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GROUSE CREEK, Box Elder County — Roughly 20 miles on a dirt road off Highway 30, past more cows than people, you'll eventually find Grouse Creek, Utah, and Jay Tanner's home.
Most of the time, though, Tanner isn't there.
"I put a lot of miles on a vehicle in a year. Everyday I'm out here," he said.
Tanner is a cattle rancher always going from herd to herd, chatting with cowboys, making sure his operations are running smooth. However, just a couple of days ago, he found out he may get to stay home a little more often.
For the first time ever, Grouse Creek and its 50-some residents will have cellphone coverage.
"It will make a big difference," Tanner said. "Even as a cattle rancher, it will be easier for me to communicate with the people I need to communicate with. I might not have to drive out just to talk to them."
A cell tower was recently installed overlooking the valley and small community.
"Apparently, it's in a pretty good location, just north of town, because it opens all down through the valley here and the Lynn Valley on the other side up to City of Rocks," Tanner said.
It's not 4G high-speed coverage, but it's a start.
"We will ultimately end up burying a fiber optic cable up to it," Tanner said.
The idea for a cellphone tower started about four years ago, when Governor Gary Herbert did a tour of rural communities asking what they needed to improve quality of life. Besides communications with co-workers, friends, and family, having cell phone coverage in this remote valley will also make traveling safer.
"It really is a risk to drive in the winter roads on these desolate roads," said Tanner's wife, Diane. "There aren't any pay phones anymore, so having cell coverage, it's the little things, but it's so convenient."
Diane Tanner used to be an emergency medical technician in the area. She knows people have died getting stuck or running out of gas because they were far away from anything and it's possible no other cars would come by for days.
"It's nice to be able to tell people where you are or if you had a problem, especially if you had a problem, to get some help before it's a dangerous situation," she said.
Of course, some people move to this part of the state to get away from it all.
"You can still leave your cell phone at home," Diane said, with a smirk.
Or maybe they won't get a cellphone at all.
"The bankers and all those people, they're going to be hot on my tail all the time," Jay Tanner said, laughing.
For Grouse Creek, for better or worse, the world just got a little smaller.
