The community located on the La Sal Mountain Loop Road, some 18 miles (29 km) northeast of Moab. The nearest inhabited town is Castle Valley, approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) to the northwest.
History
A short-lived gold placer mining camp existed here in the 1860s,[2] but the area was first settled by a prospector named Doby Brown in the late 1870s or early 1880s. By 1882 enough settlers had gathered to establish a post office.[3] In 1888 when a local gold rush began at nearby Miners Basin, Castleton became important as a supply town.[2] It had a general store, hotel, two saloons, and several other businesses. At its peak in 1895, the population exceeded that of Moab.[4] In fact, when Grand County was organized in 1890, Castleton vied with Moab for the chance to be county seat.[5]
The Panic of 1907 closed down the area's mines, and soon ranchers were Castleton's only residents.[6][2] By 1910 the businesses were gone, leaving only the post office, and the population had dropped to 50.[4] In 1930 there were six residents.[5] A few people stayed in the dead town for decades, but in 1967 the county commission officially vacated Castleton as an occupied town.[7]
^ abcThompson, George A. (November 1982). Some Dreams Die: Utah's Ghost Towns and Lost Treasures. Salt Lake City, Utah: Dream Garden Press. p. 122. ISBN0-942688-01-5.
^Firmage, Richard A. (January 1996). A History of Grand County(PDF). Utah Centennial County History Series. Salt Lake City, Utah: Utah State Historical Society. p. 137. ISBN0-913738-03-4. Retrieved July 15, 2012.
^ abCarr, Stephen L. (1986) [June 1972]. The Historical Guide to Utah Ghost Towns (3rd ed.). Salt Lake City, Utah: Western Epics. p. 155. ISBN0-914740-30-X.
