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Cedar City, Utah, is a small city famous for the annual Utah Shakespeare Festival and the gateway to Cedar Breaks National Monument.
Introduction to Cedar City
The area that now makes up Cedar City was originally inhabited by the Southern Paiute people, and the first Europeans to visit the area were members of the Domínguez–Escalante Expedition in 1776. In 1826, fur trader Jedediah Smith (1799-1831) passed through while exploring a route from Utah to California.
Mormon settlers led by Henry Lunt (1824-1902) arrived on November 11, 1851, to build an ironworks. The site was 10 miles (16 kilometers) from both iron deposits to the west and coal deposits to the east. They named it Fort Cedar or Cedar City after the many juniper trees in the area. The ironworks began operating in September 1852, and the settlement was moved closer to the plant in 1855 on the suggestion of Brigham Young (1801-1877). It closed in 1858 and Cedar City was incorporated on February 18, 1868.
The Branch Normal School, which eventually became Southern Utah University on February 14, 1990, was founded in 1897. The railroad arrived in 1923, cementing the city as a gateway to Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks, and later to Cedar Breaks National Monument.
Cedar City has grown rapidly since the 1980s and is a center of education, the arts, and tourism. It’s also home to the annual Utah Shakespeare Festival, which was founded in 1961.
Our main purpose for visiting Cedar City was to see the Frontier Homestead State Park Museum but it was closed. Instead, we enjoyed the pleasant downtown and had lunch.
Main Street
Main Street is at the heart of downtown. It’s lined with historic brick buildings hosting plenty of shops and restaurants.
Cedar Theatre (Permanently Closed)
One building of note was the historic Cedar Theatre. It originally opened as the Thorley Theatre in 1913 and was run by Thomas A. Thorley. The L. Strike Amusement Company leased the theatre on February 1, 1928, and modernized the building to make the moviegoing experience more enjoyable for patrons.
John Woodbury took over the lease in April 1930 and added equipment to handle sound. Melvin R. Thorley then added a larger sound screen and a new Western Electric projector. A contest was held in May 1939 to rename the theatre, and the winner was announced on June 15 of that year as the Avalon Theatre.
Eldon and Glen Yergensen purchased the theatre on November 2, 1951, and it became known as the Cedar Theatre. It was later sold to Jack Sawyer, who remodeled it from a single screen theatre to a twin screen. The theatre closed down in 2005. It was renovated and reopened in 2012, but closed again in 2015. The building has since been repurposed.
Former United States Post Office
At the corner of Main and Center Streets is the former United States Post Office, designed by architects Lewis Cannon (1872-1946) and John Fetzer (1882-1965) of Cannon & Fetzer. The two-story Neoclassical building was constructed between 1933 and 1934 on the site of the Mormon Tabernacle, which was built in 1885. The building, featuring six terracotta columns framing the entrance, also held federal offices. Today, it houses the city offices and police station.
Statue of Henry Lunt
A statue of Henry Lunt, the Mormon pioneer who founded Cedar City in 1851, stands in front of the old Post Office. It was sculpted by Jerry Anderson.
Where to Eat in Cedar City
We stopped into one place for lunch.
The Pub
After exploring the downtown area, we went to The Pub (formerly Pastry Pub) for lunch. They serve great sandwiches, salads, and soups. I had a sandwich and soup combo.
