Iosepa was settled by Hawaiian and other Polynesian members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints from 1889-1917.  They emigrated to Salt Lake City to be close to the Salt Lake Temple.  About 200 people lived here and all that is left at the town center are building foundations and some piles of crumbled concrete.

To the northeast of the original town is the cemetery, pavilion, and other buildings.  These buildings are used for reunions and celebrations.  There are many signs that tell you about the history of Iosepa.  The townsfolk built canals, planted crops, raised pigs, and even built the Kanaka Lake reservoir which is to the north west of town still.

You can tell by all the graves that the people faced incredible hardship.  They traded their tropical homes to a desert landscape with extremely limited resources.  Yet, they did their best to make it their home.  They planted yellow roses, fruit trees, and raised fish.

By the year 1915 an LDS temple was announced to be built in Hawaii and almost all of the Iosepa settlers moved back home. 

Take a walk through the cemetery to learn about the settlers and the town.  Iosepa was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.

For more interesting reading on Iosepa please see the following:

Iosepa from Wikipedia

Iospa from Utah Stories

Story Rock

The hike to Story Rock is steep and moderately difficult.  After about 1/4 mile, the trail disappears and you are forced to walk through the thick weeds and shrubs to get to the rock.

In warmer months be very aware of snakes.  Garter and Rattlesnakes are common.

I got so many weeds and thistles in my shoes and socks that I had to spend nearly an hour to get it all out.  Yet the 1.5 mile roundtrip hike was worth it to see these petroglyphs.

Additional Information and pictures will be revealed below to Trek Planner Insiders Only

I searched for the elusive rock for about 4 hours on a previous visit and then my mother and I searched and found them on the second visit.  Upon seeing the petroglyphs, my mother said the settlers must have been homesick to draw depictions of sea turtles, a beach with birds and the sun, whales, starfish, boats, and more. 

I agree with her.   I can imagine a group of homesick settlers missing their native homeland and these petroglyphs helped tell their story to younger generations.