Settled on January 13, 1851 by pioneers seeking new settlements, Parowan became the first pioneer settlement in Southern Utah. The routes traveled by those early pioneers are still in use, and many of the establishments and community traditions they began continue to thrive. Some of Parowan’s early settlers went on to establish other communities in Utah and the western United States, giving Parowan its identity as the “Mother Town” of Southern Utah. Utah’s Patchwork Parkway, more than 50 miles long, traverses Iron and Garfield counties and provides access to Cedar Breaks National Monument and Dixie National Forest. Rising from around 6,000 feet in Parowan to more than 10,000 feet near Brian Head Peak before descending to 6,600 feet approaching Panguitch, the byway follows ancient routes used by Native Americans and begins a route across a series of plateaus that connects I-15 travelers to Highway 89, Scenic Byway 12, and Capitol Reef Scenic Byway 24.