Gandy (Millard) a small ranching community is in the Snake
Valley ca. 3 miles from the Nevada border, thirty-five miles
southwest of Fish Springs and ca. 29 miles north of highway 6/50.
Other Utah settlements in the area include Garrison, and Eskdale to
the south, Trout Creek and Callao to the north. Partoun is
northeast. Baker, Nevada is just across the Utah Idaho border on
U-6/50. The Pony Express and Overland Stage traveled just north of
Gandy.
The original homesteaders were Triffly, Alex and Alfred Doutre
and *Almond Rhoades. It was Rhoades who planted an orchard and
brought the first threshing machine into the valley. He also
planted the poplars imported from Italy which make up the beautiful
lane leading to the current Bates' home. Water for the area comes
out of nearby Gandy Mountain from a spring-fed cavern.
Gandy was originally known as Smithville. However, to avoid
confusion with other Smithvilles, it was later changed to Gandy,
named after the oldest resident, Isaac Gandy, 1835-1904. Other
early settlers included the families of George Bishop who moved
here from Deseret, Utah, Tom and Joe Carter from Nephi and Harry
Perison from Chicago. A couple of sheep owners by the names of W.
C. Berry and A. G. Earl settled near the salt marsh. At the time
they were the only ones in the valley to own a buggy. Today there
remain seven families in Gandy. Mail delivery is twice per
week.
A delightful attraction in Gandy worth seeing is Crystal Ball
Cave. The cave, discovered in 1956 by George Sims, is ca. 600'
(182.88m) in length. It was filled with water at least twice during
its history at which time calcite crystals have grown in rounded
shapes on the ceiling and floor as well as on limestone boulders.
Hence the name, Crystal Ball Cave. Platforms of corollois groupings
substantiate the existence of past water levels. Inside there are
hundreds of stalactites, stalagmites, helictites and columns. One
large column measures 8' (2.44m) high and and 1' (0.30m) in
diameter. An interesting phenomenon, caused by circulation of air
inside the cave, is the formation of barnacles on the wind-exposed
side of the stalagmites and stalactites. The down-wind side remains
completely smooth and free of barnacles. The cave has yielded
fossils and bones, from the Pleistocene era, of small horses, saber
toothed cats, bison, camels, a type of skunk, big horn sheep, musk
ox and marmots.
