(Photo Courtesy of Doris Alexander)
This quarried Bluff sandstone home was built by Kumen Jones in the late 1800's. Kumen was born in Ceder City, Utah, on May 5, 1856, and married Mary Nielson in 1878. He took a second wife in 1882, Lydia May Lyman. In 1878, Kumen was called by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to join an exploring party into southeastern Utah's San Juan River Country. This expedition brought him to Bluff, Utah.
With the help of local master stone masons and carpenters Nicholas Lovis, Ed Thompson, and H.T. Hibbs, the Kumen Jones house was built along with other large houses in the historic Bluff townsite.
The house became a Victorian eclectic cross-wing home with two stories. The foundation was stone with quarried Bluff sandstone walls.
Around 1975, a fire burned the house, and the entire interior and roof were gutted. The fire caused several large sections of the stone walls to collapse. All that is left of the house now is a ruin. Over time, numerous stone blocks have been carried away from the ruin. Sections which are still standing are the north and east walls, parts of the west and south walls of the main (north) wing, and the southeast corner walls of the south wing. Some window openings are arched with stones cut in a quoin pattern on the sides.
The Kumen Jones house is now owned by local Blanding residents and is an historical monument in Bluff.
San Juan High School