Episode 8 of What Once Was takes you deep into the forgotten history of Southern Utah’s Virgin River settlements. From Duncan’s Retreat to Northrop, and Shonesburg, we trace the lives of early pioneers who battled floods, isolation, and conflict in the shadow of what is now Zion National Park. You’ll hear stories of Native encounters, love and loss, and communities that rose with hope only to vanish with time.

If you’re fascinated by Utah history, Mormon pioneer settlements, or the ghost towns scattered across Southern Utah, this episode brings the past to life through immersive storytelling and real historical accounts. Perfect for history lovers, road-trippers, and anyone curious about the people who carved out lives along the Virgin River.

🎧 Support and follow: → Become a patron: https://patreon.com/whatoncewas → Follow on Instagram: @whatoncewas.podcast

The stories I share are based on old records, newspapers, local legends, and oral histories. While I do my best to tell them truthfully, some details may be lost to time.

Please remember—many of the places we mention are on private land. Don’t trespass or go exploring without permission. Let’s keep history alive without disturbing what’s left of it.

Intro music is "A Calm Hellfire" by the Wayward Hearts

Grafton, Utah — today it’s one of the most photographed ghost towns in the West. But in the mid to late 1800s, it was a community clinging to the banks of the Virgin River, where floods, fears and faith tested every family who lived there. From the Marvelous Flood Tenney’s unforgettable birth to the tragedies in the cemetery, to the violence of the Black Hawk War and the final blow of the Hurricane Canal, this episode dives into the stories settlers and their descendants passed down. Alongside them are the Southern Paiute families who were here first — guides, friends, protectors, and sometimes adversaries. This is the story of Grafton: not just a ghost town, but a place where joy, grief, and resilience left a lasting mark on southern Utah history.

On St. Patrick’s Day 1935, Enterprise, Utah was alive with music, dancing, and laughter. By morning, rancher Thomas “Penny” Reed had vanished. For years, the town whispered — had he left his family, or had something darker happened that night?

Nearly three years later, a new sheriff uncovered a secret buried in the desert — and set the stage for one of southern Utah’s most sensational trials.

*This story is based on almost entirely from historical newspaper accounts, with the help of court records and family stories. Out of respect for descendants, the names of those most closely involved have been changed*

(Don't forget: If this story resonates, please follow, share, and review—it helps more than you know!)

🎧 Support and follow: → Become a patron: https://patreon.com/whatoncewas → Follow on Instagram: @whatoncewas.podcast

Please remember—many of the places mentioned are on private land. Don’t trespass or go exploring without permission. Let’s keep history alive without disturbing what’s left of it.

Intro music is "A Calm Hellfire" by the Wayward Hearts

Knitting Sound Effect by freesound_community from Pixabay

St Patricks dance Music by Alana Jordan from Pixabay

This isn’t a ghost town story. It’s the story of a town that survived. This episode follows this town from its beginning to the end of WW2.

Born from Hebron’s collapse and carved into the high desert by pioneers, Enterprise weathered floods, blizzards, epidemics, and the losses of two world wars. It was a place where children danced on reservoir banks, telephones carried the weight of war, and the dam wasn’t just a wall — it was a lifeline.

In this episode of What Once Was, we trace the rise of Enterprise, Utah — through the journals of Orson Huntsman, the grit of settlers like the Holts and Winsors, and the tragedies that tested this community to its core. From typhoid to warplanes, from ice cream parlors to spy arrests, this is the story of a town that wasn’t supposed to make it… but did.

*I am working on my correct pronunciation of towns so if you listened to the previous episode you might notice a different pronunciation of Hebron in this one*

(Don't forget: If this story resonates, please follow, share, and review—it helps more than you know!)

🎧 Support and follow: → Become a patron: https://patreon.com/whatoncewas → Follow on Instagram: @whatoncewas.podcast

The stories I share are based on old records, newspapers, local legends, and oral histories. While I do my best to tell them truthfully, some details may be lost to time.

Please remember—many of the places we mention are on private land. Don’t trespass or go exploring without permission. Let’s keep history alive without disturbing what’s left of it.

Intro music is "A Calm Hellfire" by the Wayward Hearts

In the shadowed sagebrush country west of Enterprise, Utah, lies a forgotten ghost town with a history as dark as it is captivating. Founded by pioneers answering Brigham Young’s call, Hebron promised prosperity but instead faced relentless trials—natural disasters, fires, drought, and even whispers of supernatural possession.

