Pelican Lake Campground

 Pelican Lake is out in the middle of nowhere and a bit difficult to get to. It seems to be lightly used by campers but more by people fishing. The ten sites in the main loop are up on a hill overlooking the lake. Three more sites are on the lake shore; one is a regular site and two are group sites. The host site has the nicest view which we were tempted to take it since we were the only people in the campground but we settled for site six. Amenities include tables with shade shelters, fire rings, vault toilets, a boat ramp, and a fishing jetty. No water. 

The only accessible site is site 10. It has a concrete walkway to the toilet, a table with an extended top, and a raised tent platform. The site is surfaced with large loose gravel like all of the other sites which make it difficult to roll. Some of the other sites have paths to the toilet with very deep gravel. 

The only access to the campground is on the west side of the lake. Follow the signs from US 40. Go south on Route 88, west on Ouray-Randlett Road, south on 14500E, southeast on Pelican Park Road. This is oil country and the dirt Pelican Park Road had just been graded so it was smooth but this may not always be the case. Be prepared for a couple of miles of bumpy road caused by the oil truck traffic. Campground  40.18193, -109.69257

DMAD Reservoir Boondocking - BLM

The reservoir provides irrigation water to four communities - Delta, Melville, Abraham, and Deseret - hence the name. The southern half of the reservoir is surrounded by BLM land and can be accessed by several roads. We wanted a quick overnight stop so we picked the easiest spot which is marked by a green star on the map. It's a loop off of a good gravel road and is close to US 6 but peaceful at night. We drove down the road to check out the spot marked with the red star which has a view of the lake but with rain in the forecast we did not want to take a chance on getting stuck in the mud. Utah's soil is fine and silty and can become a quagmire and slippery if it rains.

There might be some good spots east of where we camped and there are more access roads farther south off of US 6.  I've found that this map is very helpful for making sure that we are camped on BLM land. 39.40995, -112.48364

 

Topaz Museum

 In 1982 Delta High School teacher Jane Beckwith gave her students an assignment to interview Delta residents who had worked at the Topaz interment camp during World War II. The camp was in operation from September 11, 1942 to October 31, 1945 and housed thousands of Americans of Japanese ancestry who had been forcibly removed from their homes in one of the most misguided and unjust actions taken by the federal government during the war. The residents being interviewed began bringing artifacts to go along with their stories of working at the camp and Jane Beckwith advocated for the creation of a museum so that the history of the camp would not be forgotten.

The camp covered 640 acres of desert that had been scraped clean of all vegetation leaving fine dust to be blown around by frequent wind storms. The uninsulated wood framed and tarpapered barracks were not even finished when the first internees arrived. The long barracks were divided into living quarters for multiple families. Each family was provided with a pot-bellied stove and beds but little furniture so they built their own tables and chairs from scrap wood. What followed is a testament to the strength of the human spirit. Even though the internees had lost their freedom and were forced to contend with a hostile environment, they formed clubs, planted gardens, made beautiful works of art, and attempted to create some sense of normality. 

 

The museum exhibits are excellence and explain how and why this happened. An interned family saved all of their possessions from the camp and contributed them to the museum where they are displayed in a reconstructed barracks room. Many paintings and crafts created by the internees have been donated to the museum by Delta residents and camp internees.

The museum is accessible with a couple of problem areas - the entry door is very heavy and the touch screen in the reconstructed barracks room is located a little too high to reach. 

 Parking is available in the lot of the Great Basin Museum located next door or on the street. 

The site of the camp is about 17 miles west of the museum and can be visited. It's mostly empty desert because all of the buildings, lumber, and pipes were sold or recycled but there's a monument with an interpretive sign and a flag. We did not visit the site but we took a short drive past some of the buildings that were moved to Delta, Utah.  Museum  39.35221, -112.57586

Territorial Statehouse State Park Museum

 Utah became a US territory in 1850 and remained a territory until 1896 when it was finally admitted into the Union as a state. As a territory, Utah covered all of the current area of Utah and most of Nevada plus western Colorado. Fillmore, Utah, centrally located, was chosen as the capital city but due the isolation and distance from the major population centers, the capital was moved to Salt Lake City in 1856. 

The original plans for the capitol building featured four wings with a central hall topped by a large dome. The east wing is the only section of the building that was completed. Over the years it's served as a jail, school, church, meeting house, office building and now a museum. 

The museum has three floors but the exhibits are a bit skimpy.  The bottom floor has a hallway with hundreds of photos of early settlers. Each photo has a few sentences about the individual's life. Small rooms off of the hallway have artifacts and historic displays. The second floor has more historic exhibits. The third floor is large open room that was originally the legislative hall and is now used for dancing and meetings. Three log buildings have been relocated to the property but I don't know if they are ever open to tour. 

 

The museum is accessible. A ramp goes to the entrance on the bottom floor and an elevator provides access to the other floors. The stone floor on the bottom floor is uneven and some of the thresholds into the small rooms are high. 

 Parking is on the street with plenty of room for any vehicle.  Museum  38.96746, -112.32509

 

Castle Rock Campground

 Castle Rock Campground is located in Fishlake National Forest but it's managed by the state park division which means there aren't any discounts for national recreation pass holders however the camping fee covers the park day fee. By paying the camping fee for one night we had two days to see the park and museum, making it a break even cost. 

The campground has thirty-one sites, some pull through and some back in. The sites in the loop at the end of the campground road are double sites and are marked as such on the site number posts. There are also two sites with teepees. Amenities include picnic tables, fire rings, vault toilets, a couple of water faucets, and spectacular scenery.  Sam Stowe Campground, near the museum, has seven full hookup sites, restrooms, and showers. Both campgrounds will accommodate long RVs.

None of the sites are designated as accessible but the ground is hard packed and the tables have extended tops.  

 The road to the campground is about a mile long and gravel but fine for any vehicle. 

The Belknap Ranger Station, an historic site, is located about halfway to the campground. It's the location of a 1915 station (only foundations left) where the ranger and his family lived for the summer season. At the time it was very remote and the family grew their own food which they canned in the fall to use in the next year. The site has a short loop trail and interpretive signs. The trail is very rough and accessible only with a strong helper. Campground  38.55335, -112.35575 

Belknap Ranger Station