Utah
Uncovering the little-known history of southwest Utah’s only Chinatown
At first, Chris Merritt couldn’t believe his eyes.
It was the opening day of an archeological survey he organized near the ghost town of Silver Reef northeast of St. George. His goal was to find physical evidence of the Chinatown he believed was once there, and he didn’t have to look far.
“The ground was shimmering with material culture, what we call artifacts, from China,” the Utah Historic Preservation Office archaeologist said. “So I’m like, ‘OK, we’re in the right spot. We’re in the right location.’”
Over the next two days, Merritt’s survey team — which included local volunteers and representatives from the Bureau of Land Management and Chinese Railroad Workers Descendents Association — found more than 500 examples of Chinese artifacts. Piece by piece, these discoveries are helping to paint a picture of life in southern Utah’s only Chinatown.
Researchers already had some idea that Silver Reef — a silver mining boom town in the 1870s and 1880s — was home to a group of Chinese residents, he said, but this was the first study into what their lives may have looked like.
“They don’t show up in history books. They don’t show up in diaries. These artifacts are truly their testimony to their lives.”
Courtesy of Utah State Historic Preservation Office
He hypothesized that the town’s Chinese residents lived together in their own neighborhood. He honed in on the potential site by overlaying modern-day aerial images with historical town maps. The density of artifacts at the survey site not only proved his theory and pinpointed Chinatown’s location, but also blew past his expectations.
The Silver Reef Chinatown site is hardly remote, straddling BLM land just northeast of St. George near I-15 and popular hiking trails. So he expected that most of the pottery and other items would have been carried off at some point in the 140 years since the town’s heyday.
Instead, the team found the desert floor littered with fragments of fine porcelain cups and bowls, many hand-painted with delicate blue flowers and bamboo shoots. They also spotted pieces of giant rice vessels large enough to fit a person — something he hadn’t seen at other Chinatown sites near Utah’s Transcontinental Railroad — along with containers of imported soy sauce, pickled eggs and dried ginger.
That shows the town had shops catering to Chinese customers who wanted the comforts of home.
“You can almost start smelling the food in the back of these businesses and homes, smelling much like Pearl River Delta in Guangdong province.”
Those imported eggs and sauces would have had quite a journey, crossing the Pacific Ocean by boat before arriving in Silver Reef on a wagon because the town had no railroad line. It adds up to a community with an incredible global trade system that appears much more complex than many of the other boom-and-bust Chinatowns that popped up across the West at that time.
“When there’s people who want things, things will get there,” Merritt said. “The freight wagons were the Amazon delivery driver of the day.”
Courtesy of the Utah State Historic Preservation Office
The U.S. Census and other archives indicate that at least 250 Chinese immigrants lived there during the town’s peak, but Merritt said that’s likely an undercount. That’s partly because the residents formed a town within a town, pushed there by the racism they faced and by a desire for their own community.
The typical Chinatown resident, he said, would have been a young adult man with little money or education. Most would have worked service jobs, such as laundry or cooking, because the local mining union barred them based on their race. But some belonged to a higher socioeconomic class, too — Silver Reef’s Chinatown even had an herbal doctor.
LoAnne Barnes, a board member at the local Silver Reef Museum, said these discoveries bring the region’s diverse history to life — something all Utahns can benefit from.
“The more we can appreciate the history of the ethnic groups that make up this country, the stronger country we would be.”
The museum already features a display highlighting the town’s Chinese history, and she hopes some of the items will add to that.
Even with all of these recent findings, Merritt said, the survey is only scratching the surface of Silver Reef’s full history. He plans to continue exploring and cataloging the items found on the surface before potentially excavating and preparing items for public display.
Someday, he hopes to help put up interpretive signs near the site so visitors can learn more about the town’s Chinese residents while walking in their footsteps.
“That’s why these types of places are so significant. … They can transmit you back into that period, and you can almost hear that town booming and the mining sounds and the stamp mills and 15 different languages being spoken. And you start feeling a lot more connected to that place.”
Kentucky basketball continues to stay aggressive in the transfer portal, hosting Utah transfer guard Terrence Brown for a visit, according to Matt Jones of KSR, as the Wildcats look to rebuild their backcourt heading into next season.
Brown, a 6-3, 175-pound point guard, is coming off a standout year in which he averaged 19.9 points, 3.8 assists, and 2.4 rebounds per game. He shot 45.3% from the field and 32.7% from 3-point range while starting all 32 games and playing over 31 minutes per contest.
