A LITTLE HISTORY ABOUT HURRICANE, UTAH

 

 

Visitors traveling through Hurricane might wonder why a town in southern Utah shares its name with a tropical cyclone - a type of storm that never has and never will make "landfall" in the inland desert.  The curious name dates back to the early 1860s, when a whirlwind blew off the top of a buggy carrying a group of surveyors led by a mormon leader, Erastus Snow.  "Well, that was a Hurricane," exclaimed Snow.  "We'll name this Hurricane Hill."  The nearby fault, mesa, and, later on the town, took the same moniker.  How residents say the name might catch many off guard.  Locals pronounce it "Her-ah-kun," which is the British pronunciation.  True to its name, the town has a reputation for being windy and slightly colder than nearby St. George.