History

Father Escalante and Father Dominguez entered the Enoch area in the fall of 1776. They founded a route which was known as the Old Spanish Trail. Markers and remnants of the Old Spanish Trail traverse from the northeast corner of Enoch in a western direction, through the northwest corner of the Garden Park Subdivision, and on to the Iron Springs area in the county.

Johnson's Springs, Johnson's Fort, or Enoch as it is now known, is located six miles northeast of Cedar City, and twelve miles southwest of Parowan.

Southern Utah was settled by pioneers under the direction of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Settlers were sent by companies to establish communities throughout the state.

Several histories have been told and retold, and then accepted as the way Enoch was first settled. In an effort to correct the conflicts that were present, Marjorie R. Christiansen, as secretary for the Genealogy Committee wrote to the Historian's Office in Salt Lake City. Historian Earl E. Olson replied with the following excerpts from the journal of the founder of Enoch, Joel H. Johnson. The journal entries read as follows:

"Having been selected by George Albert Smith to assist in forming a settlement at the Little Salt Lake Valley, in the fall of 1850, I sent out with the expedition my two eldest sons, Sixtus and Nephi, with two teams laden with Iron for Mill building necessary tools and provisions, other necessary arrangements, and started on the 14th day of March, 1851, with a part of my family, and three teams laden with provision and other necessaries for the settlement, and arrived at the settlement in (Little) Salt Lake Valley, later known as Parowan, on the 10th day of April, and found the boys had taken land in the field, and were putting in crops and had done very well. I joined them and took more land and we put in all the grain and potatoes that we could. On the 15th day of May, President Brigham Young, and many of the brethren from Great Salt Lake City, arrived in our beautiful valley on an exploring and visiting expedition. During their stay they organized our settlement into the City of Parowan, and I was elected member of the City Council. I was also sent out with a small company to explore the Coal Creek Canyon and ascertain its resources for coal, timber, etc. And also the Iron Mountain for Iron and on my return I discovered the springs in the edge of the Coal Creek Valley, when I stopped and refreshed myself and team, and on looking about a little, I concluded to make those Springs the seat of my farming operations and place of residence for myself and my family for the future. Accordingly on my return to Parowan, I consulted George Albert Smith upon the subject, who gave me leave to survey all the land I pleased at the springs for myself and friends. In reference to our crops they were tolerable good, considering the dryness of the season, and lack of water for irrigation, although we had a frost in August that injured our potatoes and corn crops. About the middle of September, I sent Sixtus back to Great Salt Lake City for the balance of my family who arrived on the 17th day of October, all in good health and spirits. About this time, George Albert Smith counseled me to build a house and corral at the springs and herd the cattle for the brethren at Parowan and Cedar, through the winter and establish at that place a sugar beet plantation and sugar manufactory as soon as I could. Accordingly on the 19th of November I commenced building a house at the Springs, and on the 6th of December, I moved a part of my family and on the 12th received the herd of cattle from Parowan, on the 15th moved the balance of my family to my new residence at the springs, which now Jan. 1, 1852, known by the name of Johnson Springs".

Joel H. Johnson came to Parowan in 1851. In the spring of 1851, Joel went to Enoch meadows and settled on the bench of the upper meadow. They dug two cellars just west of where the Gibson home now stands. Here they lived for about three years, and the place was then known as Johnson's Springs. These springs were found for a distance of a mile or more both north and south along the bench. By December of 1852, there were seven families living at Johnson's Springs.

The fort was 10 rods (165 feet) square and the walls were made of mud. The bottom of the wall was 2 2 feet thick, the top was 18 inches thick and nine feet tall. Five adobe rooms were built in a row on the west side of the fort. The fort wall answered for the outside wall of the room. A two-story dwelling was built in the southwest corner of the fort. All windows and doors were on the inside walls of the rooms. A large two-story building was built in the southeast corner of the fort with portholes to be used in defense. This building was called the Bastion or Basties. The building was large enough so all living in the fort could gather there for protection. Sheds and corrals were built on the east side of the fort. On the west and north sides were built a grainery, blacksmith shop and chicken coop. All of these buildings mentioned were, even to the corral, built inside the fort. On the north side of the fort was a big high gate made of large logs. On the south side was an opening about 6 feet high and 4 feet wide for people to go in and out. This led to the ditch of water that ran by the south side. These two openings were the only ones in the fort. A well was dug in the center, and this was used for drinking and sometimes culinary purposes. On the outside of the Fort, on the west side, an apple orchard was planted and a space reserved for vegetable gardens was there. Another orchard was planted on the east side. These orchards were planted by the men who built the fort. No better variety of apples was grown anywhere than these two orchards produced. On the south side of the Fort was a farm which was irrigated by water from the Springs in the meadow in the east. On the north were many acres of good pasture land. Cottonwood trees were planted on the south, east, and west sides of the fort.

During the year 1869, John P. Jones and sons moved from the fort and purchased land and springs on the east bench of the community. John P. Jones, who was an iron worker, built a blast furnace and coke oven and melted iron and molded fire grates, dog irons, cogwheels, and even a 500 pound hammer to drive the piles for irrigation dams being constructed in southern Utah. The blast furnace did not use iron ore, but used scrap iron in its operation. The blast furnace was made from the boiler of an old railroad steam engine. This was the first blast furnace west of the Mississippi River.

The community retained its original name of Johnson's Springs until 1890, when they petitioned the government for a post office. As there was already a settlement in Utah called Johnson Springs, the citizens changed the name to Enoch, and the first post office in Iron County was established. Enoch was named after the Mormon United Order, or Order of Enoch which had been organized by Jones.

The Cedar City Co-op and Livestock Company was formed, and after several years, distributed the cattle to their stockholders and sold the brand. The Co-op kept the ranch and leased it until 1898. At this time, Cedar city had just completed the first building for the Branch Normal School (known today as Southern Utah University). The "Old Main" building was completed, but no funds were left to install a heating plant. The state would not accept it, or approve it, as an institute of higher learning without the heating facilities. The people had donated money to build the edifice until they were hard pressed, and so, in seeking a way to get the money to put in the heating plant, the stockholders of Enoch sold the ranch and donated the money for the completion of the building, thus ensuring the acceptance of the school by the state.

The community continued the proud pioneer tradition of cattle ranching, farming, and raising fine progressive families. On January 10, 1966, Enoch was approved by the Iron County Commissioners as an incorporated town. Two meetings were held before the action was taken. A petition was drawn up and signed by a majority. One hundred people had to live in the area to qualify, and Enoch qualified with 102. The community was formed to protect their water supply.

Written by Estella Jones Grimshaw