Gunlock State Park is a
state park of
Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
, USA, adjoining the Gunlock Reservoir that impounds the
Santa Clara River.
The park is located approximately northwest of
St George. The reservoir dam was constructed in 1970 for irrigation water and
flood control
Flood control methods are used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters."Flood Control", MSN Encarta, 2008 (see below: Further reading). Flood relief methods are used to reduce the effects of flood waters or high water level ...
.
Gunlock State Park is a primitive area; there are facilities. The park offers camping, swimming, boating, and fishing. The park and reservoir are named after the nearby community of
Gunlock. The town was named after William "Gunlock Will" Hamblin, its first settler.
Hamblin was a Mormon pioneer born in Ohio who settled in the area in 1857. Gunlock Will was a good hunter and sharpshooter, and was skillful in repairing
gunlocks, which are the firing mechanisms for
muzzleloaders.
The county road to the park is the
Old Spanish Trail used by horsemen and raiders from
Santa Fe, New Mexico to
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
from the 1820s until 1849, when the gold fields of California became the destination and a shorter route was taken.
References
External links
Gunlock State Park
{{authority control
Protected areas established in 1970
State parks of Utah
Protected areas of Washington County, Utah
1970 establishments in Utah