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Moab
is the county seat of Grand County and a regional center of southeastern
Utah. It is located near the east bank of the Colorado River on the west
side of the 12,500-foot-high La Sal Mountains in a valley fifteen miles
long and three miles wide within the heart of the Colorado Plateau. Known
variously as Grand Valley, Spanish Valley, and Mormon Fort, the biblical
name Moab was adopted in 1880 when a mail route was established between
Salina, Utah, and Ouray, Colorado. The first permanent settlers arrived
in 1878-79; but before that date Native Americans, including the Sabuagana
Utes, had long occupied the valley and used the nearby crossing of the Colorado
River.Moab Utah Lodging In 1878, permanent settlers returned to Moab to establish farms and ranches. As the community evolved, a Mormon ward and a community school were established in 1881. Construction of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad between Denver and Salt Lake City brought the railroad to within thirty-five miles of Moab at Thompson Springs and provided a much-desired railroad connection. Moab Utah Lodging A
ferry across the Colorado River was in operation by 1885. The first bridge
across the Colorado, a three-span steel bridge, was completed in 1912. By
the first decade of the twentieth century, Moab had developed as one of
Utah's finest fruit-growing areas, producing peaches, apples, and some grapes.
Moab became the county seat when Grand County was created from portions
of Emery and Uintah counties in 1890. Moab was incorporated as a town in
January 1903 and became a third-class city in December 1936.Moab Utah Lodging |