CLARKDALE

Clarkdale (Kane) was an early pioneer settlement of ranches that the Clark and Lee families established at the head of Skutumpah Canyon in 1870. The settlement is located where Skutumpah Creek, Red Wash, and Thompson Creek join, all of which drain into Johnson Canyon. Clarkdale was a way station on the old road to Kanab that passed through Upper Kanab (Alton). Dellenbaugh of the Powell surveys camped at the settlement one night in 1871 and called it Clarkdale because three of the few families there were Clarks. The town was also called Skutumpah for the creek. "Skutumpah" is a Piute word that refers to a creek where squirrels and rabbitbush are plentiful. Today Clarkdale is private ranch property. Variants: Clarkston, Skutumpah, Skumpah, Skoots-Pah, and Skoompa.

John W. Van Cott