Four Sites Unique to Cedar City and St. George Utah

Utah is home to many unique natural and man-made sites. Many of Utah’s sites include the pioneer history of Utah. With the help of Atlas Obscura, one of my favorite places on the internet, we’ll take a look at a few places in Cedar City and St. George. 

Cedar City 

Nellie Unthank Memorial: Located on the campus of Southern Utah University, the memorial tells the story of a pioneer journey from England to Utah. Nellie, born Ellen Purcell, was born in England in 1846. Her family joined the LDS church and traveled with the Edward Martin Company. The Edward Martin Company was one of the many parties of Mormon handcart pioneers to settle in Utah. 

During the journey, her mother and father died in a snowstorm that left her and her sister Maggie on their own. Nellie walked in the snow barefoot with frostbitten feet. When she and her sister reached Utah, Nellie’s feet were amputated below the knee with a butcher knife, a saw, and no anesthesia. When she was twenty-four, she moved to Cedar City and married William Unthank. 

Her statue was dedicated in 1991 on the site of her former family home on the site of what is now Southern Utah University. 

Page Ranch House: Located near Old Irontown, the ranch was homesteaded by Mormon pioneer Robert Ritchie in 1858. He passed it to his grandson Dan Page who commissioned the building of the ranch house in 1898 and was completed in 1900. The home's brick was made on-site with clay on the property. “In addition to ranching, Dan was part owner of the Homestake Mine at Iron Mountain and the ranch house served as the headquarters until the Pages divorced in 1905. After the divorce, Dan’s ex-wife Sophia and their seven children continued to operate the ranch for another 25 years.” 

The ranch house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Utah in 1985.  

St. George 

Judd’s General Store: Opened in 1911, Judd’s General Store is the oldest ongoing establishment in St. George. In 1908, Thomas Judd bought the home that was built in 1876. The store would sell dry goods, groceries, hay, grain, and more to the locals. Tom Judd, Jr., grandson of the original owner, continued to work at the store until he retired in 1988. 

Judd's General Store is located at 62 W Tabernacle St.

Electric Theater: Built in 1911, it was the first movie theater in Southern Utah, and the first building with air conditioning in St. George. The theater stopped showing movies after 1999 and was purchased by the city of St. George to help anchor the downtown art district. After being closed for renovations, the theater reopened in 2015.

The Electric Theater is located at 68 E Tabernacle St.