EARLYGOVERNMENT AND POLITICS T h e first Sanpete settlers brought with them a tradition of local government shared by most nineteenth century Americans. While the boundaries between religious and political realms were often blurred in the early decades, by the beginning of the twentieth century, Sanpete county government was expanding beyond the basic services of roads and law enforcement to provide some welfare services for the county's indigent. At the same time, in the political arena, county residents were beginning to identify themselves with the two major national political parties-Democrats and Republicans-as the earlier political parties-the Mormon dominated Peoples Party and the non-Mormon Liberal Party-no longer seemed relevant or desired after Utah was finally granted statehood on 4 January 1896.
Creation of Sanpete County and Early County Government The legislature of the provisional government of the State of Deseret created Sanpete County on 31 January 1850. One year later the territorial legislature enlarged the borders on 3 March 1851 to include "all that portion of the Territory bounded on the north by
