History Behind the Ruins You See Driving To Gunlock Reservoir

Every time I drive from St. George to the Gunlock area, I wonder about the history of the remains of a rock building by the side of the road before you turn toward the reservoir. Turns out it is on Shivwits land and was once a school and then a church.

A Glimpse into Shivwits History: Education and Faith

This area was where the Shivwits Band of Paiutes were gathered in a small town. The building was built as a school in 1898. A fire damaged it and it went unused for a time until it was remodeled in the 1940s and made into church building.

At this time Spencer W. Kimball was a member of the Council of Twelve Apostles for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and came to preside over stake conference. At the same time he dedicated the newly restored chapel.

Building across from the chapel is a building some think was a jail. dhiatt

Government Changes and Their Impact on the Shivwits Band

In 1954 the United States Government took away recognition for the Shivwits Band and other tribes in an attempt to assimilate Native Americans by taking away their sovereignty. Residents abandoned the area moving closer to Santa Clara.

The government eventually restored recognition for the Shivwits Band 1980 but the church house and other buildings had stood abandoned for many years. In 1986 the building caught fire and left only the block walls.

Many older residents of Washington County remember attending church in the building and recall a pump organ that used to play the hymns. The only picture I could find of the of the area before the people moved and it burned is on the linked Facebook post.