Most People Don't Know This Weird Utah Ghost Town Even Existed

Home of Truth was founded in 1933. By 1937, the town was mostly a ghost town, though a few people stayed on until the mid 1970s.

Marie Ogden believed that she could receive revelation through automatic writing on her typewriter. She also believed that she could bring the dead back to life.

The compound contained three sections: The Outer Portal, The Middle Portal (shown here), and The Inner Portal. Marie taught that the Inner Portal was the center of the Earth's axis, and that anyone living there would be saved during the Second Coming of Christ.

Local residents weren't particularly worried about the cult living in the desert, since they pretty much kept to themselves. Marie purchased the San Juan Record, the the local newspaper, and used it as a forum for her beliefs. At one point, more than 100 people had joined the community.

Things were going fairy smoothly for the group until the death of member Edith Peshak, who died of cancer in February, 1935. That's when things started getting really weird.

Marie claimed that she was having conversations with the deceased woman and that she could bring Edith back to life. She kept Edith's body on the commune and even wrote about it in the newspaper. That's when local law enforcement got involved. They arrived to check it out in June, and found that Edith's corpse was well-preserved. They decided that there was no health hazard, and allowed the body to remain on the commune.

As members started to leave, Marie claimed in February of 1937 (two years after Edith's death), that she was finally going to bring Edith back to life. Authorities showed up to insist that Marie sign a death certificate, but she refused. Eventually, it was revealed that Edith's body had been cremated back in 1935. After Marie made that public announcement, all but seven of Home of Truth's members left.

Though it's on private property, Utah State Route 211 goes right past the abandoned buildings. Visitors to Canyonlands National Park Needles District might catch a glimpse if they're paying attention.