Lucin, Utah
| Lucin, Utah | |
|---|---|
| Ghost town | |
  Lucin Location of Lucin in Utah | |
| Coordinates: 41°20′54″N 113°54′18″W / 41.34833°N 113.90500°WCoordinates: 41°20′54″N 113°54′18″W / 41.34833°N 113.90500°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Utah |
| County | Box Elder |
| Founded | Late 19th century |
| Abandoned | 1990s |
| Named for | Lucina subanta |
| Elevation[1] | 4,478 ft (1,365 m) |
| GNIS feature ID | 1437627[1] |
Lucin (also known as Umbria Junction) is an abandoned railroad community in Box Elder County, Utah, United States, along the western side of the Great Salt Lake, 162 miles (261 km) northwest of Salt Lake City.
History
Lucin was founded in the late 19th century, about 10 miles (16 km) north of its current location, to provide a water stop for railroads to replenish their steam locomotives. The town was moved in 1903 to serve as a stop for the Lucin Cutoff. Historically, the town’s population consisted mainly of employees of the Central and Southern Pacific Railroads. In 1936 the town was abandoned, and then resettled by a group of retired railroad workers and their children. No one had lived in Lucin until 1997 when Ivo Zdarsky, manufacturer of the Ivoprop, a plane propeller,[2][3] bought it and moved there, although the area is managed for migrating songbirds and other wildlife by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.
The town was named for a local fossil bivalve, the Lucina subanta.[4]
Lucin today
Lucin is currently a ghost town. A description of what remains includes a pond fed by a pipe that brings water from the nearby Pilot Range, a group of trees in an otherwise barren desert, and various everyday items left by the former residents. There are no remaining buildings, but there are root cellars and two concrete phone booths.[5] The original grading of the railroad can be found heading northeast toward Promontory, Utah and the Golden Spike National Historic Site.
The Lucin area is a popular stop for rockhounds looking for an apple- green chert-like phosphate mineral Variscite, also known as Utahlite and Lucinite.[6]
Nearby is a large artwork called the Sun Tunnels, which was created by artist Nancy Holt in 1976.[7]
Climate
According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Lucin has a semi-arid climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.[8]
References
- 1 2 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Lucin
- ↑ Wadler, Joyce (28 March 2012). "In a Remote Part of Utah, Life Alone in a Hangar". The New York Times (LUCIN, Utah). p. D1. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
- ↑ Bethea, Jim. "The story behind the IVOPROP.". ULTRAFLIGHT Magazine. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
- ↑ Utah History to Go
- ↑ G. William Wiersdorf. "History of Lucin, Utah". OnlineUtah.com. Retrieved November 23, 2010.
- ↑ Bulletin - United States Geological Survey
- ↑ Deseret News (Salt Lake City), May 21, 2007
- ↑ Climate Summary for Lucin, Utah
External links
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