“It may be remarked here that the Camass Prairie consists of most excellent land and can be irrigated over its whole extent with comparatively little labor. Water for stock is abundant and timber for ordinary farming is plentiful and convenient.”

True. And what could be more fitting for the beasts we love best—even if this statement was written in 175 years ago?

In fact, the author, Captain Howard Stansbury of the United States Army Corps of Topographical Engineers, would certainly recognize the Kams Valley he experienced in 1849.  Small and rustic, the City of Kamas retains much of its original Old West flavor. Likewise, Kamas Valley remains beautiful, bountiful and ripe with grazing and farming.

Fortunately, it’s a lot easier to get to Kamas today than it was when the Captain first arrived. Just eighteen miles east of Park City and about forty-five miles southeast of Salt Lake City, Kamas offers rural charm within a trot of the airport, Park City and Utah’s famous ski resorts.

Long known as the "Gateway to the Uintas," the City of Kamas sits quietly in the valley, encircled in the embrace of the Uinta Mountains to the east, the Wasatch Mountains to the west, the Provo River on the south, and the Weber River to the north. Beaver Creek, a tributary of the Weber, traverses the center of the city.

Although the area was settled on logging, ranching and dairy farming, open space, recreation, and a family friendly atmosphere attract the modern citizen and visitor. Kamas City is a popular supply point for campers, hikers, horseback riders and fishing enthusiasts on their way through to the Uinta Mountains and Wilderness Area.

Of course, pick-up trucks have replaced ponies as the main source of transportation here. But horses and cattle still reign supreme in the valley and hills below the Uinta and Wasatch Mountains. Just ask anyone who visits High Star Ranch.