HISTORY OF GARFIELD COUNTY

Garfield County stretches from the eastern edge of the Great Basin on the west to the Colorado River on the east. With 5,100 residents, it is the fifth-least populous county in Utah. Much of the county is situated at a high elevation; the average elevation is 6,260 feet, and the county’s highest point reaches 11,860 feet.

Traces of three major prehistoric cultures — the Sevier, Fremont and Anasazi — have been found in Garfield County. These ancient people left behind reminders of their life such as structures, tools, arrow points, rock art and ornaments made of shell and turquoise. Later, the Southern Paiutes and Utes moved into the area where they hunted and gathered for their food.

The first white settlers traveled from Beaver and Parowan through the mountains to the Panguitch area in March of 1864. These settlers nearly starved during the harsh winter of 1864-65; seven men traversed deep snow by placing quilts on top of it to reach Parowan and obtain flour. The Black Hawk War broke out the follow- ing year, and the settlers left the area. Settlers didn’t arrive in Panguitch again until 1871. In 1875, the city of Escalante was founded. In March of 1882, the territorial legislature formally designated the area a county with Panguitch as the county seat. At the suggestion of Utah Gov. Eli H. Murray, the name “Garfield” was chosen to honor U.S. President James A. Garfield, who was assassinated six months earlier. The border with Iron County was adjusted in 1884, and Garfield County’s boundaries have remained intact since then.

A gold rush drew prospectors to the Henry Mountains in the 1890s. In 1889, settlers established the town of Boulder, which was only accessible via a road over Boulder Mountain. The road was closed each winter, making Boulder the most isolated town in Utah. In the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps built a road from Escalante to Boulder, blasting through rock and working on the sides of cliffs to do so.

Vast rangelands and large forest reserves have made cattle ranching

Panguitch Main Street, 1938 and lumber some of Garfield County’s most important industries since its settlement. In 1928, the county’s tourism industry received a boost when Bryce Canyon National Park was created. Today, tourism is one of the county’s dominant industries. Oil is also produced in Garfield County, and the area has large coal fields, tar sands and uranium deposits that have not yet been developed.

Sources: ilovehistory.utah.gov uen.org en-us.topographic-map.com

Horse-drawn wagon in Red Canyon, circa 1906-1916