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Map by Don Carter

Walking Tour of Historic Kanab

1. Sixtus Johnson
Built in 1891, the one-story native brick house has a gable roof. The foundation is built from native red sandstone which was quarried nearby. The original home had only two rooms. The Home is called a hall and parlour house. The actual builder is not known.

Sixtus was born in 1870 in Virgin, Utah. His father, Nephi, is credited for the discovery of Zion Canyon in 1858. He was employed by large cattle companies most of his life. Sixtus passed away in 1945.  

2. Heritage House
This victorian house is the former home of two early pioneers in Kanab. Henry Bowman settled in Kanab in 1855 to teach school. He along with others, opened a successful mercantile business called Bowman & Co.

In 1894, he hired John Rider to build this beautiful home. Only two years later, when he was called on an L.D.S. mission, he sold the house to Thomas Chamberlain.

The Heritage House is on the National Register and has been restored as it was when first built. It is a monument to the past. Within its walls is a collection of relics and souvenirs, not only of the people who lived there but of their friends and neighbors.

In 1974, the house was purchased from private owners to preserve Kanab's Heritage. It can be seen during the summer months.
Tours:
9:00 am to Noon; 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm daily. Allow one hour for the complete tour.  

3. Rider-Pugh
The one-and-one-half story brick with victorian eclectic pyramid house with victorian trim was built in 1892 by a local builder, John Rider. John Rider was a probate judge for Kane County from 1889 to 1896. He sold the home to Edward Pugh, moved to Salt Lake City, and a few years later returned to Kanab.

Viola Rider, present owner of the home, is a direct descendant of Edward Pugh, and her late husband was a descendant of John Rider.  

4. Pugh Home
This home was built in 1906 by Charles Robert Pugh. The stone for the foundation came from the home of his father, Edward Pugh. Edward Pugh built the first rock house outside of Fort Kanab.

Cecil Pugh, the current owner, followed in his father's (Charles R. Pugh) footsteps as stockman and rancher. He was Kane County Commissioner for two terms and played a large role in the Arizona Taylor Grazing Board (1935 - 1950). He and Verna have been active in the L.D.S. Church and have served many positions. Verna and Cecil helped establish the Branch Genealogical Society in Kanab and were head librarians for ten years.  

5. Lewis Jepson Home
The Lewis Jepson Home was purchased from John Stewart. The upstairs had one of the only two bathtubs in town. It was used as a Baptismal Font by the townspeople. Lewis Jepson was a lifelong friend to Walt Hamblin, son of Jacob Hamblin.

The home was sold in 1924 directly to the railroad, where they operated a laundry service to clean all of the tourists clothing that were visiting the parks. The buses used the building as a resting stop for the tourists where they could enjoy some shopping in the gift shop located in the front of the building.

Lewis Jepson built the first motion picture theatre in Kanab and installed the first individual electric light system in the community. Today it houses the Wok Inn Chinese Restaurant.  

6. Bowman & Co. Bldg.
This building is one of the oldest buildings in Kanab. It was built in 1892, by H.E.Bowman & Co. It originally housed a general store. Groceries were sold on the main floor, shoes and fabrics were upstairs. The ice factory is still in the basement which served as the only supplier of ice in the area. Later the building was taken over by the store's main creditor, Z.C.M.I., and was then aquired by the Pickett Lumber Company. For a time it also housed a modern cash grocery store. Later it became a machine and hardware store. The Picketts had a branch of a mortuary business in St. George which was operated there by Leo Chamberlain who was one of the clerks. It also operated as abank. The old fashioned safe is yet intact on the main floor. Today it is the Cedar Post Pawn Shop.  

7. Kanab Hotel
In 1929 Guy Chamberlain moved from Long Valley to Kanab and built a large hotel near the location where the old Highway Hotel had flourished. It was called the Kanab Hotel. His business was very successful for many years as it afforded splendid up-to-date accommodations. Many movie stars, such as Clark Gable, stayed in one of the 11 rooms. There were only two bathtubs, one for the men and one for the women. In the early 1950's the hotel was modernized by placing individual shower-stalls in-between the rooms. The rooms still remain, along with the bath tubs on legs. Today it is the home of Terry's Camera Trading Company.