Iosepa

Name:	Iosepa
Category:	Cultural
Archive ID#:	UT3192
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Description:	Now just a ranch along a remote highway, Iosepa was a community of over 200 Polynesians, who settled in this desert valley in 1889, to be closer to the center of the Mormon church. A few years later, leprosy broke out in the community, leading to the formation of Utah's only known leper colony. By 1917, the remains of the community returned to Hawaii. Almost all of the structures are now gone, though several foundations at the old townsite are visible. A cemetary near the townsite contains the graves of many of the settlers, and a large stone monument to the community.
Location:	Skull Valley (POINT(-112.73370623589 40.542019102418)) (show on map)
Address:	UT
Visitor Info:	There is a sign indicating Iosepa on the main road through Skull Valley. The townsite is behind a private house on the east side of the road, through a driveway next to a group of mailboxes. The owner of the house allows people to drive through their property, though asking permission is appreciated. The graveyard is in the distance northeast of the house.
Links:	http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/ut/iosepa.html http://www.kued.org/polynesian/history/
LCS:	Cultural, Town / Community
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