In 1862 a fort was erected one mile and a quarter north of this spot on the west bank of the Spanish Fork River. It was square and covered one acre of ground. The walls were four feet thick at the base and tapered to about two and a half feet at the top. It was nine feet high with a port hole in each corner. It first served as a resting place for travelers and a refuge from the Indians. In later years Thomas Draper made a dug-out inside the fort and lived there with his family.