THE E V O L U T I O N OF C O U N T Y IN
BOUNDARIES
UTAH
BY JAMES B. A L L E N *
I
to go back to the time when Brigham Young first envisioned the western Mormon empire you would hear him describe a state larger than the state of Texas. This dream, the State of Deseret, is the beginning of the history of Utah's boundaries, for the Mormon colonists hoped to bring this vast area into the Union as a part of the United States. Before his death, however, Brigham Young saw this territory reduced five different times, until it reached the limits of the present state of Utah. During this time rapid and effective colonization was taking place, and with the expansion of colonization came the necessity for local government and thus the organization of counties. As the territory decreased, the number of counties increased, until at statehood there was a total of twenty-seven. Since that time two more have been added. If this study shows any one thing, however, it is that historically there has been nothing particularly sacred about an established county line. Boundaries in Utah have been changed, and changed often, according to changing conditions. W h a t follows is the story of this evolution. It will be observed that boundary changes during Utah's territorial p.eriod were made more easily than in the period since 1896, there being approximately ninety changes during that time. These changes, of course, were not made merely to satisfy the whims of the legislature, but came about as a result of the need for local government in areas of growing population. Even though the legislature had the power to create, enlarge, diminish, or even abolish a county, such action was not taken without good cause. With statehood the method of altering boundaries changed. Article 11 of the Utah constitution recognized existing counties F YOU WERE
*Mr. Allen is an instructor at Davis High School Seminary, Kaysville, Utah.
