The change from steam to diesel by the railroad brought about the demise of Modena which today is almost a ghost town. Only five families remain. There is a small convenience store/post office and a gas pump (no services available as of this writing) in town which served locals and others working the silver, iron ore, and beryl rock mines around the area. A stone school building is one of the more imposing solid structures in town. Edna Thorley 91, taught elementary school children in the building. She still lives in town and keeps up scrapbooks filled with memories of the past and present. Just north of town is the Modena cemetery.

Nearby towns include Uveda, 11.8 miles (21.85 km) southwest on U-56; Beryl, 18 miles (33.34 km) northeast on U-257; Newcastle, 23.2 miles (42.97 km) southeast on U-56; and Enterprise, 27.8 miles (51.49 km) southeast on U-56, U-18. St. George is 67.3 miles (124.64 km) south.

G. Wiliam Wiersdorf

See: John W. Van Cott, Utah Place Names 1997; The Spectrum May 17, 2005; Edna Thorley 2006, personal information.