Victor (also known as Desert Lake)[1] is a ghost town in Castle Valley in northern Emery County, Utah, United States.
Victor, Utah
Desert Lake | |
---|---|
Victor Location of Victor in Utah Victor Victor (the United States) | |
Coordinates: 39°24′05″N 110°42′56″W / 39.40139°N 110.71556°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Utah |
County | Emery |
Founded | 1910 |
Abandoned | 1920 |
Named for | George W. Victor |
Elevation | 5,525 ft (1,684 m) |
GNIS feature ID | 1437712[1] |
The town was inhabited from 1910 to 1920.[2] The community has the name of George W. Victor, a postal worker.[3]
Victor was established in 1910, when a burst dam treated the soil near Desert Lake with alkaline water, preventing farming. Residents of Desert Lake, a town located near the lake, had to relocate to a more fertile area in order to continue farming.[4] They chose a spot 6 miles (9.7 km) east of Elmo. The town was soon named Victor. Homes and a schoolhouse were built in town. Farming was more difficult at Victor, because the area was much drier than Desert Lake.[2] Sand dunes located near the town were often blown by wind onto farmland and the surrounding buildings.[5] In 1920, the continuous lack of rain caused the residents of Victor to leave. The schoolhouse and a couple of foundations remain in the town site.[2]
Media related to Victor, Utah at Wikimedia Commons