Swasey's Cabin, Log cabin in San Rafael Swell, Utah, United States
The wooden structure stands against sandstone formations, featuring a single room with essential furnishings and a stone fireplace at one end.
Built in 1921 by Joe Swasey, the cabin served as a shelter for cowboys managing cattle throughout the expansive San Rafael Swell territory.
The cabin represents the early ranching practices of Utah pioneers who adapted to life in remote locations while tending to their livestock herds.
Access the cabin via Interstate 70 exit 131, then follow dirt roads south through multiple junctions for approximately 12 miles to reach the site.
Behind the cabin lies Joe's Office, a natural cave formation where cowboys stored supplies and found protection from extreme weather conditions.
Location: Emery County
GPS coordinates: 38.83562,-110.80733
Latest update: March 11, 2025 17:02
Utah preserves thousands of years of human history alongside some of North America's most varied geological landscapes. The region contains extensive rock art panels and Ancestral Pueblo ruins, including the 13th-century stone structures at Bears Ears National Monument and the 650-plus petroglyphs carved into Newspaper Rock over two millennia. Fremont Indian State Park displays more than 1,000 artifacts from the indigenous peoples who inhabited these lands, while fossilized dinosaur tracks near Moab record the passage of Allosaurus and Diplodocus across ancient mudflats 150 million years ago. The natural environment ranges from the sculpted sandstone formations of Goblin Valley, where erosion has created mushroom-shaped rocks rising 20 feet (6 meters) from the desert floor, to the narrow passages of Kanarra Creek Canyon with its red walls and cascading waterfalls. The Wedge Overlook reveals 1,000-foot (300-meter) cliffs above the San Rafael River, while Monroe's thermal springs emerge from the ground at 110°F (43°C). Whether exploring slot canyons, examining ancient handprints on rock walls, or walking among eroded sandstone formations, visitors encounter landscapes that document both geological processes spanning millions of years and the enduring presence of human cultures in this high desert region.
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