The Beauty of Castle Dale

It may surprise many that I am breaking my blogging silence. That is, if anyone even reads my blog anymore since it has been months since I posted and even longer since it was a meaningful post. You may wonder what has caused this extended absence from the blogging community. Well, that question will not be addressed in this post but it will be addressed in the next post.

This post is dedicated to the awesome little town in the center of Utah. I certainly don't mean Price! Many people don't even know of the existence of the town of Castle Dale, Utah.

Founded in the late 1870's the communities in Castle Valley (among which is Castle Dale) were part of the last colonization call given by President Brigham Young. This call was issued just 7 days before the death of the Prophet. In the 2000 census there were found to be 1,657 people living in Castle Dale. The main source of employment for the town of Castle Dale is probably Pacific Corp. (Rocky Mountain Power, formerly known as Utah Power and Light). There are also many farmers and ranchers in the Castle Dale area as well as the employment that comes with being the Emery County seat (ie. school district, county office, and Emery High School).

Now that the demographics are out of the way let me tell you the top 5 reasons why Castle Dale is an amazing place, and why I could honestly see myself living there in the future.

1. The People

The people of Castle Dale are some of the nicest, most hardworking individuals I've ever seen. Its very impressive to me that a person can go to the many activities (4th of July, 24th of July, Dinosaur Days, etc.) in Castle Dale and the surrounding communities and that person is welcomed in as part of the family even if they have never been there before. The people of Castle Valley, and Castle Dale specifically, are certainly part of a dying breed of people in this country. Just think of the problems facing the world today and then realize that if the people of the world, or even just of the United States, would remember their roots and act more like rural America, these problems would disappear very quickly. If you want to meet the friendliest, most helpful people, go the the country (places like Castle Dale and Blanding of course).

2. The Location

Castle Dale is situated along Cottonwood Creek in Castle Valley, Utah. Many people might say that it is the middle of the desert and as such is quite unappealing and ugly. Moreover there are two massive coal power plants within just a few short miles of Castle Dale so how can it possibly be a location that I love? Well, very simply, I love the desert and I love Coal Power! Call me crazy but the whole global warming thing is a load of crap and I quite enjoy seeing the steam rise from the triple (when all three are working) stacks of the Hunter power plant from my brother's front porch. To me it signifies why America is great and serves as a reminder of the natural resources God has blessed this country with TO USE. Also it serves as a reminder of all those brave men who work in the coal mines and power plants to keep America (and California which I hesitate to include in the word "America") lit at night, cool in the summer, and warm in the winter via electricity. Besides this the area out in what the locals call 'the desert' is absolutely amazing. I've been out there geocaching on many occasions and it steals my imagination and my heart every time. To think that it is the same area that the legendary Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch roamed and that somewhere out there the infamous Robber's Roost is tucked away from the public view. The 'desert' is quite enchanting, I could spend days out there without even the quaint desire to return to 'civilization'.

3. The County Community

As was previously mentioned in the 1st reason the people of the area are amazing. This 3rd reason is about the people of Castle Dale alone but to the whole Castle Valley community (orangeville, cleveland, huntington, ferron, etc). While living in Cache Valley I have seen how the once rural communities of this valley have their own individual celebrations and invite everyone in the valley to attend. I was quite impressed with the set up and had thought it to be unique until I went to Dinosaur Days in Cleveland a couple years back. It was then that I realized that Cache Valley had departed from its rural roots and had probably, at one time, had the sense of community that it now lacks but that is found in abundance in the Castle Valley Community. While one might argue that the reason the county acts so much like family is because it is, in reality family, I argue that this is simply the ignorant urban population accusing the more content and more ideal part of America of such absurdities in order to make themselves not seem like such a culturally defunct lot. While it is fact that often times there are families in the rural areas that seem to enjoy intermarriage it is not the rule, but rather the exception. In reality the reason why rural communities such as those found in Castle Valley are so close and so familial-like is that they share one another's ideals. They are content at being hard working, under paid, and under appreciated. They also enjoy being left alone by the cultural rot that urbanization and city life bring into the relaxing life of the country. The County as a whole consists of the type of people you can rub shoulders with in any circumstance and know that you are part of a family.

4. Family

The 4th reason why I could live in Castle Dale is certainly not lacking in importance. My Brother and his family live in Castle Dale. This brother use to live in Logan and took great care of me. I was pretty sad to see them leave Logan and move so close to Price (I'm not a fan of Price). However, I have seen them be welcomed into the community with open arms and have never seen them more happy. I love my brother and his family and would enjoy living so close to them.

5. Jackie

Jackie is the reason I am writing this blog. During the summer I was in a jam and Jackie bailed me out. My payment to her was to write a blog praising her community because I tease her so incessantly about it. However, let me make it clear that the things I have said in this blog are my sincere thoughts on the subject and are in no way tainted by the necessity to praise the community of Castle Dale to pay a debt to a friend. So let me take a minute and explain why Jackie is so amazing. She is my computer go-to-girl since Jason had to leave me to go to Missouri (not that Jason was my go-to-girl but he certainly was my computer whiz prior to leaving Logan for the truly inbred state of Missouri :) ). Jackie is always willing to help me figure things out with my computer even when she isn't at work at the IT desk at USU. Plus she is such a smart girl when it comes to so many other things on top of being a computer whiz. Also, Jackie is a very friendly person. She truly has carried on forth the community banner from the small town of Castle Dale and has established it here Logan. Her community should be proud. So besides bailing be out of a desperate situation over the summer that allowed me to talk to Kendra via cell phone Jackie has been a great friend and help. She's usually pretty happy and is even OK at Taboo (better than me of course). So Thank you Jackie for everything.


Well Friends and Visitors if you have any desire to see what America is all about I recommend that you visit Castle Dale. It truly is an amazing and pleasant place.