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Emery County is a
county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
in east-central
Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to its ...
,
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 10,976. Its
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...
is Castle Dale, and the largest city is Huntington.


History


Prehistory

Occupation of the San Rafael region dates back thousands of years to include people of the Desert Archaic Culture who were followed by those of the
Fremont culture The Fremont culture or Fremont people is a pre-Columbian archaeological culture which received its name from the Fremont River in the U.S. state of Utah, where the culture's sites were discovered by local indigenous peoples like the Navajo and ...
who inhabited present-day Emery County through the sixth through thirteenth centuries AD. Evidence of these civilizations is extant in numerous pictograph and petroglyph panels, such as those in Temple Mountain Wash, Muddy Creek, Ferron Box, Black Dragon Canyon, and Buckhorn Wash - all sites listed in the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...
. Ute Indians also occupied sites in Castle Valley,


Old Spanish Trail

The first non-indigenous persons to view Castle Valley were Spanish Traders and Explorers. The first of record was
Silvestre Vélez de Escalante Silvestre is a Spanish and Portuguese given name or surname, or a French surname. Notable people with the name include: Surname * Cindy Silvestre (born 1993), a French kickboxer *Franck Silvestre (born 1967), a retired French footballer * Israe ...
; in 1776, he crossed northern Utah through the Uintah Basin. Spanish traders and explorers soon found a more southerly route, and their path became known as the Old Spanish Trail. It began at Santa Fe, to Durango, Colorado, crossed the
Colorado River The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid watershed that encompasses parts of seven U.S. s ...
(then known as Grand River) near present-day Moab, then to the Green River-crossing where Green River is now located, thence westerly to Cedar Mountain. It went on the South side of Cedar Mountain, across Buckhorn Flat, passed the Red Seeps to Huntington Creek, crossing about a mile below where the present bridge crosses; thence to Cottonwood Creek. It crossed the Ferron Creek where Molen now stands. It passed through the Rochester Flats about one mile (1.6 km) east of present-day Moore and crossed the Muddy Creek about two miles (3 km) due east of the present town of Emery. It then went over Salina (Salt Creek) Canyon. It then turned south and went through Parowan, Mountain Meadows, Las Vegas Nevada, Barstow California, and to the coast.Jorgensen, John. ''History of Castle Valley Prior to Mormon Settlement''. 1990 This Trail had to traverse Castle Valley to skirt the steep-walled canyons of the San Juan, Colorado, Green, Dirty Devil, and San Rafael Rivers. Slavery was the principal trade between Santa Fe and the Utah region. The trading of Indian women and children to the Spanish, although illegal, was the purpose of the Spanish coming into the area to become Utah. The other use of the trail was to herd livestock, mostly horses, from California to Santa Fe. Since the slave trade was illegal, the traders kept neither records of their activities nor the extent of their travels and explorations. Travelers along the Old Spanish Trail gave Castle Valley its names, as the travelers marveled at the imposing rock formations.Utah History Encyclopedia, Allan Kent Powell


