Caineville was on the left bank of the Fremont River, sixty-five miles southeast of Loa. In 1882, the Mormon Church sent Elijah Cutler Behunin to open this area for settlement. He was the first man to take a wagon through Capitol Wash (now known as Capitol Reef Gorge) in the Capitol Reef National park. The town he established was named to honor Iohn T. Caine, Utah territory's representative to Congress. Periodic flooding caused the people to abandon their homes in Caineville and much arable land was lost. Erosion and abandosment eventually reverted this area to open range and ranch land. Today, much of this area is again under cultivation because of improved irrigation techniques. Presently there are no substantial settlements along this stretch of the river, and Caineville could best be called a ghost town.

Jon W. Van Cott