Hanksville, Utah

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Hanksville is a small town in east-central Wayne County, Utah located at the junction of Utah State Route 24 and Utah State Route 95. The town is just south of the confluence of the Fremont River and Muddy Creek, which together form the Dirty Devil River, which proceeds to the Colorado River.

The town was settled in 1882, and known for a time for the name given to the surrounding area, Graves Valley, but was not incorporated until January 6, 1999. The town took the name of Hanksville in 1885, named after Ebenezer Hanks who was the leader of the group of pioneers who established the small Mormon settlement.

The REA brought electricity to the community in 1960. Today agriculture, mining, and tourism are the main drivers to the local economy. Tourism is particularly important with people coming for recreation at Lake Powell, Capitol Reef National Park, the Henry Mountains, the San Rafael Swell, Goblin Valley State Park, and the solitude of the surrounding deserts and slot canyons.

Hanksville was a supply post for Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch who would hide out at Robbers Roost in the desert North East of town.

During the Uranium frenzy following World War II, Hanksville became a supply center for the prospectors and miners scouring the deserts of the Colorado Plateau for Uranium. Many abandoned Uranium mines can be found in the deserts surrounding Hanksville.

The Mars Desert Research Station is located seven miles northeast of Hanksville.

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