There is already a connection between Brown and Kentucky, as he previously played alongside former Wildcat forward Ansley Almonor during the 2023-24 season before Almonor transferred to Kentucky the following year.
Kentucky’s interest in Brown comes as the program looks to reload at the guard position following multiple departures, including Jaland Lowe, Denzel Aberdeen, Jasper Johnson, and Collin Chandler. Head coach Mark Pope and his staff have made it a priority to evaluate all options, with Brown emerging as a serious candidate after a recent phone conversation between the two sides.
The Wildcats have also hosted other guards like Zoom Diallo, and currently, Rob Wright is on campus.
Brown’s visit is part of a busy stretch for Kentucky, with several other notable transfer targets expected to make their way to Lexington, including Alex Wilkins, Donnie Freeman, Jalen Cox, and Magoon Gwath.
The Utah Legislature tried to address the unaffordability or, for some, unavailability of home insurance last year.
The state created a program to inspect “high-risk” properties statewide and charge those properties a fee.
Its start date was supposed to be Jan. 1, but now lawmakers are giving state and local officials an extra year to implement it. House Bill 41, which Gov. Spencer Cox signed in March, moves the start date to Jan. 1, 2027.
Bill sponsor Rep. Thomas Peterson, R-Brigham City, says that’s to give time for cities and counties to petition the state to add or remove properties from the fee area.
“[The Division of] Forestry, Fire and State Lands has said they will work with the cities and counties to amend their maps, if it’s indeed justified,” the representative said during a House committee hearing.
The program targets properties with buildings in the “high-risk wildland-urban interface,” or WUI, meaning those that straddle wilderness and development. The Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands has a map classifying certain properties as high-risk WUI.
That’s the map local governments can petition to amend this year.
Those properties will pay a fee into the new Utah Wildfire Fund, which is supposed to offset fire-related costs. The fee pays for inspections to make sure property owners are being firewise and maintaining their land.
The fee is expected to range from $20 to $100 annually, depending on the size of buildings on a given property and risk level. The state forester has more information on an online FAQ page.
as hard as it is to say goodbye to a special place where you’ve made countless memories, letting one good thing go can invite something even better to take its place. When one Chicago-based couple welcomed their first grandchild, they knew that it was time to part ways with their former Victory Ranch, Utah, retreat and expand into a custom-built home in nearby Kamas, which was designed to grow with their family.
With Jennelle Butera of Bloum Design Co. helming the design, every area of the expansive new homestead was tailored to suit the needs of a full, bustling household, with curated design choices that seamlessly coordinate with the majestic mountainous terrain on full display in nearly every room.
To give the space an artful signature all its own, Butera commissioned numerous custom accents. “We love working with local artisans,” she says. “We layered in pieces that feel deeply personal, from a solid walnut dining table with brass butterflies to a gunmetal kitchen hood and blackened steel fireplace surround.”
Though incredibly spacious and airy, the entire interior still has a warm and inviting feel, making it a natural home base for the entire brood to gather. From an intimate breakfast nook just off the main living area to a family room that’s ready for anything—from game night to cocktail hour—to a primary bathroom that could rival the most luxurious five-star spa, this is the ultimate entertaining home, sure to host countless reunions and gatherings in the years to come. And crucially, the space doesn’t feel cordoned off from the gorgeous natural world outdoors, but very much a part of it.
FAST FACTS
Designer: Jennelle Butera, Bloum Design Co.
Location: Kamas, Utah
The Space: A five-bedroom, six-bathroom home across 8,200 square feet
ENTRYWAY
Guests are greeted by subtle artistic touches.
An entryway needs to make a memorable first impression, and the one in this home, anchored by a distinctive custom walnut console table, is so much more than a simple pass-through. “This entry vestibule serves as an artistic moment,” Butera says. There’s subtle beauty to appreciate underfoot as well, as the dappled pattern of the natural stone pavers is used both indoors and out, providing a seamless visual transition.
THE GREAT ROOM
A comfy, calming space that lives up to its name.
Rug: Armadillo & Co. Couches: Montauk Sofas. Coffee table: The Future Perfect. Chairs: Verellen. Floor lamps: Vaughan Designs.
Walking into the great room, visitors are struck by two distinct features: expansive panorama windows that showcase sweeping mountain vistas and a sumptuous seating area that practically begs sitters to stay awhile and appreciate the view. The deep olive green Montauk sofas were hand-selected not just for their gorgeous color and plush silhouette, but because they feel like a dream. “The clients even took a special trip to the Chicago showroom to personally sit-test them,” Butera quips.
DINING AREA
Gilded accents add polish to everyday meals.
