One of the enduring tropes of the American West is the ghost town. A ramshackle collection of old cabins — logs collapsing into rubble, rubble into dust — is the image conjured over and over again in tales of the West.
Though an enduring stereotype, the ghost town is also a reality. There are plenty of abandoned buildings and Euro-American ruins across the West, including in southeastern Utah. They stand as reminders of a history gone, but not forgotten. Alongside other historic features and countless Indigenous archaeological sites, these places have a critical part to play in telling the story of southeastern Utah — and its national parks.
The Home of Truth
Though not in one of the national parks, the Home of Truth is a historic and perhaps ghostly spot travelers pass en route to the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park.
Nestled among white cliffs along Highway 211, with scenic panoramas both east and west, lies the Home of Truth. Today, it’s a homely assortment of low-slung buildings in various state of upkeep and decline. But nearly a century ago, this corner of the desert housed nearly 100 adherents of a fringe religion.
In 1933, New Jersey widow Marie Ogden bought the parcel, promptly renamed the Home of Truth. Ogden — whose own spirituality melded Christianity, numerology and astrology — believed the place lay directly on the Earth’s axis, meaning God had shielded it from the impending apocalypse.
“Marie’s place,” as it was known,” swelled to around 100 people. Followers relinquished personal property and adopted Marie’s spirituality alongside a nearly vegetarian diet. Their attempts to farm the arid earth largely failed, however, and the group soon fell apart.
“The breaking point,” per Atlas Obscura, “came when a woman who was promised a cure for cancer died and Ogden refused to bury her, insisting she would come back to life. Instead cult members kept the body preserved and even fed it milk and eggs for two months after the woman’s death.”
The local sheriff eventually paid the community a visit — though found no wrongdoing with the now-mummified body — as word of the scandal spread. Soon, the Home of Truth fell apart. Ogden moved to a nearby nursing home and died in 1975.
Today, the location is privately owned and the subject of a forthcoming book. In the meantime, if you look closely, you can still glimpse a sign declaring the spot “Marie’s Place.”
The rancher at Delicate Arch
Perhaps less mysterious but no less historic is a pair of storied buildings located in Arches National Park. They’re both on the National Register of Historic Places and showcase early Euro-American settlement and management of the region.
Just before the turn of the twentieth century, a Civil War veteran sought a drier climate to soothe a leg still aching from a wartime injury. He ended up settling next door to what would become Utah’s most recognizable landmark.
John Wesley Wolfe, along with his oldest son Fred, founded Wolfe Ranch at the foot of the broad sandstone bench that leads to Delicate Arch.
They built a small wooden cabin along Salt Wash and lived there for a decade, eventually with Fred’s sister Flora and her family. Utes sometimes camped nearby, trading blankets for the family’s produce and meat. Notably, Indigenous people had long lived in and traveled through the area. In fact, a sizable petroglyph panel lies just past the cabin and is accessible to tourists.
An ode to the early monument
Closer to the Arches entrance but more hidden is the park’s second registered historic place: Rock House.
Built out of nearby stone, wood, and “coursed rubble” (evidently, that’s a masonry term), Rock House originally served as employee housing. The Civilian Conservation Corps constructed it in 1941, when Arches remained a national monument. Within a few decades, however, Arches became a national park and needed new housing to accommodate its larger staff.
Rock House later served as an office for… us! Prior to our use, Canyonlands Natural History Association used it until at least 1986. Today it lies just behind the Arches visitor center, quietly memorializing early park history.
Support our parks and the stories they tell
While southeastern Utah’s rugged landscapes and spooky corners may raise goosebumps, they aren’t just fodder for ghost stories — they’re places worth protecting. Friends of Arches and Canyonlands Parks strives to safeguard these special places and preserve the history they hold.
Uncover more stories like these by visiting the parks, and support the preservation of historic sites by becoming a donor to Friends of Arches and Canyonlands Parks. Plus, you can get more behind-the-scenes content like this in your inbox with just a click. Subscribe to our newsletter here!
