Chester is an
unincorporated community in central
Sanpete County
Sanpete County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 27,822. Its county seat is Manti, and its largest city is Ephraim. The county was created in 1850.
History
The Sanpete Valley ma ...
,
Utah, United States.
Description
The community is located in the
Sanpete Valley
Sanpete County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 27,822. Its county seat is Manti, and its largest city is Ephraim. The county was created in 1850.
History
The Sanpete Valley may ...
, west of
Spring City at the junction of
Utah State Route 132 (formerly SR-11 and
U.S. Route 189
U.S. Route 189 is a spur of U.S. Route 89. It currently runs for 322 miles (518 km) from Provo, Utah at Interstate 15 to Jackson, Wyoming. The highway was not part of the original 1926 U.S. Highway system. The highway was created in the ...
) and
Utah State Route 117
State Route 117 (SR-117) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Utah, connecting Wales and Mount Pleasant in Sanpete County. Running for as a two-lane highway, the road was originally placed under state jurisdiction in 1935 (as SR-30), but ren ...
. The population was 178 at the 2000 census.
Chester Ponds (a series of six small
reservoirs) are located along the Canal
and Oak creeks in the northeastern part of the community.
History
Chester was founded by David Candland. In the beginning the town was named Canal Creek after the waterway
from which the community received its water. Candland then changed the name to Chesterfield after his
hometown in England; it was later reduced to Chester. Chester had its own post office until 1967.
In August 1885, the San Pete Valley Railway completed its tracks as far south as Chester and began regular service to
Nephi (via
Moroni and
Fountain Green); however, passenger service was not offered until after the "Station House" was completed.
The railway ran north–south through the western part of the community, at about 3300 East. The railway was acquired by
Union Pacific Railroad in 1890 and extended farther south to
Manti by 1984. The railway was taken over by the
Denver & Rio Grande Railroad (D&RG) in 1908 and became known as the D&RG San Pete Valley Branch. The branch was later abandoned by the D&RG (by then known as the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad) in 1947,
leaving the
Marysvale Branch, through Spring City, as the nearest rail service.
See also
References
External links
Unincorporated communities in Sanpete County, Utah
Unincorporated communities in Utah
{{Utah-geo-stub