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Utah State...
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Utah Counties
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Utah Counties
There are 29 counties in the State of Utah |
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Millard County, Utah
Millard County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education
County Seat: Fillmore
Year Organized: 1851
Square Miles: 6,590 |
Court House: 50 South Main
County Courthouse
Fillmore, UT 84631-0000
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Etymology - Origin of County Name
after President Millard Fillmore
Demographics:
County QuickFacts:
Census Bureau Quick Facts
History
Millard County is bordered on the
east by the Pahvant Range. West to the Nevada border lie the broad valleys and
desert mountain ranges typical of the Great Basin. The Sevier River, which
begins in mountains east of Cedar City, drains into the sometimes dry Sevier
Lake in central Millard. A huge granitic upthrust in the House Range, volcanic
cones, and numerous fossil beds provide clues to past geologic activity and
prehistoric animal and plant life.
The county is known for a Folsom Early Man site in the Sevier Desert occupied
7,000 or 8,000 years ago. In addition, the Fremont Culture which disappeared ca.
A.D. 1300 lived in small villages with semi-subterranean dwellings. Historic
Indian groups include Southern Paiutes, Pahvant Utes, and Goshutes. A small
Indian reservation is located at Kanosh.
In October 1851 two groups left Salt Lake City for east Millard County. Some 30
families led by Anson Call made the first permanent white settlement, while
territorial officials, including Gov. Brigham Young and surveyor Jesse W. Fox,
selected a site for the capital, Fillmore being near the geographical center of
Utah Territory. The legislature met in Fillmore a few times, but in December
1856 it voted to move the capital to Salt Lake City because Fillmore was too far
from major cities.
On October 26, 1853, seven members of a transcontinental railroad survey team
led by Lt. John W. Gunnison of the Topographical Engineers were killed southwest
of Delta by Indians, a tragic incident in the Walker War (1853-54) that was
apparently triggered by the hostile actions of a group of emigrants against the
Indians.
Ranching and farming developed slowly. In the early 20th century Millard was
second to Tooele in the number of sheep on its ranges, but later cattle became
the major livestock interest. The establishment of the Union Pacific line
through west Millard County and the founding of Delta in 1907 led to the most
important agricultural development -- large-scale alfalfa seed production
amounting eventually to three-fourths of the state's crop. The Yuba Dam and
other water projects made this venture possible.
During World War II the federal government forcibly relocated 110,000
Japanese-Americans from their West Coast homes to special camps. Topaz, a
relocation center near Delta, housed some 8,700 internees, making it the largest
"city" in Millard for a few years.
Mining and smelting have contributed to economic growth with Millard producing
significant amounts of fluorspar, copper, manganese, sulphur, gypsum, beryllium,
and salt. The most important industrial development, however, began in the 1970s
when plans were made for the Intermountain Power Project's huge coal-burning
plant near Delta. Southern California buys much of the electricity generated
here.
*Sources: Beehive History
14: Utah Counties. 1988. Utah State Historical Society, 300 Rio Grande, Salt
Lake City, UT 84101-1182.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 17,684 kmē (6,828 sq mi). 6,589 square miles
(17,066 kmē) of it is land and 239 square miles (619 kmē) of it (3.50%) is water. The Sevier Desert covers much of
Millard County, being the seafloor of ancient Lake Bonneville. Near the center of the county lies Sevier Lake, a
mostly dry remnant of Lake Bonneville. Mountains rim the area, some of which harbor beautiful forests, contrasting
with the deserts below, especially the Pahvant Mountains, which form the county's eastern boundary. Fillmore and
other farming communities lie at the base of the Pahvant Mountains. Delta sits several miles from the banks of the
Sevier River in the middle of the basin.
Neighboring Counties:
- Juab County, Utah - (north)
- Sanpete County, Utah - (east central)
- Sevier County, Utah - (east)
- Beaver County, Utah - (south)
- Lincoln County, Nevada - (southwest)
- White Pine County, Nevada - (west)
Cities and Towns:
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- Delta |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Fillmore
(County Seat) |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Hinckley |
town |
Incorporated Area |
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- Holden |
town |
Incorporated Area |
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- Kanosh |
town |
Incorporated Area |
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- Leamington |
town |
Incorporated Area |
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- Lynndyl |
town |
Incorporated Area |
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- Meadow |
town |
Incorporated Area |
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- Oak City |
town |
Incorporated Area |
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- Scipio |
town |
Incorporated Area |
County Resources:
Enter County Resources and Information Here
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County Resource Guide
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The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic
features of our country!"
But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.
Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally,
act locally." |
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