Postcard from Virgin

Yes, my friends, there really is a town called Virgin, and its in Utah (of course). This small town, located near Zion National Park, has less than a thousand people, and is known for two things…first and foremost, the town passed a law that requires every homeowner to keep and maintain a firearm, which includes ammo for it. There is a $500 fine for not complying with this law. The town council passed the ordinance in the year 2000 after residents expressed fear that their Second Amendment right to bear arms was under fire (no pun intended).

Exceptions have been made for the mentally ill, convicted felons, conscientious objectors and people who cannot afford to own a gun. I for one am happy about those exclusions as I passed through Virgin several times in November when driving to and from my hotel to Zion Park.

The second thing that makes the town interesting is this old west village just outside of town. I think it is a museum of sorts. What you see here is just part of it…these rather strange-shaped buildings that make you think you are in the Twilight Zone. There is very little info about it on the Internet…even the town’s official Website doesn’t even mention it.

In some shared photos, tourists have incorrectly identified it as a ghost town. I don’t think there ever was a town in the old west that looked like this! Some of the buildings have signs on them like,”Undertaker,” the “OK Corral,” “The Wild Ass Saloon,” and, of course, “The Virgin Jail.” 

Sadly, I never went in to explore the place…the only time I stopped was to take a few pictures. It looked like a tourist trap to me.

As a side note, I hope someone someday will explain the obsession that Utah folks have with the term, “Virgins.” There is the town Virgin, located on the Virgin River, which runs by the Towers of the Virgins mountain formation inside Zion Park. With no disrespect meant to any religious faith, its just a little eerie…that’s all. But each to their own.

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.