Early explorers

The first Americans to come to Castle Valley were fur trappers, including the "lost trappers", James Workman and William Spencer, who had been separated from their trapping party by Comanche Indians and had wandered to the Moab crossing of the Colorado River hoping that they would find Santa Fe. They met a Spanish caravan of forty or fifty people going to California. They joined the caravan and traveled through Castle Valley in 1809 and went on to California. In 1830, William Wilfskill came to Castle Valley along the Spanish Trail. He and his party were fur trappers but found little in the area to keep them here. Following the trappers in the late 1840s and early 1850s, government explorers came to the valley seeking usable overland routes across the continent. Kit Carson was the first of these famous men. He was looking for a direct route for the mail to be carried overland from St. Louis to California. Carson carried through Castle Valley to the nation the news of gold being found in the Sierra Nevada in 1848.Roberts, David (2001), A newer world: Kit Carson, John C. Fremont and the claiming of the American west, New York: Touchstone . In 1853 John W. Gunnison, an Army Topographical Engineer came through Castle Valley, plotting a railroad route. He was commissioned for this assignment by the US Secretary of War Jefferson Davis. He left detailed descriptions of his travels and carefully laid out his route through Castle Valley. Gunnison's route first met the Spanish Trail at the Green River crossing. He followed this trail for a short distance west of the Green River, but when the Spanish Trail entered a rugged rocky region (Sinbad Reef) he charted a route around this feature. The third government explorer was
John C. Fremont John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...
, in the winter of 1853–54. The cold weather heavily impacted his trip. They suffered from a lack of food and from the inhospitable landscape. There was no relief from their difficulties until they left Castle Valley and made their way to the small Mormon settlement of
Parowan Parowan ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Iron County, Utah, United States. The population was 2,790 at the 2010 census, and in 2018 the estimated population was 3,100. Parowan became the first incorporated city in Iron County in 1851. A ...
.


Arrival of pioneers

In 1875 livestock growers from Sanpete County brought cattle and sheep into Castle Valley to graze, and several recognized the settlement potential of the region. With a shortage of sufficient land and water in Sanpete County and a strong desire by
LDS Church The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ...
leaders to acquire unoccupied land in the region before non-Mormons did, young families began moving into Castle Valley in the fall of 1877 to homestead in the future sites of Huntington, Ferron, Castle Dale, and Orangeville. In late August 1877,
Brigham Young Brigham Young (; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second President of the Church (LDS Church), president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), from 1847 until his ...
, president of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ...
(LDS Church), issued an order to the Sanpete LDS Stake president seeking ". . . at least fifty families olocate in Castle Valley this fall." The order led to the last Mormon colony settled under the direction of Brigham Young. One week later on August 29, Young, the Great Colonizer, died. During his 30 years as leader of the LDS Church, Young had overseen and directed the establishment of almost 400 towns and villages. The settlement of Emery County was his last. Soon after the issuance of Young's order, several bands of settlers moved out from the Sanpete region and headed for Castle Valley (Emery County). They settled along Huntington Creek, Cottonwood Creek, and Ferron Creek. The following spring (1878), several more families arrived. In the spring of 1878, Elias Cox and Charles Hollingshead set up a sawmill in Huntington Canyon to support the colony. On Ferron Creek, settlers plowed lands and began the construction of a ditch for irrigation. Most early settlers in Castle Valley claimed easily watered bottom lands along the creeks and rivers, and by 1879, most of the best lands had been taken up.Wm. Joe Simonds; The Emery County Project;
Bureau of Reclamation The Bureau of Reclamation, and formerly the United States Reclamation Service, is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior, which oversees water resource management, specifically as it applies to the oversight and opera ...
History Program
The Utah Territorial Legislature created Emery County on February 12, 1880. The description included the future Carbon County area. It was named for
George W. Emery George W. Emery (August 13, 1830 – July 10, 1909) was the eleventh governor of Utah Territory. Emery was appointed by President Ulysses S. Grant for Supervisor of Internal Revenue for the confederate states from 1870 to 1874 and governor ...
, the
Utah Territory The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah, the 45th sta ...
governor whose term was ending as the act was being debated. The 1880 census showed 556 people and 84 farms in Emery County, but this figure is likely short as many prominent settlers were inadvertently left off the county rolls. By 1890, the population of Emery County had risen to 2,866. Between 1880 and 1900, many significant canals were constructed, including the Huntington Canal (1884), Emery Canal (1885),
Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U ...
Canal (1885), and the Wakefield Ditch (1880). Many of the early canals are still in service. The county boundaries were altered in 1880 and 1890. In 1894 the north portion of the county was partitioned off to create Carbon County. The county boundaries remained intact after that, except for a small adjustment in the city of Green River in 2003. In the early 1880s, the
Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad The Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad , often shortened to ''Rio Grande'', D&RG or D&RGW, formerly the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, was an American Class I railroad company. The railroad started as a narrow-gauge line running south from ...
contemplated possible routings through the Emery County region. Early plans to locate the railroad through the heart of Emery County were thwarted when the route over the
Wasatch Range The Wasatch Range ( ) or Wasatch Mountains is a mountain range in the western United States that runs about from the Utah-Idaho border south to central Utah. It is the western edge of the greater Rocky Mountains, and the eastern edge of the ...
was too steep. The route was moved to the NE part of the county, bypassing most settlements. Most of the county thus missed on economic opportunities brought by the railroad, but Green River, on the east county border, quickly boomed after the rails arrived.


