Utah's

Skull Valley

A Land Haunted With History

This page was authored by Clint E. Thomsen who was suddenly consumed with intrigue by the apparent wasteland of Skull Valley, and uncovered more than than what your mind might think of when hearing its name.

CONCERNING SKULL VALLEY…

By Clint Thomsen

A still desolate valley, dotted with sagebrush, ridden with snakes and lizards, stretching over miles of white salt flats, Utah’s Skull Valley marks the bottom of an ancient sea and the heart of past and present mystery. Situated between the Stansbury, Cedar, and Onaqui mountain ranges about 10 miles south of the Great Salt Lake, the broad Skull Valley is a remote and eerie desert retreat. Like many things, this valley is more than what it seems…

Until about 18,000 years ago Skull Valley existed as the floor of the ancient Lake Bonneville, which spanned over 20,000 square miles over portions of Utah, Idaho, and Nevada and dove about 930 feet at its deepest point. The Great Salt Lake is one of two enduring remnants of this ancient inland sea. The lake is famous for her high salinity, second only to the Dead Sea of Israel. It is bordered to the south and west by a great expanse of salt flats- a virtually lifeless desert that is almost completely white and flat, stretching for over 100 miles in some directions.

Not much is known about the valley’s post-Bonneville/pre-19th century history. The earliest known settlers of the valley are the Fremont and Goshute-Shoshone Indians, descendents of the early Aztec civilization. The Skull Valley Goshutes’ first Euro-American encounter was in 1827 when explorer Jedediah Strong Smith passed through the area. The valley bore the name of Spring Valley during the booms of its earliest towns- Timpie (Goshute meaning “rock”) and Dugway, but was renamed Skull Valley when settlers found numerous human skulls scattered near the present-day Horseshoe Springs- a remnant of a legendary Indian battle field.

Iosepa was the most unique settlement in Skull Valley. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints bought the 1, 920-acre ranch in 1889 to establish a Polynesian colony. The Polynesian settlers named their new city “Iosepa”- Hawaiian for “Joseph.” There were originally only 46 settlers from Hawaii, Samoa, Tahiti and New Zealand, led by I.W. Kauleinamoku. The settlement consisted of wooden homes and a one-room schoolhouse, and was arranged in the traditional Mormon grid system around Imilani Square. During its peak Iosepa’s population grew to over 225 Mormon settlers. In their longing for an ocean environment they built a reservoir and called it Kanaka Lake.

Though they had established a thriving community, the Polynesians of Iosepa suffered many illnesses including leprosy, diphtheria, and small pox. The settlers set up a separate leper colony, which lasted until all the afflicted died. In 1917, The Church announced the building of a temple in Hawaii and most of Iosepa’s residents moved back to the islands to help build it. The rest relocated to Salt Lake City, rendering Iosepa a ghost town. Today Iosepa is marked by several old homes, a few building foundations, a well-preserved cemetery, and a string of fire hydrants poking out of the desert. Every summer the dead desert is illuminated with vibrant color, the sound of drums and tribal voices, and the scent of luau food as relatives of Iosepa’s original settlers hold a tribute to their forefathers.

Porter Rockwell, the legendary Utah lawman and religious zealot owned a ranch in the southern part of Skull Valley. Widely referred to as the “Destroying Angel,” the former bodyguard for Joseph Smith and Brigham Young took the responsibility of protecting Tooele County from robbers and Indians. Joseph Smith had blessed him that as long as he remained loyal and true to his faith, that he “need fear no enemy” and that no bullet or blade would harm him. The dusty hero lived a long and healthy life, despite being shot point-blank in the chest by an outlaw. One witness of the incident related in his diary that he saw the flames from the gun hit Rockwell’s chest. Mr. Rockwell got better, then found the gunman and shot him dead.

Today Skull Valley is home to several U.S. military sites. Soldiers play war games and detonate bombs at Dugway Proving Grounds at the southern end of the valley. A few miles to the north, the mysterious site called Tekoi tests rockets and missiles manufactured by Alliant Techsystems. The site lies unseen back in the foothills of the Cedar Mountain Range, and the only evidence of the site is its gates just off the west side of the main road. A large sign bearing the Goshute name “Tekoi” accompanies several signs written in Russian. To the right of the gates is a call box, where an American voice answers at the push of the button and assures you that she can see you, even though she is situated back in the hills. A little further past the gates is an extremely vigilant Goshute security guard in a booth. Russian signs, a hidden base, and a casually dressed yet very creepy-looking Indian guarding a highly secret U.S. base? Strange place.

