Thistle
 

The remains of the old school.

Thistle was settled in 1890 as a railroad town. The railroad built a branch starting at the town site and went down to the Sanpete Valley Railroad at Manti. The town's economy was based on the railroad, but became a semi-ghost town as technology advanced.

Up until the 1980's, a few people still lived in the town until a catastrophic event occurred - a mass movement mudslide. In the spring of 1983, due to excess moisture, a whole mountainside located northwest of Thistle gave way and literally slid down, blocking the highway, railroad, and river. The huge movement caused the river to backup and quickly flood the town. Residents were forced to evacuate and within a couple of days, the town was completely covered with water, forming a large lake. The city of Spanish Fork, at the bottom of the canyon, was threatened with the damn breaking.

The damn held and the lake was eventually drained leaving behind the completed ghost town of Thistle. Many homes litter the mountain side in horrible condition. A few homes sit in the river as water passes through the windows. The flood destroyed the town and ruined a delightful old landmark, which was once the Thistle school.

There is not much to look at in Thistle, but the sight is interesting to see the waterlines on the mountainsides showing how high the water became.

Thistle is located up Spanish Fork Canyon, about 19 miles from Provo.

2 stars.