Whitney Pocket
In 1910, after the boom at Gold Butte, George "Luke" Whitney and his family moved to the eastern side of the Virgin Mountains and purchased the Aravada Ranch from George Nay. About six miles west of the ranch lies a sandstone outcrop with deep natural pockets. Here Whitney and his son built two cement dams to capture and collect rainwater for travelers and livestock to use in this remote area. During the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps built a larger, more substantial dam in the sandstone crevice to feed a trough along the road. Unfortunately, the dam wasn't watertight and never worked quite as intended. Nevertheless, the dam and associated CCC ruins have since remained a popular landmark for visitors, and since 2016 have been contained within Gold Butte National Monument.
