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All the United States Utah Provo Satan's Land
Satan's Land is permanently closed.

This entry remains in the Atlas as a record of its history, but it is no longer accessible to visitors.

AO Edited

Satan's Land

In the heart of Brigham Young's promised land sits a festering plot of industrial ruin that has been claimed by society's outcasts.

Provo, Utah

Added By
Angela Wang
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History collapsed awaits the next wave of promise at Satan’s Land   Angela Meiquan Wang / Atlas Obscura User
History collapsed awaits the next wave of promise at Satan’s Land   Angela Meiquan Wang / Atlas Obscura User
One of Dante’s circles, gone urban   Angela Meiquan Wang / Atlas Obscura User
Provo’s highest highs, as seen from its lowest lows   Angela Meiquan Wang / Atlas Obscura User
  coledrobison / Atlas Obscura User
Inside of steel furnace.   coledrobison / Atlas Obscura User
  coledrobison / Atlas Obscura User
  ashleightm / Atlas Obscura User
  ashleightm / Atlas Obscura User
  ashleightm / Atlas Obscura User
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  afink / Atlas Obscura User
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About

The ruins of an early 20th century iron factory sit on the largest tract of undeveloped land in Provo, Utah. Known colloquially to a handful of locals as Satan’s Land, the area has been a haven for junk salvagers, graffiti artists, and bored teenagers alike.

Crumbling remnants of concrete structures and railroad lines, concealed from the road by tangled overgrowth, have long been an area of fascination for curious locals and wayward travelers in Provo. But long before the place came to be known as “Satan’s Land," it was an iron factory built by U.S. Steel circa 1910.

As the iron and steel industry entered its decline in the 1960s, the factory was shuttered and left to deteriorate. The land changed ownership—at one point serving as the planned site for Brigham Young University’s unrealized industrial park—and eventually ended up in the hands of both private owners and the city.

Meanwhile, the vestiges of the iron factory continued to fall apart. Junk reclaimers ripped apart buildings and made off with materials, and graffiti artists tagged every accessible surface. (The name "Satan's Land" is of anonymous graffitied provenance). Water channels—used in the steel production process—flooded many of the remaining structures and created wetlands in the surrounding landscape. 

While Satan’s Land remains a hidden curiosity, the city is making an effort to develop the land it occupies. The area has been re-christened Mountain Vista Business Park, and its future may be determined by a new industry in town: techies.

Update As of 2015-2016: the area has been largely cleared out.

Update as of January 2021: The area is littered with “road closed” signs, but the ruins are still there, the base is flooded. 

Related Tags

Graffiti Industrial Ruins Abandoned Lost Wonders

Know Before You Go

No trespassing signs posted. It is very dangerous-plenty of things to trip over, rebar sticking up everywhere, and uncovered manholes hidden by overgrowth.

Community Contributors

Added By

Angela Meiquan Wang

Edited By

littlebrumble, dnielson2002, afink, coledrobison...

  • littlebrumble
  • dnielson2002
  • afink
  • coledrobison
  • ashleightm

Published

April 11, 2016

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Sources
  • http://provo.org/Home/Components/FacilityDirectory/FacilityDirectory/72/200, Nathan Murray
Satan's Land
3199 Mountain Vista Lane
Provo, Utah, 84606
United States
40.194765, -111.61992
Get Directions

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