Camp Floyd/Stagecoach Inn State Park

🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 Utah — Site of the largest military encampment in U.S. history at the time — in 1858, President Buchanan sent 3,500 troops to suppress a rumored Mormon rebellion! The Stagecoach Inn (1858) served Pony Express riders, and Camp Floyd housed 1/3 of the entire U.S. Army. The soldiers left when the Civil War began.

Visitor Information

About Camp Floyd

Camp Floyd/Stagecoach Inn State Park in Utah County preserves the 1858 U.S. Army camp where 3,500 soldiers — one-third of the entire Army — were stationed during the “Utah War” against Brigham Young’s Mormon theocracy. At its peak, Camp Floyd was the largest military installation in the United States. The adjacent Stagecoach Inn served Overland Stage and Pony Express riders on the route west.

Things to Do

Touring the Stagecoach Inn, visiting the Camp Floyd museum, viewing the military cemetery, following the Pony Express trail, and learning about the “Utah War” — America’s largest forgotten military campaign.

Plan Your Visit

The Stagecoach Inn museum is open Thursday through Monday. Camp Floyd was so large it briefly made Fairfield the third-largest city in Utah (pop. 7,000). When the Civil War began, the Army sold $4 million in supplies at auction for $100,000 — one of the greatest fire sales in military history. Nearby attractions include Timpanogos Cave National Monument (45 minutes) and the Pony Express Trail markers along Highway 73.

Nature & Wildlife

The Cedar Valley — Utah’s western corridor between the Oquirrh and Lake Mountains — supports sagebrush steppe and juniper woodland. Pronghorn antelope roam the valley floor. Utah Lake (15 miles east) is the state’s largest freshwater lake and supports the endangered June sucker, found nowhere else on Earth. The Tintic Mining District (20 miles southwest) produced $600 million in gold, silver, and copper.

Insider Tips

Victorian eccentric: The Lapham-Patterson House (1884) in Thomasville is one of the most architecturally unusual houses in Georgia — no two rooms are alike, with fish-scale shingles, cantilevered balconies, and a walk-through fireplace. Pro tip: Thomasville was a fashionable winter resort for wealthy Northerners in the 1880s — its mild climate and longleaf pine forests attracted millionaires who built elaborate estates.

Best Time to Visit

Spring: Thomasville Rose Festival. Winter: Mild winter — as the Victorians enjoyed. Fall: Comfortable touring weather. Year-round: House tours.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why was Thomasville a winter resort?

Before air conditioning, wealthy Northerners escaped winter by traveling south — Thomasville’s mild climate, dry pine forests, and railroad access made it fashionable in the 1880s-1890s. Families like the Hannas, Whitneys, and Rockefellers built winter estates. When Florida became more accessible, Thomasville’s resort era faded — but the plantation estates survive, now used for quail hunting and pecan farming.