Welcome to Monticello

Home of the Canyonlands History

Monticello, located at the base
of the Blue Mountains, has a long
and varied history. The region was first inhabited by archaic
indian peoples earlier than 100 B.C. Their successors, the Anasazi,
a Navajo word meaning the "ancient ones," were living in areas
south and east by 200 A.D. Their generations flourished in these mountains,
valleys and canyons for a thousand years. Artifacts of the Ansazi
have shown that they were lovers of the beauty of the earth, the sky, of simple
design modes, and of abstract forms. Yet nature was harsh and by 1250 A.D.
unendurable drought forced them to leave.

In the centures that followed Ute indian
tribes lived and hunted here. By the late 1870's cattlemen from Texas took
possession of the rich grazing land. In 1880 a group of Mormon Pioneers
acting on the request of Brigham Young moved in and settled Bluff, Utah.
In 1888 many of those same pioneers came north and established the
community of Monticello, naming the town in honor of Thomas
Jefferson's home in Virginia. Spanish stockmen from New Mexico arrived
in the early 1900's bringing with them a wealth of experience in cattle
and sheep raising.

The road up to the mountain
top is rough and rocky
in places. A round trip
takes about 4 hours and
a light truck or a 4w drive
is recommended. The
scenic views are magnificent.
Be cautions
and practice safe driving
at all times.

The antique tractor seen to your right
was purchased new by the San Juan arid farm
co-op in 1912. It was state-of-the-art in its day,
and a labor saving boon to farmers, - it could
cut brush and plw new ground in a single
operation.

It plowed Monticello farms for the next
several years until technology produced by
WWI, and the tractor's high cost of operation
made it obsolete.