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Fred Hayes State Park at Starvation
Fred Hayes State Park at Starvation
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)
	Starvation Reservoir, December 2008
	Location in Utah Location in the United States
Location	Duchesne County, Utah, United States
Coordinates	40°12′10″N 110°26′50″W / 40.20278°N 110.44722°W
Area	3,500 acres (14 km2)
Elevation	5,700 ft (1,700 m)
Established	1972; 53 years ago
Visitors	139,477 (in 2022)
Operator	Utah State Parks
Website	stateparks.utah.gov/parks/starvation/

Fred Hayes State Park at Starvation (formerly Starvation State Park) is a state park in Duchesne County, Utah, United States, featuring the 3,495-acre (1,414 ha) Starvation Reservoir.^[1] The park is 4 miles (6.4 km) northwest of the city of Duchesne.

Facilities

The 3,500-acre (14 km²) Starvation Reservoir is open year-round, and is popular for fishing and boating. It lies at an elevation of 5,712 feet (1,741 m). Established in 1972, the marina features a 54-unit RV campground along with developed and primitive camping, rental cabins, boat ramp and dock, a sand beach, restrooms, showers, a group-use pavilion, sewage disposal, and fish cleaning stations.^[3] Primitive camping is allowed in designated areas around the perimeter of the reservoir for a fee. OHVs are only allowed at Knight Hollow Campground. County-owned dirt roads are open (including the road from Knight Hollow to the town of Duchesne) in the nearby area.

History

There are various narratives explaining the name "Starvation". Orson Mott recounted the most credible story. In 1900, A.M. Murdock of Heber city, approached Major Myton of the Uintah Indian reservation to purchase grazing permits for his cattle. He was given grazing permits in the upper Strawberry river area. Dave Murdock, brother of Al Murdock, had secured a contract to provide beef to the Ute tribe at Fort Duchesne. In the fall of 1904 they brought the herd out of the high grazing areas and made it to the river bottoms which is now covered by Starvation reservoir. Very heavy snows stranded the herd. With no feed the entire herd died. Dave Murdock named the area "Starvation Flats" from this experience.^[4]

Another account describes a group of fur trappers stranded in harsh winter conditions who survived by stealing a local Native American cache of food, which resulted in their starvation. Another account tells the opposite story, with the Indians doing the stealing and the trappers starving.^[1] A third story involves a local rancher who attempted to graze livestock in the area, and they all starved.^[5] Yet another explanation for the name involves settlers in the early 1900s trying to survive along the banks of the Strawberry River, in the area now occupied by the reservoir. These settlers dealt with near-starvation in a hostile environment. Winters in the area are long and cold, and their livestock often died. The area's short growing season was hindered by floods, hail, early frost and other problems. These settlers could have nicknamed the area Starvation.

In 2019 the park (which had previously been named the Starvation State Park) was officially renamed the Fred Hayes State Park at Starvation.^[6] Hayes had been the director of the Utah Division of Parks and Recreation (now known as the Utah Division of State Parks) from 2012 until he died unexpectedly in early March 2018.^[7]

Starvation Dam

The Starvation Dam (40°11′25″N 110°26′38″W / 40.19028°N 110.44389°W / 40.19028; -110.44389) is a 210-foot-high (64 m), 3,070-foot-long (940 m) earthfill dam. The reservoir is fed by the Strawberry River in the Uinta Basin, and is part of the Central Utah Project – Bonneville Unit. It was constructed in 1970.^[8]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Fred Hayes State Park at Starvation: Discover". stateparks.utah.gov. Utah Division of State Parks. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
^ "Park Visitation Data". Utah State Parks. July 6, 2023.
^ "Fred Hayes State Park at Starvation : Amenities". Utah State Parks. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
^ "Highlights from Interview with Orson Mott", Interviewed by JP Tanner 1995
^ Division of Water Quality. "Starvation Reservoir" (PDF). Utah Department of Environmental Quality.
^ "Fred Hayes State Park at Starvation:Discover". stateparks.utah.gov. Utah Division of State Parks. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
^ Knox, Annie (March 2, 2018). "Utah parks and rec director dies unexpectedly". ksl.com. Salt Lake City: Deseret Digital Media. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
^ Bureau of Reclamation (August 4, 2009). "Starvation Dam". U.S. Department of the Interior. Retrieved February 11, 2011.