This Utah Reservoir Hides an Underwater Ghost Town
Utah Town in Utah is Under Water
In 1952 the small town of Rockport Utah was slowly submerged under water as they filled up the new reservoir. The town was founded in 1860 and had trouble with the Native Americans in the area. They built a wall around the town and named it Rockfort. When things calmed down, they renamed it Rockport.
Foundations exposed during the recent drought
If the people in town had realized the destruction would ultimately come from water, they would have built a moat around it. Now what remains of Rockport is mostly foundations that can be seen when water levels dip.
Rockport schoolhouse with students
Rockport reservoir is in Summit County near I-80 and not too far from Park City. Usually, one building is revealed as water recedes every year. In drought years like we had a few years ago, the whole town gets exposed. When the reservoir is full, you will need a snorkel.
Rockport had a population of 150 to 200 people over the years and they mostly farmed the rich soil. They built a school house and a church. They also suffered from floods in the 1930’s that cause some damage. Once again, seems to have been a preview of what would happen later. By the time the reservoir was built, the town had dwindled to a few families.
The Rockport cemetery is not under water and sits up on a hill near by. They did move some historic items of Rockport to Pioneer Village inside Lagoon. This That might be an easier way to see the town rather than using scuba gear.
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Gallery Credit: Rob Carroll