Grover, Utah | |
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 The old Grover School, October 2008 | |
  Grover Grover (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Coordinates:38°13′41″N111°21′00″W / 38.22806°N 111.35000°W /38.22806; -111.35000 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Utah |
| County | Wayne |
| Settled | 1880 |
| Named after | Grover Cleveland |
| Elevation | 7,116 ft (2,169 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (Mountain (MST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
| ZIP code | 84773 |
| Area code | 435 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1437575[1] |
Grover is anunincorporated community in southwesternWayneCounty,Utah, United States.[1] Originally known asCarcass Creek, Grover is a smallranching community off the county's main recreational corridor.
Grover lies some 7 miles (11 km) southeast ofTorrey, onState Route 12. It sits just outsideDixie National Forest, at the northeastern flank ofBoulder Mountain. To the east isCapitol Reef National Park.[2] The community is small and scattered, but roughly bounded by two small streams, tributaries of theFremont River.[3]: 122–23 Fish Creek is on the west, Carcass Creek on the east. Carcass Creek was so named due to its steep banks, which proved hazardous to livestock.[4]: 66 The formerState Route 117 runs west and north from Grover toTeasdale, another small unincorporated community whosepost office serves Grover.
The first settlers on Carcass Creek were experienced Wayne County ranchers who arrived in 1880. In 1881, more cattlemen settled along Fish Creek. A small number of residents scattered through the area over the next few years.[3]: 122–23 These early settlers referred to their settlement as Carcass Creek.[4]: 169 In 1887, theMormon residents were organized into a congregation called the Carcass CreekBranch, although meetings were held only irregularly due to the distances among homes.[3]: 122–23
In the early 1890s the growing town was granted a post office,[3]: 122–23 and the name was changed toGrover in honor of U.S. PresidentGrover Cleveland.[4]: 169 TheGrover Irrigation Company organized in 1893 to build and manage structures for drawing and distributing water from Fish Creek Lake.[3]: 229 The first school classes were held in the winter of 1892–1893, and the first log school/church/community building was built about 1900.[3]: 122–23
In 1935, a new school building was built in Grover. Astuccoed logone-room school, the Grover School was built with funds and labor provided mainly by theWorks Progress Administration. Unlike other area schools, it had a fence and lawn.[3]: 266 Due to Grover's small size, the school board quickly decided the school was an unnecessary expense; within three years the older children were sent to school inBicknell, and in 1941 the Grover School was closed. The building has remained largely intact, and in 1986 it was listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.[5]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 85 | — | |
| 1910 | 73 | −14.1% | |
| 1920 | 52 | −28.8% | |
| 1930 | 73 | 40.4% | |
| 1940 | 92 | 26.0% | |
| 1950 | 53 | −42.4% | |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau[6] | |||
Even for sparsely populated Wayne County, Grover has always been a small community with few inhabitants. Through all the years that it was enumerated as a census precinct in theUnited States Census, from 1900 to 1950, the population never reached 100.[6] The annualFourth of July celebration in Grover has become a reunion of current and former residents; in 1973 the number of attendees was "more than 200".[3]: 289
Like much of Wayne County, Grover's economy traditionally depended on ranching, but has been supplemented in recent decades by the tourist trade from Capitol Reef National Park and other regional recreation. The scenic location has become an attractive place forvacation homes.[3]: 122–23 The Hale Family Theatre, one of several theater companies run by the family ofRuth Hale, produces plays through the summer months in a rustic barn theater at the family's Grover ranch.[7]
Since the closure of the Grover School in 1941,[5] Grover has had no schools of its own. Children attend school in Bicknell andLoa.
Municipalities and communities ofWayne County, Utah,United States | ||
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| Towns |  | |
| CDPs | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
