May Artifact of the Month: Camp Lorenzo Building Photograph

This month’s featured artifact at the McQuarrie Memorial Pioneer Museum offers a glimpse into one of Washington County’s lesser-known pioneer settlements.

The May 2026 Artifact of the Month is a historic photograph of an unfinished building at Camp Lorenzo, located north of the Virgin River near present-day Sand Hollow.

An unfinished building at Camp Lorenzo, built to house families who came from Brigham City to work in the cotton fields of Southern Utah.

📷 A Rare Historic Photograph

The photograph, now displayed in Room 4, was donated by Keith Pendleton as part of a larger historical photo collection.

Written on the back of the photograph is the note:

“House constructed to house the families who came from Brigham City to work in the cotton field. House was never finished.”

Camp Lorenzo was located approximately five miles north of Washington on the north side of the Virgin River. Though little remains of many early settlements in Southern Utah, this structure was still standing as of 2025.

🏜️ Preserving Forgotten Places

Photographs like this help preserve the stories of communities that were once active parts of Washington County’s pioneer history. Even unfinished buildings can reveal important details about settlement patterns, labor, and daily life during the Cotton Mission era.