Grafton

The church/school house

Fine print reads, "killed by Indians"

Grafton is a very intact ghost town with a spectacular backdrop.  Golden mountains extending from Zion's National Park surround this town located near Rockville.  The school house and other adobe, stucco, and log structures are found in the area.  The cemetery is a great place to visit.  Most headstones predate the 20th century.

When Grafton was first settled in 1859, it was hit with forty days of rain. The town was washed out and they moved about a mile up the river to a safer point.  The townsfolk in Virgin, 4-5 miles below, were standing above high water and saw the houses of Grafton as they floated by.

Recurrent flooding and the ever present "Indian problem" finally began to take their toll. The town was deserted in 1866-68, the people moving up to Rockville. Even afterward there was more of an Indian menace than in other towns.

Grafton is located south-west of Rockville.  There is a road leading south out of Rockville that crosses the Virgin River. Then drive 3 1/2 miles down a dirt road to the town site.

4 stars.