Carrington Island[1] is a 1,200-acre island located in the Great Salt Lake in northern Utah. It is the fourth-largest island in the lake.

Carrington Island
Carrington Island seen from Stansbury Island during the Stansbury Expedition (1850)
Map
Geography
LocationGreat Salt Lake
Coordinates41°0′24.9438″N 112°34′15.7584″W / 41.006928833°N 112.571044000°W / 41.006928833; -112.571044000
Area4.8 km2 (1.9 sq mi)
Length2.7 km (1.68 mi)
Width3.2 km (1.99 mi)
Administration
StateUtah
CountyTooele

History

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Carrington Island is named for Utah pioneer and apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Albert Carrington.[2] Lambourne's Rock (elevation 4727 feet) at the summit of the island is named for painter Alfred Lambourne.

Charles Stoddard filed a homestead claim on the island in 1932 and built a cabin, but left the island after his well produced only saltwater.[3]

The US Army operated the Carrington Island Precision Bombing Range on the island during World War II.[4] Its surface remains pockmarked with bomb craters from this era. As the island was never cleaned up due to its remote location, unexploded ordnance may still be present.[5] SAC Bay on the island's southeastern shore and SAC point on the island's southern tip were named for the Strategic Air Command during the island's use as a bombing range.[6]

Brine shrimp harvesters in the area operate a radio repeater on the summit of the island.

Access

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The northwestern 542 acres of the island are privately owned by the Six Mile Ranch Co. of Grantsville, UT.[7] The remainder of the island is public land managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Sandbars connect the island to Stansbury Island and to the mainland but are cut by canals.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Carrington Island
  2. ^ USGS. "Great Salt Lake, Utah" (PDF). Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  3. ^ Gwynn, J. Wallace (June 1980). "Great Salt Lake: a Scientific, Historical, and Economic Overview". Utah Geological and Mineral Survey Bulletin. 116: 6.
  4. ^ Davidson, Lee (1994-10-16). "OLD ORDNANCE REPORTED ON MILES OF PUBLIC LANDS". Deseret News. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  5. ^ Davidson, Lee (2004-01-16). "Old bombs, shells lurking in Utah". Deseret News. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  6. ^ Names, United States Board on Geographic (1976). Decisions on Geographic Names in the United States. Department of the Interior. p. 23.
  7. ^ Tooele County Parcel Map, parcel numbers 04-001-0-0001 and 04-002-0-0001. Accessible at https://erecording.tooeleco.org/eaglesoftware/web/

Further reading

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  • Miller, David E. (June 1980). "Great Salt Lake: A Historical Sketch". In Gwynn, J. Wallace (ed.). Great Salt Lake: A Scientific, Historical, and Economic Overview. Vol. Bulletin 116. Utah Geological Survey. ISBN 1-55791-083-9. LCCN 80623880. OCLC 6659366.