In an unsuccessful
attempt to control the crossing of the Colorado River and carry out
missionary work among the Indians of southeastern Utah, forty-one men
were called by Mormon leaders in April 1855 to establish the Elk Mountain
Mission at present-day Moab. Traveling from Sanpete Valley along the
Old Spanish Trail, the group crossed the Colorado River in mid-June
and commenced construction of a rock fort. They remained until late
September of 1855, at which time they returned to Sanpete Valley after
Indian attacks destroyed their crops and left three men dead.
More than two
decades later, in 1878, permanent settlers returned to Moab to establish
farms and ranches. As the community evolved, a Mormon ward and a community
school were established in 1881. Construction of the Denver and Rio
Grande Western Railroad between Denver and Salt Lake City brought the
railroad to within thirty-five miles of Moab at Thompson Springs and
provided a much-desired railroad connection.
A ferry across
the Colorado River was in operation by 1885. The first bridge across
the Colorado, a three-span steel bridge, was completed in 1912. By the
first decade of the twentieth century, Moab had developed as one of
Utah's finest fruit-growing areas, producing peaches, apples, and some
grapes. Moab became the county seat when Grand County was created from
portions of Emery and Uintah counties in 1890. Moab was incorporated
as a town in January 1903 and became a third-class city in December
1936.