Fredonia, Arizona

Fredonia started out as a Mormon colony, begun by settlers from Kanab, Utah in 1885 (Kanab is some 7 miles to the north, just over the state line). Some stories say the Mormons came here to practice polygamy free from the prying eyes of the federal government that was so closely watching Utah in those days. Originally, they called the settlement Hardscrabble, but Erastus Snow (one of the early Mormon Apostles) suggested the name Fredonia (implying freedom).

This is on the high desert plateau that stretches from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon northward to the cliffs of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Fredonia was long a center for sheep and cattle grazing, while the main industry these days seems to be logging with Fredonia having one of the largest operating sawmills in Arizona. Fredonia is also a local center for trucking and petroleum refining.