86 South 200 West Street
The property for this building went to a Stewart in
1882. There were several owners
until Lewis Jepson got the property in 1904. It is not clear who built the original brick house. Lewis Jepson
was a prominent resident in Kanab for many years. He brought the first movie picture ever shown here.
During early history and construction of facilities in the
National Parks, Zion, Bryce and Grand Canyons, road conditions were so poor
that traveling long distances without stops made it necessary to build
facilities for serving meals. In
1927 the railroad secured this property for this purpose. They bought the original brick house
and started remodeling and making additions. In 1928 the new building was completed.
The Utah Parks building was used for dining service,
catering to bus tours of tourists traveling to the National Parks. In 1938, with improved roads, the lunch
service was stopped and a laundry facility was added to accommodate the
National Park tours.
In 1942 the restaurant was forced to close due to gas
rationing and limited travel because of World War II. In 1946 through 1968 the laundry and a curio shop opened
again but the restaurant remained closed.
In the 1980’s it became a cook-out location for bus tours, a Steak House
and later a Chinese Resturant.