Several historic Mormon settlements can be found in the area around Kanab, each having an interesting story to tell. The Paria Valley settlement proved to be disastrous for the pioneers, with repetitive floods finally driving them from the area. The Paiutes who lived there couldn't understand why the Whites kept building homes so close to the river, which they knew would flood every couple of years. Remains of a few stone houses are still there.
In modern times, Hollywood found this colorful area to be a good spot for making movies and built a small town as a set. Unfortunately, when I returned several years later, the movie set was gone, burned to the ground by vandals.
Pipe Spring National Monument is actually in Arizona, just south of the Utah line. For a thousand years or more, Kaibab Paiutes and other cultures lived in this area because it was the only source of water for many miles. The spring also attracted Mormons who needed a better place for raising cattle. Due to raids from the Paiutes and other tribes, a fort was built for defense. It was designated a National Monument in 1923.
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