IT is simply a
unique, yet colorful slice of Southern Utah in Northern Utah.
“China Town”
(two words on Google maps and USGS maps) is a natural feature, about 10 miles
northeast of Henefer, or 16 miles northeast of Morgan, in Morgan County.
At an elevation of 8,000 feet above sea level, China Town is barely a few hundred yards from the Morgan and Summit county line. There are no paved roads or public access here – it is an isolated, rugged formation that is about 5.5 miles as the bird flies, from the Lost Creek paved road (but a 10-mile ATV ride).
Strictly speaking dictionary-wise,
“China Town” is any non-Chinese area that is dominated by residents of Chinese
origin. However, there are no residents of any race anywhere near here.
China Town received its name because its formations reminded pioneer visitors of Chinese pagodas - pyramidal towers several stories high. Some other formations are shaped more like Native American totem poles. (It’s 2-word name is probably an attempt to distinguish it from the many city neighborhoods in a one-word title.)
The Richfield Reaper newspaper of June 19, 1930 called
China Town, “a fascinating curiosity shop of mother nature,” in perhaps the
first known reference in print to the curiosity. It stated some of the rock
formations were named: Japanese Teapot, Alligator Rock, 11 Apostles, Sea Rock,
Yellow Dike, Twin Elephants, Big Elephant and Newfoundland Dog.
Red Ridge and Totem Pole were two other formations in
nearby Toone Canyon.
China Town contains “strange rock formations and colors of much scenic value,” according to an October 13, 1931 report in Ogden Standard-Examiner. That article was headlined, “Scenic route fund desired.”
O.A. Taylor of
Brigham City had interest in a coal mine in that area, but also believed China
Town was a desirable tourist attraction. His plan never materialized.
Some six months
later, a Standard-Examiner story from February 2, 1932 stated that both the
Morgan and the Ogden Lions clubs supported a scenic highway to China Town
through Toone Canyon, off Lost Creek Road.
Ogden Mayor Ora Bundy said in that story that China Town
rivaled the scenery of Southern Utah. He also favored a loop road, so that
Ogden Valley could be reached from the Morgan County side.
A June 14, 1936 article in the Salt Lake Tribune
referred to China Town as a “geological wonder.” It stated that “Hidden Towers”
had been an early nickname for the area.
“About 12 miles northeast of Devil’s Slide is a
natural curiosity known as ‘Chin Town.’ It is a miniature Bryce Canyon with
many shades of rock …” a January 30, 1938 report in the Standard-Examiner stated.
In fact, a
public contest by the Standard-Examiner in 1939 to identify the best locations
for tourist development in northern Utah named China Town as the top choice.
Then, World War II started and China Town then faded
into obscurity for 18 years until the Morgan County News of April 18, 1947
described the natural feature as “… A
fascinating curiosity shop of mother nature, covering 3/4ths of a mile. It has
been called a miniature Bryce (Canyon) with shades of pink, yellow, red,
purple, gray brown and white rock…”
The Deseret
News of October 30, 1949 stated” Beyond China Town is Totem Pole Park, where
nature has played a little trick by carving huge monuments, with rounded
grotesque shapes…”
Next, an
editorial in the Nov. 19, 1965 Standard heralded it again:
“The eroded cliffs of Morgan’s ‘China Town’ closely
resemble the famed earthen spires and pinnacles of Bryce Canyon National Park,”
the editorial stated. It urged a three-man committee in Morgan to find a way to
open it to the public.
“Weird
erosion” is how a headline is how a travel ad by Morgana County in the January
2, 1965 Salt Lake Times newspaper described China Town.
According to
Fred Ulrich, the Morgan High School LDS Seminary used to sponsor an annual
spring hike to China Town, at least into the late 1940s. Even into the early
1960s, many Morgan area youth groups seasonally visited China Town.
The small town
of Croydon highlighted China Town's scenic value and encouraged visitors there
as recently as the early 1960s.
The author was
lucky enough to secure permission to visit China Town the first time, back in
1990. Then, it required some eight miles of mountain bicycling and about two
hiking miles with a 2,500-foot climb to access China Town, located near the
Morgan-Summit County line.
Passage was through
many locked gates and private tracts of land to reach the 13-acre site.
The author’s second visit was on May 16, 2026, as he was fortunate enough to be invited to visit China Town with landowner Mike Schultz leading 10 ATVs into the remote area, that required a 10-mile ride.
The area has a
background of quaking aspens and evergreens. There are still mountain lions in
the area, but not as many as in decades past. The area is a summer range for
cattle.
There is also a lot of conglomerate rock in the area. En
route to China Town were too many separate sections to count of unusual rock
formations in almost every side canyon. There were even some petroglyphs.
The surrounding area is pristine forest and also rich in colorful place names, such as: Wolf Den Canyon, Guildersleeve Canyon, Hell Canyon, Paradise Canyon and Red Cedar Canyon.
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