From cattle rustlers and telegraph fires, to the eerie claims of spiritual hauntings that tore at the fabric of the community, Hebron’s story is one of survival, struggle, and stubborn hope. Join me as we peel back the layers of time, exploring firsthand accounts, forgotten journals, and long-hidden tales of a community that ultimately vanished—but whose echoes remain.

This is the story of Hebron—once a bustling town, now a memory whispered by the wind.

If you love ghost towns, forgotten history, and stories that send chills down your spine, this episode is for you.

(Don't forget: If this story resonates, please follow, share, and review—it helps more than you know!)

🎧 Support and follow: → Become a patron: https://patreon.com/whatoncewas → Follow on Instagram: @whatoncewas.podcast

The stories I share are based on old records, newspapers, local legends, and oral histories. While I do my best to tell them truthfully, some details may be lost to time.

Please remember—many of the places we mention are on private land. Don’t trespass or go exploring without permission. Let’s keep history alive without disturbing what’s left of it.

Intro music is "A Calm Hellfire" by the Wayward Hearts

Accordion music in this episode by Peter Barbaix from Pixabay

In the far southwestern corner of Utah, where the desert flattens and the railroad once ruled, lies a quiet town with a loud past—Modena. It was built on the promise of progress, a bustling depot where trains stopped, sheep sheared by the thousands, and families that kept trying.

In this episode of What Once Was, we step into the dust and echoes of Modena’s heyday. Hear the clang of hammers on steel as tracks are laid. Bleats of sheep during shearing season. And witness how fire and the slow retreat of the railroad turned a thriving frontier town into a mostly forgotten speck on the map.

This is the story of the town at the end of the line—and the people who refused to be left behind.

🎧 Support and follow: → Become a patron: https://patreon.com/whatoncewas → Follow on Instagram: @whatoncewas.podcast

The stories I share are based on old records, newspapers, local legends, and oral histories. While I do my best to tell them truthfully, some details may be lost to time.

Please remember—many of the places we mention are on private land. Don’t trespass or go exploring without permission. Let’s keep history alive without disturbing what’s left of it.

Intro music is "A Calm Hellfire" by the Wayward Hearts

Harmonica music by Samuel Copier from Pixabay

Piano music by Francesco Bondi from Pixabay

Straddling the dusty edge of Utah and Nevada once stood a town built on gold, silver, and second chances—Stateline. For a moment at the turn of the 19th century, it boomed with promise: saloons rang with laughter, miners dreamed of fortune, and the frontier pulsed with life. But like so many Wild West towns, its glory was short-lived.

In this episode of What Once Was, we journey into Stateline’s heyday and explore its downfall downfall. You’ll hear tales of shootouts, lawmen and the everyday people that called this town home. Through immersive sound design and historically grounded storytelling, we bring this ghost town back to life—if only for a moment.

Because sometimes, the loudest echoes come from places long abandoned.

🎧 Support and follow: → Become a patron: https://patreon.com/whatoncewas → Follow on Instagram: @whatoncewas.podcast

The stories I share are based on old records, newspapers, local legends, and oral histories. While I do my best to tell them truthfully, some details may be lost to time.

Please remember—many of the places we mention are on private land. Don’t trespass or go exploring without permission. Let’s keep history alive without disturbing what’s left of it.

Intro music is "A Calm Hellfire" by the Wayward Hearts

Beneath the blistering sun of Southern Utah lies a forgotten stagecoach station where fact and folklore blur—Desert Springs. Once an infamous outpost, now nothing remains, but whispers on the wind.

In this episode of What Once Was, we explore the chilling legends passed down through generations—stories of murders, outlaw gangs, and the mysterious lives of those who lived here.

Through immersive soundscapes and historical storytelling, we peel back the layers of time to uncover what truth may still linger in the dust. This is history that will make you say WOW.

🎧 Support and follow: → Become a patron: https://patreon.com/whatoncewas → Follow on Instagram: @whatoncewas.podcast

The stories I share are based on old records, newspapers, local legends, and oral histories. While I do my best to tell them truthfully, some details may be lost to time.

Please remember—many of the places we mention are on private land. Don’t trespass or go exploring without permission. Let’s keep history alive without disturbing what’s left of it.

Intro music is "A Calm Hellfire" by the Wayward Hearts