Table: Project Sunday. Chairs: Maiden Home. Rug: Utah Rugs. Light: Apparatus. Bar shelving: Handmade Industries.
Adjacent to the central seating zone is the dining area; at its heart is a custom-fabricated walnut table with cozy mohair-upholstered chairs that offer plenty of spots for dinner party guests to perch.
“Warm and chocolate tones were chosen to complement the natural landscape,” Butera says, and the effect is the total embodiment of—dare we say—quiet luxury. A sophisticated dry bar awaits service nearby, resplendent in its gleaming wallcovering by Alchemy Helio 3.0.
BREAKFAST NOOK
This bonus room is the go-to spot for quiet contemplation.
Banquette: Teerlink Cabinets. Table: Greg Palombo. Chairs: Maiden Home. Pendant: The Urban Electric Co.
For those in-between moments throughout the day, this light-filled breakfast nook, grounded by a custom ash wood table and banquette, offers a casual, quiet corner. “This intimate, everyday space allows them to enjoy the view while sitting with coffee or tea,” Butera says. “It’s also the client’s preferred workspace.”
KITCHEN
Soft moodiness pervades in this hyper-efficient cooking hub.
Countertops: Bianco Superior. Pendants: Allied Maker. Stools: Thomas Hayes Studio. Cabinet hardware: Ashley Norton. Backsplash tile: Bespoke Studio.
“The kitchen showcases a curated interplay of dark and light,” Butera says. Subtle shifts in tone and mood are exemplified through the rich oxidized rift oak cabinetry, which contrasts against the smoky zellige tile backsplash. Crowning the range is a custom gunmetal hood, which Butera calls “the kitchen’s striking focal point.”
The space’s organizational flow was also meticulously mapped out through specialized, streamlined storage to ensure maximum efficiency while also allowing room for beauty. The client’s precious collection of pottery, handmade by her mother, holds court above the cook space in the glass-door upper cabinets.
FAMILY ROOM
A casual escape designed for off-hours enjoyment.
Rug: Antrim. Couch: American Leather. Chair: Younger + Co. Side table: Moe’s Home. Floor lamp: Visual Comfort.
On the lower level, this entertaining zone ups the casual quotient, offering ample storage space for the household to stash games, books, and other off-the-clock accoutrements. Ever ready for all hosting needs, the space includes an oxidized rift oak bar and kitchenette. “The bar was intentionally designed to be camouflaged and sleek,” Butera notes. It also alleviates the need to run upstairs for a refill.
BEDROOM
Relaxed refinement takes center stage.
Wallcovering: Fromental. Pendant light: Visual Comfort & Co. Bed: Lawson-Fenning. Bedding: Boll and Branch. Rug: Rosemary Hallgarten.
Cabinet hardware: Colonial Bronze. Rug: Overland Sheepskin. Closet sconce: The Urban Electric Co.
Waking up is never hard to do in this primary bedroom, which Butera calls “a zen-inspired sanctuary for enjoying the mountain views from bed.” She extended the serene tonal and textural palette to this calming space, adding a watercolor-inspired wallcovering to the room’s feature wall and extending it into the nearby boutique-inspired changing area.
PRIMARY BATHROOM
An everyday sanctuary replete with spa-level luxury.
Countertop material: Crema Marfil. Sconces: The Urban Electric Company.
Shower tile: Silver Wave. Shower fixtures: Newport Brass.
“This primary bathroom is a spacious sanctuary, flooded with natural light,” Butera says. Layers of materiality—limestone floor tiles, a marble sink countertop, a white oak custom vanity—read as a naturalistic extension of the alpine atmosphere just outside.
GUEST ROOM
This home-away-from-home practically guarantees sweet dreams.
Wall paint: Card Room Green, Farrow & Ball. Pendant: Visual Comfort. Rug: Armadillo. Bed: Maiden Home. Nightstand: Maiden Home.
This entire home was designed with five-star hospitality in mind, so the guest rooms were certainly not an afterthought. “The main-level guest bedroom is a warm and welcoming space designed to make family and guests feel at home,” Butera says. The room’s biophilic-inspired sage, almond, and mauve hues cocoon the sleeper to put the mind at ease, while a lantern-like pendant from Visual Comfort & Co., aptly named “Paper Moon,” hangs overhead.
About the Designer
Jennelle Butera of Bloum Design Co. has been creating thoughtful spaces for over a decade. In each aspect of her projects, Jennelle and her team seek connection and collaboration with both their clients and their creative partners to create homes that are truly a team effort and reflect each contributing point of view.
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