Clarion

In 1911, the Utah State Land Board sold 6000 acres of land in the Gunnison Valley to the Jewish Colonial Association. Jewish businessmen and their families then settled the area which became the farming colony of Clarion.  They built homes and planted alfalfa and wheat. A schoolhouse was built and many trees were planted. After the first year, because of soil rich in alkaline, they did not have the produce they expected. The colony went bankrupt fairly quickly and the land was sold to local farmers. Many of the homes were sold and moved in to Gunnison.

To find Clarion, take a dirt road heading West, just on the south end of Centerfield (which is south of Gunnison). Drive on that road for 4 miles. There is a road heading North when you reach the town site.

A few farmers still live on the land and grow crops. There is not much left of Clarion. I only found one old home on the north side of the road. There is a cool little cemetery with some headstones that contain some Hebraic writings. The cemetery is located on a small hillside. It would do you good to ask one of the local farmers if he knows where the cemetery is, since you have to drive in to a field to find it.

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