Fort Pearce (Pierce)

Washington County, Utah is a very rugged, rough land and the early pioneers had to carve out roads by hand and couldn't just cut through hills as the builders of the highways of today do. Most roads followed the contours of the land, going around the hills and through the natural cuts and valleys even though it often wasn't the most direct route. In the pioneer days one of the main roads in the county was the Warner Valley Gap Road. Its route went through Fort Pearce, up the Hurricane Fault via a steep dugway, and then on to Pipe Spring, Moccasin Springs, Kanab, and Long Valley. One hundred years before the pioneers used this route Father Escalante, Father Dominguez and their party camped at the site of the future Fort Pierce spending the night and making use of the water there.



Fort Pierce was built along this thoroughfare about twelve miles southeast of St. George near the Arizona border near the base of the Hurricane cliffs. The fort was used for just four years but portions of its rock walls can still be seen today. John D.L. was the captain of a cavalry troop that were charged to protect the new settlements and livestock from Indian raids during the Blackhawk War. He built the fort at the site of a spring and wash (both of which now bear his name.) At one point in 1865 it was reported that 20 to 30 men were guarding there. For many years after this the abandoned Fort Pierce was a watering place for travelers and their stock.