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BOULDER, Garfield County — A historic military vehicle illegally taken from a national forest last month was last seen in Kane County before it may have moved across state lines to Arizona, U.S. Forest Service rangers said in an update to the bizarre case on Monday.
U.S. Forest Service rangers say police are looking for a Dodge Ram 2500 heavy-duty pickup truck after receiving a tip from a "concerned citizen" who noticed the pickup appeared to be hauling the missing military half-track. They were unable to get the vehicle's license plate but they snagged a photo.
Law enforcement officers — having received "dozens of other citizen responses" — were able to track the vehicle for a short time, but it was last seen near Coral Pink Sand Dunes west of Kanab.
Rangers described the vehicle as a white pickup truck with gold trim and two black screen grates over its grill. The vehicle, with custom rims and aftermarket tires on the rims, was hauling a PJ Trailers gooseneck trailer. Officials said they believe the vehicle may have ties to Colorado City, Arizona, just south of Utah.
The historic half-track — manufactured by the White Motor Company between 1939 and 1943 — had been a feature of the Boulder Mountain Row Lakes area of Dixie National Forest since at least 1954. It was originally designed at the time the U.S. entered World War II, but it was brought to the national forest in the 1950s to help haul logs north to be milled near Bicknell, Wayne County.
The Insider, a local newspaper in the region, reported in 2017 the vehicle was left in the forest after it suffered mechanical failure 70 years ago. U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Naomi Gordon told KSL.com the vehicle was a component of the agency's effort to get the site added to the National Register of Historic Places when the vehicle was reported stolen.
She said a Forest Service officer noticed the vehicle was missing while patrolling the area on June 22. The agency believes the vehicle was stolen either earlier that day or the day before.
Anyone who has information about the missing military vehicle is encouraged to call Robert Smith, the agency's lead investigator, at 775-420-1479; or email him at robert.smith5@usda.gov.
"I don't think people realize how valuable archaeological sites are on forests in general," Gordon said last month. "This is important to us."
