Willden Fort

In 1852, Mormon leader Brigham Young sent Charles Willden to Cedar City to work in the ironworks The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was attempting to establish, since Willden had worked in the steel industry in Sheffield, England, prior to immigrating to the United States of America.

The posts were 8 to 10 ft high, placed close together to form a solid wall.

While the Willdens occupied the fort, they received a continuous stream of visitors, because Willden Fort was located along the Mormon Road, a major travel corridor between Salt Lake City and Los Angeles, and was at a convenient stopping place.

Some of the prominent visitors who stayed at the fort were Brigham Young, Lorenzo Snow, John Taylor and Ezra T. Benson.

Willden family descendants were interviewed to determine the most likely location and teams of students and professors from the university carefully excavated the site.