Twentieth Century

Emery County population passed 4,600 by 1900, with 450+ farms and under cultivation.
Irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has been dev ...
systems were being expanded to bring new lands into production, bringing problems that would plague the region for several decades. Water rights conflicts frequently arose, and water theft, known as "midnight irrigation," became common. Most disputes were settled by decree, but a few were contested by violence. The underlying soils in Emery County consist of ancient
seabed The seabed (also known as the seafloor, sea floor, ocean floor, and ocean bottom) is the bottom of the ocean. All floors of the ocean are known as 'seabeds'. The structure of the seabed of the global ocean is governed by plate tectonics. Most of ...
s which contain high levels of salts. Poor drainage and over-irrigation cause the salts to collect on the surface, rendering large land areas unsuitable for agriculture. The problem first appeared in the 1890s, and in 1903, a
Department of Agriculture An agriculture ministry (also called an) agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister f ...
report stated that over 30% of the developed farmland in Emery County had been abandoned due to degradation. With expanded irrigation development came expanded settlement as several new towns were established. In addition, the coal industry, which had consisted of small mines to cover local demand, had significantly expanded, with several large-scale operations starting in the county. The US entry into The Great War created a minor boom in Emery County as agricultural prices rose and manpower shortages caused wages at the mines to rise. Following the war, prices dropped significantly, leading to hard times throughout much of the 1920s. Things improved somewhat during the later years of the decade, but an even more significant collapse came with the onset of the Great Depression in the early 1930s. In addition, severe drought in 1931 and 1934 intensified the economic hardship in the county. The 1930s were difficult for Emery County residents. The county population dropped by 5% from 1920 to 1930, although it remained somewhat steady after that. Agricultural prices dropped 40% from their 1929 level, and coal production dropped by half. Water shortages and
land degradation Land degradation is a process in which the value of the biophysical environment is affected by a combination of human-induced processes acting upon the land. It is viewed as any change or disturbance to the land perceived to be deleterious ...
continued to be problems. In 1935, only out of produced crops. The residents did benefit from several depression-relief programs, including the
Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part o ...
(CCC), which established several CCC camps in the county. Company 959 established a camp in
Joes Valley Joes may refer to: * Joes, Colorado, a settlement in the United States * Joes Mountain, several mountains * Jef Joes, or just Joes, an island in West Papua, Indonesia * Joes, a term used for the banknotes of Demerary and Essequibo See also * * ...
in May 1933. The camp moved several times in the following years before establishing a permanent camp near Ferron in 1935. A second camp was established at Castle Dale in 1935, and another camp was established at Green River in 1938. During its tenure in Emery County, the CCC built roads, bridges, and trails, as well as building ranger stations and other projects on public lands. Many enrollees settled in Emery County after their discharge from the Corps. Following the end of
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, Emery County veterans returned to find relative economic prosperity. County farm income in 1946 was double that of 1940, and the coal mines were operating at fairly high levels. During the post-war years, the county matured and modernized as modern water and sanitation systems were constructed, roads were improved, and many of the luxuries enjoyed by people in less rural areas, like telephones, reached Emery County. While many things in Emery County improved, some things did not. The agricultural sector still suffered from inconsistent water supplies and a lack of significant long-term water storage. And in the mid-1950s, the region again experienced near-drought conditions. It was during this period that a water reservoir in Joes Valley was completed. Riding the crest of national economic growth during the 1970s, Emery County's population grew significantly as a result of the construction of large coal-fired power plants in Castle Dale and Huntington by Utah Power & Light Company ( PacifiCorp) and the expansion of coal mines to fuel them.


