Geography of the Wah Wah Valley Latilong - compiled January 2001

The Wah Wah Valley Latilong is bounded by 113° Longitude on the East, the state border on the east (about 114° 3' Longitude), 38° Latitude on the south and 39° Latitude on the north. This area is approximately 58.5 miles wide by 70 miles high, encompassing 4095 square miles (2.620,800 acres). The latilong is a sparsely populated area comprising a number of north-south trending mountain ranges and desert valleys. The largest city within it is Milford, Utah with a population of 1305 (1998 estimate). Garrison, on the western border, is listed as having a population of zero. The population of the remainder of the area is in widely separated farms scattered throughout the region.

Topology

The Wah Wah Valley Latilong is in the Great Basin Desert, with no drainages that empty into an ocean. All the valleys have a salt flat (called hardpans) at their lowest point or the streams collect into the Beaver River which empties into the Sevier River which empties into the Sevier Lake, which dries up into a hardpan most years. The named hardpans in the latilong include Pine Valley Hardpan, Wah Wah Valley Hardpan, Sevier Lake, and the Barn Hills Hardpan.

Little Known Facts about the Wah Wah Valley Latilong

It is he home of the nation's 17th largest Hog Farm, Circle Four Farms.
The Wah Wah Valley Interlocal Cooperation Entity proposes to construct and operate a commercial Spacecraft launch site utilizing approximately 70,000 acres of Utah State Trust lands located 30 miles southwest of Milford, Utah.
Class 3 annual average wind power is found in the valley corridor in the vicinity of Milford, Utah. Strong southwesterly winds frequently occur over this area, especially during the spring when the wind resource averages class 4. Maps show more than 20 windmills in the area, 7 of which are within the latilong.
The Wah Wah Mountains are named after the Wah Wah Springs nearby. Wah Wah means "good, clear water."
Fathers Escalante and Dominguez came to a point southwest of present-day Milford, and being concerned with a lack of supplies and the approach of Winter, decided to turn back to Santa Fe. Dissension over this decision led the Fathers to put the matter in the hands of the Almighty and cast lots, which confirmed their decision. A monument to this, called the "Casting of Lots" is within the latilong.
The world's only known deposit of gem quality Red Beryl, or Red Emerald gemstones, was discovered in 1958 in the Wah Wah mountains of South West Utah.
Just 15 miles west of Milford is the undisputed world's best Hang Gliding spot. (According to Milford, anyway.) Now you can be a part of the thrill of World Class gliding. Every launch has the potential to make or break the World Distance Record. Located on top of Frisco Peak, at an elevation of 9000 feet plus, gliding enthusiasts report achieving altitudes of 18000 feet, and distances in excess of 150 miles. Such opportunity has to be experienced to be appreciated!
The wild lands in the Wah Wah Mountains are being considered for Wilderness designation. They include 109,700-acre in two units; the 60,500-acre North Wah Wah unit and the central Wah Wah unit containing 49,200 acres. There seems to be a disagreement between the environmental groups and the BLM over how much land ought to be given wilderness status. Look here and here.

Wildlife

The Mountain Home Range lies at the north end of the Bureau of Land Management's Sulphur Herd Management Area, which is located in southwestern Utah in the Wah Wah Valley Latilong, along the Nevada border. Most maps show the entire north and south running range as the Needle Range, but local people break it up into the Mountain Home Range on the north and the Indian Peak Range on the south. From the dry, lifeless hardpan of the valley floors the land gently rises over native grass covered flats to sagebrush covered benches, and finally to the pinion-juniper covered mountains. Benches and mountains are broken up with many rugged canyons and draws. The Sulphur horses running free here are thought to be the most pure strain of Spanish Mustangs in existence.

The Desert Experimental Range (DER) was established in 1934 in Pine Valley, Millard County, Utah within the Wah Wah Valley Latilong, to investigate the effects of sheep winter grazing practices on the salt-desert plant communities common to the Great Basin. Other studies have been critical in developing management and monitoring criteria for desert wildlife species such as pronghorn antelope and kit fox.

In 1948 Elk were sighted in the White Rock Range of Lincoln County, Nevada as a result of a Utah introduction in the Indian Peaks area. The Indian Peak Wildlife Management Area is 15 miles north of Hamlin Valley in the south-western corner of the Wah Wah Valley Latilong.

Weather

Information about Milford's weather averages can be found here. The higher mountains to the west get more moisture. The south-west corner of the latilong is covered with Pinyon-Juniper forests.

Settlement

Arvin M. Stoddard was Milford's pioneer founder. In the fall of 1870 Stoddard built his house near the bottom of a small hill (where the Catholic church now stands) and planted the first trees. Next, in 1880, John D. Williams came to Milford and built a smelter. At about the same time, Stoddard's property was chosen for a mill site by the mining company coming into the area. The company employed John Williams who named the town Milford because the ore wagons had to ford the Beaver River southeast of town, and the crossing became known as the "Mill-ford".

In January 1879 the Utah Southern Railroad decided to make an extension to Frisco, the home of the Horn Silver Mine, without doubt the richest single body of silver ore ever found anywhere. (The Union Pacific main line from Ogden and Salt Lake pass through Milford, yet their official web history doesn't even mention it. My guess is that the railroad is the life-blood of the town, providing a major part of their local economy.)

The hotels in Milford were the finest in Southern Utah with exquisite dining and accommodations. The mines and their boom towns knew their glory, but dreams died as one by one the rich veins of ore played out and the people left. The Milford area is now a thriving agricultural area. Milford has a population of 1300, and the community is made up of citizens of many walks of life and religions.

Recreation

There is NOT a campground in the entire latilong. The only lake with any fish in it is Pruess Lake, south of Garrison on the Nevada border.

Cautions and Warnings

The primary goal the environmentalists have in wanting to declare parts of this area as Wilderness, is to have solitude. This whole latilong has lots of solitude. If you were off the beaten path with a breakdown, it might be weeks before someone came your way. As it is, even on the main highway, Highway 21, vehicles are few and far between. Be warned. If you drive out here, prepare. Let others know your schedule and travel routes and ask them to send for help if you don't show up when expected. Take lots more water than you think you will need. Take warm clothes, a hat and good boots. Some cellular providers show this area as working. Both Cellular 1 and AT+T have coverage maps that imply most of the latilong is covered. Click here and enter Milford's zip code, 84751 to see the Cellular 1 coverage map. You will need analog capabilities to roam here and even that may not work depending what mountains you are behind.

Mail

Wah Wah Mountains, namesake of the Wah Wah Valley Latilong