Old town reemerges as Rockport Reservoir levels fall

An aerial view of Rockport Reservoir in September. Photo: Devon Dewey

SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah — In 1860, European Americans settled a town called Crandall (later renamed Enoch City), in the area that is currently Rockport Reservoir and Rockport State Park, according to Utah State Parks.

During the Black Hawk War in 1866, fear of enemies forced them to evacuate the town to nearby Wanship. A year later, they returned to Enoch City and built a wall to protect the city from future attacks. The settlement was then renamed to Rock Fort. However, after the war ended, the wall was torn down and the town switched to the name Rockport.

The population of Rockport swayed over the years but never reached more than a couple hundred people. In 1952, as the town’s size dwindled, the federal government bought all of the land and built the Wanship Dam.

That area is now what makes up Rockport Reservoir.

Similar to other reservoirs in Utah, like Lake Powell, the water levels at Rockport are falling.

According to the Utah Division of Water Resources, as of Sep. 1, Rockport Reservoir is at 29% capacity.

The drop is leaving viewers with a unique surprise, as remnants of the former settlement are reappearing in fragments.

 

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“It’s kind of sad, because of the drought conditions, but it’s a cool little glimmer to look back and see what was there,” Utah Division of State Parks spokesman Devan Chavez told the Salt Lake Tribune. “It’s helping us remember a little bit of our history.”

Drone photographer Devon Dewey, who took the photos, told KSL “it was really interesting to be standing at an overlook for the reservoir and to see faint traces of foundations of old homes and a road all below where the water would normally be.”

“The whole area is pretty flat and uniform, so even though the foundations are old and mostly gone, you can still see them clearly if you know where to look. Using a drone to get a higher perspective helped to see where structures once stood over 70 years ago.”