The Skull Valley area is watched over closely by the Goshute Indians, whose reservation lies just south of the Tekoi base. These Indians will follow any vehicle that even so much as pauses near their reservation or the Tekoi base- a kind of silent escort off their land. The Goshutes are a very secretive people- especially about their own land, which they want to rent to the federal government to use as a nuclear waste dumpsite. The Goshutes are extremely hostile toward the white man, who they believe corrupted and overran their society. To make matters worse, a chemical leak in 1968 from the Dugway base killed over 6,000 sheep and other animals in the area. The U.S. Government buried many of the contaminated bodies on Goshute land. Needless to say, these Indians have quite a chip on their shoulder. They run a small store just off their reservation and aren’t too fond of people asking questions. If looks could kill, anybody inquiring about the Goshutes, their land, or Tekoi would drop dead on the spot.

The “Skull” in Skull Valley is very fitting. Besides the numerous Indian skulls found at the battle site, many other bones of animals and humans have turned up in the area over the years. Early settlers found countless human skulls strewn across the valley, near and in the springs. Many of the early settlers commented in their diaries about stumbling upon shallow, unmarked graves rather regularly. You don’t have to wander far in any direction to find the remains of a cow or a horse. The valley has also become a popular dumping ground for ditching the bodies of murder victims- then as well as now. Recently a man was wandering in the area and came upon the remains of a human hand jutting up out of the dirt. Exhumation revealed the corpse to be that of a Salt Lake City school janitor that had been missing for several months.

Despite the explosions and corpses, Skull Valley is an eerily pretty place. The northern part of the valley is dotted with castle-like stone peaks, remnants of the ancient sea. The extensive network of natural springs set in the desolation of a harsh desert is another paradox. At first glance, Horseshoe Springs looks like a muddy puddle of stagnant water completely covered with some kind of mossy layer. But break the moss up and a 15-foot deep pool of crystal-clear water is revealed. The spring is inviting and rainbow trout swim around cheerfully. You can see clear to the sandy bottom of the spring and watch the enchanting source current, yet look beyond the small black hole and you’ll see a collage of sand, rocks, and animal carcasses. Hint- don’t drink the water.

Skull Valley’s desert landscape captures the spirit of the American West, and the valley has been used by several filmmakers making westerns. Two movie sets still remain- a western-town Main Street set and a Mexican hacienda used in “Way of the Gun”, complete with saloon, piano, and public square. A barn just south of Iosepa was used in the filming of “Independence Day.” With its picturesque surroundings, rich history, and overall spooky aura, Skull Valley makes for an interesting place to camp. Furthermore, the valley is a portal into the world of mystery and intrigue. That is all.

A Personal Note: There is more to Skull Valley than meets the eye. I started camping in Skull Valley when I was a Boy Scout. We used to climb the rock castles, swim in Horseshoe Springs (that was before I knew about the skulls!), and play tackle-football on the salt flats. At first I just saw it as another campsite where we’d build huge bonfires and blow things up-- just a bland desert. Yet through the years it has grown on me, and I developed a great interest in it, for what reason I know not. My curiosity grew and soon work and school were on the backburner as I began an intensive study of the place. I discovered that I had been camping on an ancient Indian battlefield. I found Skull Valley to be rich with history and legend.

The valley is a pretty normal place in the daylight, but has quite an eerie feeling after dark. Although I know the terrain well, I would never camp there alone. Even camping there with others, it’s still a little creepy to walk very far away from the campfire alone. It’s hard to explain the feeling. The closest I can describe it is that it’s like you are being constantly watched. It’s a feeling that you’re unwelcome on the land. Remember that Skull Valley’s history is satiated with stories of death, crime, and violent murder. Believe what you want to about ghosts, but I’ve been to many ghost towns at night, and in those towns that had a lot of murder and violence, there remains that same creepy feeling that someone’s restless spirit may still lurk and walk about the dusty abandoned streets.

The only place in Skull Valley where I haven’t felt this feeling is at the old Iosepa town site. There I feel complete peace. Interestingly enough, Iosepa happened to be crimeless and peaceful throughout its history. Moreover, the site was dedicated to God by President Joseph F. Smith and again later by President Gordon B. Hinckley. I camped just yards from the cemetery and was amazed at how un-creepy it was.

I have never seen a ghost or anything like unto a ghost, but that eerie feeling is definitely present in the valley at night. If you’re ever there alone, stop for a moment, look up at the stars, and listen to the night wind blow across the haunted desert, sweeping over deteriorating tombstones and shallow graves scattered across the virtually lifeless terrain and think of the cowboys, Indians, robbers, islanders, and gunslingers that lived and died here. Then build a huge bonfire and yell “Chubbuck” at the top of your lungs. Thus are my feelings on Skull Valley.

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