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The Town: Grafton was established in 1859, to provide a settlement for people to grow cotton on the fertile plains next to the Virgin River. Frequent floods and Indian attacks caused problems for early pioneers, but some persisted and the town became quite successful, lasting until the 1930s when residents moved away to better land in Hurricane, 30 miles west. The town site is a few hundred meters beyond the cemetary - several large buildings including a 2-storey private residence and a combined church/schoolhouse built in 1886. A few people continue to live in other houses in the neighbourhood, and some parts of the former village are fenced off yet the site is still quite atmospheric and authentic, with peaceful surroundings and with the high, colorful cliffs of the National Park providing a dramatic backdrop to the north.