Recent

On August 6, 2007, at 2:48 A.M.,
UtahAmerican Energy UtahAmerican Energy, Inc. (formerly Andalex Resources), is a Bituminous coal underground coal mine and lignite surface mining company, headquartered in Sandy, Utah. UtahAmerican is a subsidiary of Cleveland, Ohio based Murray Energy Corporation. U ...
's
Crandall Canyon Mine The Crandall Canyon Mine, formerly Genwal Mine, was an underground bituminous coal mine in northwestern Emery County, Utah. The mine made headline news when six miners were trapped by a collapse in August 2007. Ten days later, three rescue workers ...
, west north-west of Huntington, collapsed; trapping 6 workers inside. The mine, located just off State Route 31, is about southeast of Fairview, and south of
Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...
(). The workers were approximately from the mine entrance and underground. The collapse registered recorded seismic waves in magnitude 3.9 to 4.0, by
seismograph A seismometer is an instrument that responds to ground noises and shaking such as caused by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and explosions. They are usually combined with a timing device and a recording device to form a seismograph. The output ...
stations of the
University of Utah The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of D ...
. Emery County, the state's No. 2 coal-producing county, was also the site of a fire that killed 27 people in the
Wilberg Mine The Wilberg Mine (also known as the Cottonwood/Wilberg Mine; MSHA ID No. 42-00080) is a coal mine in Emery County, Utah, approximately northwest of Orangeville, just north of State Route 29, at the northern terminus of State Route 57. The mine i ...
in December 1984.


Geography

The Green River flows southward along the east side of the county. The
Price River The Price River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed October 30, 2020 southeastward flowing river in Carbon, Utah and Emery counties in eastern Utah. It is a tributary to ...
flows southeastward through the northeastern corner of the county to its discharge point into the Green on the county's eastern border. The
San Rafael River The San Rafael River is a tributary of the Green River, approximately long, in east central Utah, United States. The river flows across a sparsely populated arid region of the Colorado Plateau, and is known for the isolated, scenic gorge throug ...
rises in the northwestern part of the county and cuts its way across the county's central areas before discharging into the Green, several miles south of the city of Green River.''Emery County UT'' Google Maps (accessed 29 March 2019)
/ref> The county terrain is rough flat areas broken by mountain ranges and ridges and carved by water erosion, generally sloping to the south and east. The county's highest point is 10,743' (3274m) ASL, in the Central Utah Plateaus on the county's main north border. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.2%) is water. The
Wasatch Plateau The Wasatch Plateau is a plateau located southeast of the southernmost part of the Wasatch Range in central Utah. It is a part of the Colorado Plateau. Geography The plateau has an elevation of and includes an area of . Its highest point in th ...
, a mountainous area, sits along the western boundary. The main population of the county lives along the base of these mountains. The
San Rafael Swell The San Rafael Swell is a large geologic feature located in south-central Utah, United States about west of Green River. The San Rafael Swell, measuring approximately , consists of a giant dome-shaped anticline of sandstone, shale, and limest ...
occupies most of the area to the east. The western side of the county is the most populated and contains numerous small communities residing in an agricultural valley that roughly parallels the Manti National Forest to the west. Streams originate in the Wasatch Plateau in the forest, and their headwaters are stored in several reservoirs. Agricultural areas depend on these reservoirs and waterways for survival, and some farmland communities struggle with excess salinity. The east side of the county is dry with rough terrain. Green River, the largest community on this side of the county, is more closely tied to the communities and economy of Grand County. Emery County's maps show the importance of the forest lands to the local communities as there are few significant groundwater aquifers in the area. Emery County contains three areas: the mountainous Wasatch Plateau to the west; Castle Valley, where the major settlements are located; and the desert of the San Rafael Swell, the San Rafael Reef, Cedar Mountain, and the remote stretches on the east. The San Rafael River, the lifeblood of the county, originates in the Wasatch Plateau, where the headwaters are stored in several reservoirs for agricultural and industrial use. It flows into Castle Valley in three branches—Huntington Creek, Cottonwood Creek, and Ferron Creek—which unite to form the San Rafael River after they pass the communities and adjacent farmland. It then twists its way through the rock and desert to its junction with the Green River. Geographical names feature Native American, Spanish and English influences. Two Ute Indian names: Wasatch, a gap in the mountains; Quitchupah, a place where animals fare poorly. Wasatch is the name of the plateau between the Sanpete Valley and the Castle Valley. Quitchupah is a small creek south of Emery. The Spanish name is still used in San Rafael, which means Saint Ralph. During Spanish times, the name Rafael was also given to the present Ferron Creek. In 1873, A.D. Ferron, the surveyor sent by Washington to perform cadastral surveys of eastern Utah, named this creek, but before this time, it was the Rafael. The Ute Indians called it the Cabulla, which refers to the small edible part of cactus pear. Huntington Creek was originally called San Marcus; Ute Indians called it Sivareeche, and the Spanish called it Mateo. The Indians called Castle Valley Tompin-con-tu or rock house land, which relates to the present Castle Valley. The Spanish named the valley St. Joseph's Valley.


