FERRON, Utah — Powerful winds that swept through Emery County over the weekend toppled nearly a dozen large trees at the Ferron City Cemetery, leaving city crews and residents working to clean up the damage while reflecting on the loss of trees that had stood for more than a century.
Ferron City Councilman Vance Brown said the cemetery has long been a point of pride for the small central Utah town.
“This cemetery has always been the most beautiful cemetery in the whole state,” Brown said. “Anybody that’s ever been here over the years could verify this. So it’s heartbreaking to see these trees fall and it’s heartbreaking to take them out. It’s a very emotional thing for the whole town.”
Brown said about 10 trees were knocked down in the storm, some measuring more than two feet in diameter.
Despite the destruction, he said the community feels fortunate that many headstones were spared.
“Someway, somehow - miraculous, divine intervention - these headstones haven’t all been destroyed,” Brown said.
City crews have spent much of the week clearing fallen branches and massive tree trunks from the cemetery grounds, working carefully around headstones to avoid further damage.
Ferron resident Tyler Thomas was working with the city crews, and helped with the cleanup. He described the work as demanding.
“Just the little bit I’ve helped, it’s been really grueling,” Thomas said. “You’re dragging limbs, trying to be careful of the headstones, fixing things as you go. It’s pretty devastating.”
For longtime residents, the trees were part of the town’s history.
Ferron resident Mary Stevens said the pines were planted when the community was first established.
“They brought them in when they settled this town,” Stevens said. “They brought the pine trees in from up the mountain and planted them.”
Stevens stopped by the cemetery with her daughters to check on her husband’s headstone and was relieved to see it was still standing.
Strong winds have caused similar damage in the past, she said.
“Before this one there was a big wind that took down nine,” Stevens said.
Across town, residents said the storm was powerful enough to cause damage throughout Ferron.
It was what local moms at the park with their kids Wednesday were talking about.
Crystal Watson said the winds sounded like a hurricane hitting her home.
“It sounded like hurricane winds and we live in a concrete house,” Watson said. “If you had packages on your porch, they’re gone. If you had a trampoline, it’s in a tree. It was intense.”
Another resident, Camie Bell, said the storm kept people awake overnight.
“It was wild. Loud bangs all night,” Bell said. “We had a haystack blown over and a tarp ripped in half. There were trees falling down everywhere and all sorts of damage around town.”
City leaders say the trees that fell at the cemetery had likely reached the end of their lifespan.
Brown said the city hopes to replace them over time.
“We’d like to take out more of these trees as we go along,” he said. “Not to leave the cemetery bare by any means. We’d like to plant some more trees in here.”
