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| Vernal serves mainly as
a base for exploring Dinosaur
National Monument, Flaming
Gorge and the Uinta
Mountains. Each is covered
separately in its own section. Presented below is information about
a few other attractions in and near town: |
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Utah Field House of Natural
History |
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Parcel Post Bank |
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Ouray National Wildlife
Refuge |
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| Utah Field House of Natural History |
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The Utah Field House of Natural History is a small, good quality prehistory museum. It displays a wonderful full size skeleton of a diplocodous in the main entrance and contains other good archeological and geological displays. Of the latter, a display of ultraviolet rocks is especially striking. Outside in a small garden area are full size fiberglass models of numerous dinosaurs including a tyrannosaurus Rex and a large stegosaurus. (Though well done, the effect is diminished its proximity to the highway.)
The Museum is located at 235 East Main St. It is open daily 8 to 9 from Memorial Day to Labor Day, and 9 to 5 the rest of the year. The entrance fee is $2 per person, $5 per family. 435-789-3799. |
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| Parcel
Post Bank |
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A bit of ingenuity at
the post office's expense created the "Parcel Post Bank."
In 1916, bank president William Colthart got the idea that he wanted
to build a new bank using special textured bricks rather than the
ordinary red ones available locally. Normal freight costs to remote
Vernal, however, greatly exceeded the value of the bricks. So he
hit upon the idea of having them mailed
-- all 80,000, individually wrapped. His success got others to thinking,
and soon even crops were being sent to market through the post office.
(Before things got completely out of hand, or rather shortly thereafter,
the post office changed its rules.)
The story is a bit more interesting
than seeing the bank, which looks like... well... a bank made of
brick. But it's in the middle of town on the southwest corner of
Vernal Ave. and Main St., so take a look. It's now called the Zion
National Bank. |
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| Mormon
Temple |
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The Vernal Temple was
formerly a Latter-day Saint assembly hall built by Mormon Pioneers
during the early years of frontier settlement in Utah. It was once
the largest building between Salt Lake City and Denver. The building
was closed to the public in 1992 because of concerns about the safety
of the structure, and would very likely have been torn down, but
the Vernal citizens chose to preserve it as a part of their history.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints determined to refurbish
the entire structure and create a Temple which ultimately cost about
$7 million. It was the first Mormon temple to be created from an
existing building.
The temple is
not open to (non-Mormon) visitors, but everyone is welcome to walk
the well maintained grounds. The temple is located at 170 South
400 West. |
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