Archaeology

Range Creek rises in Emery County and has recently been shown to have pristine remains of the
Fremont culture The Fremont culture or Fremont people is a pre-Columbian archaeological culture which received its name from the Fremont River in the U.S. state of Utah, where the culture's sites were discovered by local indigenous peoples like the Navajo and ...
. The State of Utah owns the site and is currently identifying the remains and developing a long-term conservation plan.


Major highways

* United States Interstate I-70 * United States US-191 * Utah State Highway UT-10 * Utah State Highway UT-24 * Utah State Highway UT-29 * Utah State Highway UT-31


Adjacent counties

* Carbon County - north * Uintah County - northeast * Grand County - east * San Juan County - southeast * Wayne County - south * Sevier County - southwest * Sanpete County - northwest


Protected areas

* Cedar Mountain Recreation Area * Goblin Valley State Park * Green River State Park * Huntington State Park * Manti-La Sal National Forest (part) * Millsite State Park


Lakes

* Aldys Hole * Antelope Valley Number Three Reservoir * Barewire Pond * Baseball Pond * Big Hole * Big Hole Pond * Big Pond * Black Dragon Reservoir * Blue Flat Reservoir * Blue Pond * Broken Pond * Buckhorn Reservoir * Buckmaster Reservoir * C C C Pond * Canyon Pond * Cat Pond * Chris Pond * Cinderella Reservoir * Cistern Tanks * Cleveland Reservoir * Cloyds Pond * Clyde and Neils Pond * Cow Flat Reservoir * Cow Tanks * Desert Lake * Desert Reservoir Number 2 * Dinner Pond * Diversion Hollow Debris Basin Reservoir * Dog Hollow Reservoir * Dog Ponds * Drought Relief Reservoir * Dry Pond * Dry X Reservoir * Dugway Reservoir * Dutch Flat Reservoir * Electric Lake * Emery Plant Reservoir * Farnsworth Tanks * Forked Post Pond * Goodwater Reservoir * Greasewood Tank * Guymon Pond * Hadden Pit * Hadden Reservoir * Horse Bench Reservoir * Horse Heaven Reservoir * Huntington Lake * Huntington Reservoir * Hyde Draw Reservoir * Indian Hollow Debris Basin Reservoir * J J Reservoir * Jim Wilson Reservoir * Job Corps Pond * Joes Holes * Joes Valley Reservoir * Johansen Pond * Jorgensen Pond * Kiahtipes Reservoir * Kirby Pond * Lews Hole * Little Blue Pond * Little Holes * Lone Tree Reservoir * Long Point Number 3 Reservoir * Lynns Pond * Merrials Pond * Midway Reservoir * Miller Flat Reservoir (partially) * Millsite Reservoir * Molen Tanks * Moonshine Waterhole * Mormon Tanks * Mounds Reservoir * Mussentuchit Reservoir * Ninemile Reservoir * Olsen Reservoir * Orsons Pond * Oscars Pond * Petes Hole * Pilling Pond * Potters Ponds * Rattlesnake Reservoir * Red Point Reservoir * Reid Neilson Reservoir * Road End Reservoir * Road Hollow Reservoir * Rochester Reservoir * Rock Reservoir * Round Knoll Pond * Russel Pond * Saleratus Reservoir * Sand Bench Reservoir * Sand Pond * Saucer Basin Reservoir * Short Canyon Reservoir * Sids Holes * Sids Reservoir * Sinkhole Reservoir * Slaughter Slopes Reservoir * Smith Pond * Snow Lake * South Ferron Reservoir * South Sand Reservoir * Southeast Mounds Reservoir * State Pond * Straight Hollow North Debris Basin Reservoir * Straight Hollow South Debris Basin Reservoir * Summit Pond * Swazy Hole * The Big Pond * Three Coves Reservoir * Trail Reservoir * Twin Ponds * Wedge Pond Number 1 * Wedge Pond Number 2 * Wedge Pond Number 4 * West Clawson Reservoir * Wests Reservoir * Woodpile Pond * Wrigley Springs Reservoir (partially) * Zwahlen Wash Debris Basin Reservoir


