Russian Settlement, Utah

United States Utah  Box Elder  Russian Settlement

Quick History
Russian Settlement is a class 2 agricultural ghost town, in the Park Valley area of Box Elder County. The Russian Settlement has been refereed to as the ghost town with no name. A group of Molokan Russians came to this settlement by way of California. These Russians bought the land after a promise of it's beauty by some unscrupulous land agents. In April 1914, approximately 100 Molokans, came to the foot of the Russian Knoll by way of the railroad, then a wagon ride. When the new land owners saw their land many turned around and went back to California with 30 families staying. They set up a town patterned after those they knew in Russia. Some made their way to Park Valley and settled along the Dove Creek. Drought and harsh conditions battered the dream for a utopian society and settlement was disbanded in 1918. It's been said the remaining residents returned back to California.


 * Molokans in America
 * Molokan Life

Location

 * GPS Location:41°43′N 113°21′W

Maps

 * 1895 Map of Box Elder County

Time Line

 * 1914: Arrived
 * 1918: Abandoned community

Neighboring Communities
Kelton | Park Valley

Biographies & Family Histories

 * Correspondence concerning Molokans in the Park Valley Area
 * Collection of Family Interviews
 * History of Box Elder County

Cemeteries
Two graves enclosed within a worn picket fence are the only reminder of the group’s existence at this settlement. Check cemeteries in neighboring communities.
 * Russian Settlement Cemetery
 * Russian Settlement Cemetery Location
 * Box Elder County Cemeteries
 * Box Elder Utah Gravestone Photo Project
 * Findagrave.com

Historical Newspapers

 * Box Elder News
 * Corinne Reporter

Marriages

 * Marriage information may be located at the Western States Marriage Database searchable by bride or groom.

Death

 * Utah Department of Archives 1903 to 50 years ago Choices of search types - name, date of death (year, month, day, or any combination) and county. Images of actual death certificates.
 * Utah Death Certificates 1904 - 1956 -A free internet access to the 1904-1956 death certificates can be viewed on the Family Search Historical Records. Utah requires a death certificate before a burial is completed.  A death certificate may contain information as to the name of the deceased, date of death, and place of death, as well as the age, birthdate, parents, gender, marital status, spouse and place of residence.  For information on death prior to 1904 you can search the Utah State Burial Index.

Suggested Reading

 * The Historical Guide to Utah Ghost Towns.
 * Some Dreams Die: Utah's Ghost Towns and Lost Treasures
 * ''Connecting the West : historic railroad stops and stage stations of Elko County, Nevada

Websites

 * Russian Colonists in Utah Desert
 * Utah Ghost Towns