During your visit to the Cove Fort Historic Site, get a glimpse into Utah’s pioneer past as you explore the restored Cove Fort, comprised of 12 rooms. The Bunkhouse, Cove Fort Barn and the Blacksmith Shop have also been restored and are open to visitors of the Cove Fort Historic Site.
Inside Cove Fort
Kitchen
Enter into the kitchen, the heart of Cove Fort. During the 19th century, Cove Fort’s kitchen was used to prepare food for the family that ran Cove Fort, hired help and the travelers passing through including Latter Day Saint settlers on their way to new homes, Church leaders visiting the Saints in outlying settlements, prominent non-Latter Day Saint leaders, mail carriers and native tribal members.
Washing and Weaving Room
Learn about the importance of home economics at Cove Fort. During the 1800s, the washing and weaving room was used to wash clothes and dishes and where residents and travellers bathed. The room also housed a loom where someone would sit and weave cloth and rag rugs.
Guest Rooms
See the rooms where the guests of Cove Fort stayed. Individuals who operated Cove Fort warmly welcomed travellers passing through with food and shelter.
Family Rooms
Along the north side of the fort are three rooms that served as a private residence for the Hinckley family who cared for Cove Fort during its operating days. It was here they relaxed after long days of caring for travellers and managing the various operations of the site.
Telegraph Office
Cove Fort’s telegraph room was used as a means of communication, connecting Church settlements from north to south. Most telegraph communications carried Church and Territorial business, bridging the great distances over which Church members had settled. Additionally, the telegraph office was used as an overflow dining room.
Stage and Post Office
The stage and post office was comprised of six rooms along the south wall and used for business, domestic and social activities. These rooms offered a place for travellers journeying north and south to rest and refresh while the tired teams of horses that pulled the stagecoaches were exchanged for a fresh team.
Outside Cove Fort
The Bunkhouse
The Bunkhouse, a one room building containing a table, washstand and washbasin provided a place for the hired workers to sleep. Duties of the workers would have included caring for the horses at Cove Fort and milking the cows and beef herds.
Wagon
Prairie wagons like the one displayed at Cove Fort were used by pioneers travelling across the rural country in search of new areas to settle in. Learn about the prairie wagons the pioneers travelled in and what they took with them on their journeys.
Cove Fort Barn
During the operation of Cove Fort, the barn was the second largest structure on the complex. While its primary purpose was to house the stock and equipment used by the occupants of the fort and others who maintained operations on the site, it was also an excellent lookout point due to its height.
The Blacksmith Shop
Be sure to explore the Blacksmith Shop at Cove Fort. During the 19th century, Ira Hinckley ran a blacksmith shop at Cove Fort. His skills were essential in providing shoeing services for the horses of the stagecoach lines and postal express riders as well as those passing through in need of wagon and equipment repairs.
- Do not forget your camera. There will be exciting photo opportunities during your visit to the Cove Fort Historic Site.