Demographics

As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 10,860 people, 3,468 households, and 2,798 families in the county. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...
was 2.43/sqmi (0.94/km2). There were 4,093 housing units at an average density of 0.92/sqmi (0.35/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 95.64%
White White is the lightness, lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...
, 0.18%
Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...
or
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
, 0.65% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.10%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of Ocea ...
, 1.87% from other races, and 1.24% from two or more races. 5.23% of the population were
Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...
or Latino of any race. There were 3,468 households, out of which 45.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.80% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 7.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.30% were non-families. 17.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.10, and the average family size was 3.53. The county population contained 35.40% under the age of 18, 9.60% from 18 to 24, 24.10% from 25 to 44, 20.90% from 45 to 64, and 10.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.80 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 97.50 males. The median income for a household in the county was $39,850, and the median income for a family was $44,086. Males had a median income of $39,059 versus $18,929 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...
for the county was $14,243. About 9.40% of families and 11.50% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 14.00% of those under age 18 and 8.10% of those aged 65 or over. As of 2015, the largest self-reported ancestry groups in Emery County, Utah are:


Economy

Livestock and farming were the mainstays of Emery County's economy for much of its history. The opening of large coal mines and the construction of large power plants in Castle Dale and Huntington in the 1970s changed the economy, and the population grew sharply. High wages in this sector initially created high average incomes, but depressed markets for coal and coalbed methane, along with improvements in mining technology, have slowed or postponed this sector for some time. As a result, unemployment has remained higher than that of the State since 1990. The County still contains extensive natural resources that could be tapped, but the jobs produced from new mining activity may be at a similar level as those replaced by technology. A proposed nuclear power plant, the
Blue Castle Project The Blue Castle Project is a proposed nuclear power plant near Green River, Utah, United States. Projected for completion in 2030, it will have two 1500 megawatt reactors. It was originally proposed in 2007 by Transition Power Development, which ...
, is set to begin construction near Green River in 2023.


