Gunlock State Park
Encyclopedia
Gunlock State Park is a state park
of Utah
, USA, adjoining a 266 acres (107.6 ha) reservoir. The park is located approximately 15 miles (24.1 km) northwest of St George. The reservoir dam was constructed in 1970 for irrigation water and flood control.
Gunlock State Park is a primitive area; there are no 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 muzzleloader
s.
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
from the 1820s until 1849, when the gold fields of California became the destination and a shorter route was taken.
State park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...
of Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, USA, adjoining a 266 acres (107.6 ha) reservoir. The park is located approximately 15 miles (24.1 km) northwest of St George. The reservoir dam was constructed in 1970 for irrigation water and flood control.
Gunlock State Park is a primitive area; there are no facilities. The park offers camping, swimming, boating, and fishing. The park and reservoir are named after the nearby community of Gunlock
Gunlock, Utah
Gunlock is an unincorporated community in western Washington County, Utah, United States, north of Gunlock State Park. It lies along local roads northwest of the city of St. George, the county seat of Washington County. Its elevation is 3,658 feet...
. 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
Flintlock
Flintlock is the general term for any firearm based on the flintlock mechanism. The term may also apply to the mechanism itself. Introduced at the beginning of the 17th century, the flintlock rapidly replaced earlier firearm-ignition technologies, such as the doglock, matchlock and wheellock...
, which are the firing mechanisms for muzzleloader
Muzzleloader
A muzzleloader is any firearm into which the projectile and usually the propellant charge is loaded from the muzzle of the gun . This is distinct from the more popular modern designs of breech-loading firearms...
s.
The county road to the park is the Old Spanish Trail
Old Spanish Trail
Old Spanish Trail may refer to:*Old Spanish Trail , connecting Santa Fe, New Mexico with Los Angeles, California in the 19th century...
used by horsemen and raiders from Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
to Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
from the 1820s until 1849, when the gold fields of California became the destination and a shorter route was taken.