fort, the "Half-mile Race Track" was constructed for those appreciating the abilities of a good horse. The track was about one-half mile in circumference and the width of the racing surface approximately 20 feet.
With the arrival of the railroad in 1869, travelers and freighters no longer needed to stop at the fort. It gradually fell into disuse and then changed hands a number of times before the Kesler family of Kanosh, Millard County, bought it in 1911 from the LDS Church and immediately began restoring deteriorated parts of the fort.
"The Kesler family is the only reason the fort is not torn down by now," Ron Anderson said.
One night, during the time that the Kesler family was living inside the fort, Fay Kesler heard a tapping noise outside. As she ventured out to find what was going on, she saw a man tapping on the outer wall with a hatchet. When asked what his business was, the man replied, "I'm getting a souvenir."
"Oh no, you're not," the woman replied. "This is my house."
The man was chased away, and the piece of the wall was recovered and put back in its original place.
In 1987, the LDS Church reacquired the fort from the Kesler family. Although restoration is still in progress, the site is already becoming popular with tourists.
As interest has increased each year during the April to October tourist season, so has the number of tourists. From 16,886 visitors in 1989, the number of tourists jumped to 36,269 in 1990 and 37,941 in 1991.