What is SPX Fest?
SPX Fest is a festival dedicated to the stewardship, preservation and exploration of the natural environment. The festival is an opportunity to learn more about the land, history and prehistory in and around Southeastern Utah from the people who study it.
Archaeologists, paleontologists, historians and other experts will give tours, talk to visitors and run demonstrations for all to enjoy.
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History
Day
Mining & Railroad Museum
The museum director will be giving tours of the exhibits and talking about the early settlers region, the industry that brought them here and what life was like in the many coal mining towns that sprang up in the region.
Downtown Helper
Join local storytellers to talk about the local outlaws that made a name for themselves at the local drinking establishment and beyond.
In addition to this, a historic archaeologist will be walking main street and pointing out the historical features and details of the buildings - answering questions and telling the stories for visitors looking to learn more about how this town was built and how it has changed over the years.
Coal Town
If you are looking for outdoor adventures, we will have a local historian leading a group out to Kenilworth, an abandoned coal town, to talk about the town in its prime, telling the stories of the boom and bust industry and what life was like in a thriving coal town.
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Nine Mile Canyon
Stewardship
Day
Nine Mile Canyon
Join us in Nine Mile Canyon for a fun-filled day exploring both the Canyon’s historic and modern history. Known as the world’s longest art gallery, it is best known for the abundant and well preserved pictographs and petroglyphs. Talk with professional archaeologists and other canyon experts as you take this self-guided, family focused driving tour. Find out how long it takes you to grind corn into flour using a metate and mano, try hitting the target when you throw the atlatl (throwing dart), hear about the history of the Buffalo Soldiers who called the region home for many years, and view up-close the world famous The Great Hunt panel.
Vendors and a food for purchase booth will be stationed at the Nine Mile Ranch - and plan on sticking around the ranch for evening events that usually draws musicians and storytellers for a lively jam session.
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Prehistoric
Day
USU Eastern Prehistoric Museum
Let’s go way back in time and explore what southeastern Utah was like millions of years ago - when dinosaurs roamed the land. Join us at the USU Eastern Prehistoric Museum in Price where we will have our curator and volunteers on hand to answer your questions and help you explore the paleontology exhibits. Visit the fossil preparation lab and see how we prepare and preserve fossils after we excavate them in the field. You can even try your hand at picking through sediment under the microscope to help our paleontologists find fossil shark and ray teeth from right here in Carbon County!
Jurassic National Monument
Join us at the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry at Jurassic National Monument to tour the quarry and monument grounds and learn about the fossils that have been excavated from the site over the years and what we have learned about the dinosaurs that once roamed the land.
Questions?
Contact carbon.travel@carbon.utah.gov to get more information about the event