CEDAR CITY – The transformation of the Iron Mission State Park to the Frontier Homestead State Park took an important step forward with the opening of the new blast furnace replica exhibit.

The exhibit is housed within a full-sized replica of one of the first blast furnaces built in Cedar City and contains various interactive displays concerning the importance of iron forging to early settlers. Curator Ryan Paul said it is an important component of the new Frontier Homestead project.

“This exhibit will provide a living history feel to the iron mission story,” he said.

After funding was secured the structure took around four months to build and has the same dimensions of the first blast furnaces used in the 1850s. The exhibits within the furnace replica include an interactive touch-screen display with computer graphic films explaining the process and importance of iron production as well as a statue of Richard Harrison who helped design and build the original blast furnace.

Park Manager Todd Prince said that the blast furnace is a key component of the Frontier Homestead Project.

“The Iron Mission story will always be our core,” he said. “And (the furnace) was one of the most important aspects of the Iron Mission.”

The decision to change the name and focus of Iron Mission State Park was due in part to the confusion visitors to the area had concerning connotations of the word “mission.”

“People assumed it was like the old Spanish Missions,” Prince said.

Another reason for the change is the desire to recreate a more complete pioneer experience.

“There is much more to Iron County,” he said. “It is really about the culture, arts and education of the area.”

Ryan Paul also spoke enthusiastically about the changes.

“Some people were worried we would abandon the Iron Mission story,” he said. “But the changes will only bring more people in to experience it.”

Paul said he also looks forward to the museum forming the Iron County story into a cohesive structure.

“It’s like if you were on a trip to the area back then,” he said. “You’d maybe tap the blast furnace for iron, or visit the lumber mill, or the Paiute camp for trading. We want the visitor to be able to experience all these things.”

The future of the museum includes the renovation of the Hunter House, the addition of a water wheel and billows to the blast furnace, and continued work on the Jensen Sawmill.

“The thing I’m most excited about is the addition of activity stations across the park,” Paul said. “It really makes the place looked lived in and authentic.”

While the blast furnace exhibit is currently open, the official dedication, which will be open to the public, will take place at noon on Sept. 30. Prince said this day coincides with the very first tapping of the original furnace, which took place on Sept. 30, 1852.

“It was the day that iron was first created in Iron County,” he said.