Education

* Emery High School * Green River High School * Canyon View Middle School * San Rafael Middle School * Ferron Elementary * Cleveland Elementary * Huntington Elementary * Cottonwood Elementary * Book Cliff Elementary * Castle Dale Elementary


Media


The Castle Valley Review
(Monthly)
Emery County Progress
(Weekly)


Transportation


Airports

*
Green River Municipal Airport Green River Municipal Airport is a public airport five miles southwest of Green River, in Emery County, Utah. It is owned by the Green River City Corp. The FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2009–2013 called it a ''general ...
(U34) = Green River * Huntington Municipal Airport (69V) - Huntington


Events

* Cleveland Days * Elmo Horse and Buggy Days * Emery (town) Days * Emery County Fair * Ferron Peach Days * Green River Melon Days * Huntington Heritage Days * San Rafael Swell Mountain Bike Festival * Joe's Valley Bouldering Festival


Attractions

* Joe's Valley Reservoir * San Rafael Reef *
San Rafael Swell The San Rafael Swell is a large geologic feature located in south-central Utah, United States about west of Green River. The San Rafael Swell, measuring approximately , consists of a giant dome-shaped anticline of sandstone, shale, and limest ...
* Buckhorn Draw Pictograph Panel * The Wedge * Huntington Reservoir * Cottonwood Canyon * Goblin Valley State Park *
Rochester Rock Art Panel The Rochester Rock Art Panel in Emery County, Utah consists of a large number of petroglyphs of various ages. Some are prehistoric rock art, probably of Fremont culture origin. Others are probably modern, depicting horses, for example. And some ...
* The historic
Emery LDS Church The Emery LDS Church is significant as the oldest remaining religious building in Emery County and as the last remaining “New England” clapboard style meetinghouse of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in Utah. St ...


Politics and Government

Like most of Utah, Emery County is reliably Republican. In only one national election since 1964, the county selected the Democratic Party candidate.


Communities


Cities

* Castle Dale (county seat) * Ferron * Green River * Huntington * Orangeville


Towns

* Clawson *
Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U ...
* Elmo * Emery


Unincorporated communities

*
Hiawatha Hiawatha ( , also : ), also known as Ayenwathaaa or Aiionwatha, was a precolonial Native American leader and co-founder of the Iroquois Confederacy. He was a leader of the Onondaga people, the Mohawk people, or both. According to some accou ...
(part) * Lawrence * Molen * Moore


Former communities

* Connellsville * Desert Lake * Mohrland * Victor * Wilsonville *
Woodside Woodside may refer to: Places and buildings Australia *Woodside, South Australia, a town *Woodside, Victoria, a town Canada *Woodside National Historic Site, the boyhood home of William Lyon Mackenzie King *Woodside, Nova Scotia, a neighborho ...


In popular culture

* The scenes for planet Vulcan in the 2009 film
Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vario ...
were filmed near Green River. * Scenes where Tim Allen battles a giant rock monster called "Gorignak" in the 1999 film Galaxy Quest were filmed at Goblin Valley State Park. * The music video for 2008 single, "
Human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...
", by
The Killers The Killers are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Las Vegas in 2001 by Brandon Flowers (lead vocals, keyboards, bass) and Dave Keuning (lead guitar, backing vocals). After going through a number of short-term bass players and drum ...
, was filmed in Goblin Valley.Human Music Video
on
YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...
. Universal Music Group. October 22, 2008. Retrieved April 28, 2009.


Gallery

Image:CastleDaleUtah.jpeg, Castle Dale Image:Emery Town Chapel.JPG, Emery Image:FerronUtah.jpeg, Ferron Image:ClevelandUtah.jpeg, Cleveland


See also

* List of counties in Utah *
Emery County Cabin Emery County Cabin is one of the last few historic frontier post offices still known to exist in the United States. The cabin was constructed in 1879, and became the official post office of Muddy Creek (now Emery), Emery County, Utah in the 1880s ...
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Emery County, Utah This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Emery County, Utah. This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Emery County, Utah, United States. ...


References


Further reading

*


External links

* {{authority control 1880 establishments in Utah Territory Populated places established in 1880