Mount Pleasant is a city in the
U.S.
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 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
state of
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 it ...
. Located in
Sanpete County, Mt. Pleasant is known for its 19th-century main street buildings, for being home to
Wasatch Academy
Wasatch Academy is an independent, coeducational, college preparatory boarding school for grades 7-12 located in Mount Pleasant, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by Reverend Duncan McMillan, a Presbyterian minister who had come to ...
, and for being the largest city in the northern half of the county. As of the
2010 census, the city population was 3,260.
History
In the spring of 1852, a band of
Latter-Day Saint
Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...
colonists from
Manti led by Madison D. Hambleton established the Hambleton Settlement near the present site of Mt. Pleasant. During the
Walkara (Walker) Indian War, the small group of settlers relocated to Spring Town (
Spring City) and later to Manti for protection. The old settlement was burned down by local Native Americans, so when a large colonizing party from
Ephraim
Ephraim (; he, ''ʾEp̄rayīm'', in pausa: ''ʾEp̄rāyīm'') was, according to the Book of Genesis, the second son of Joseph ben Jacob and Asenath. Asenath was an Ancient Egyptian woman whom Pharaoh gave to Joseph as wife, and the daughte ...
and Manti returned to the area in 1859, a new, permanent townsite was laid out in its present location, one hundred miles south of
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...
and twenty-two miles northeast of Manti.
Among the founding settlers were Latter-Day Saint converts from
Scandinavia
Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...
, the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
, and the eastern United States. By 1880, Mt. Pleasant was the county's largest city, with a population of 2,000, and more than 72 percent of its married adults were foreign-born. This ethnic diversity had an important impact on village life during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. For decades, five languages were commonly spoken in town.
The settlement and development of Mt. Pleasant followed the typical pattern for Latter-Day Saint towns of the period. A square-shaped townsite was surveyed (eventually containing about 100 city blocks), lots were drawn, and the land was distributed among the population. Under the direction of James Russell Ivie (1802–1866), a fort of adobe walls and log cabins was built. Pleasant Creek ran through the fort and farming was done outside of its walls. Around the time that Ivie was killed in the
Ute Black Hawk War, by Indians who had declined to participate in the settlement of the earlier
Wakara War, the town had acquired its present name. By the time the final peace treaty with the Indians was signed in Bishop Seeley's house on Main Street in 1872, bringing to an end this conflict, many settlers had already erected homesteads outside of the fort. Although the town site is large in scale, the density is relatively low due to the original layout allowing for only four lots per block.
Some of the first industries in Mt. Pleasant included tanning, shoe making, blacksmithing, basket making, and freighting. Eventual modernization brought such improvements as the
Deseret Telegraph in 1869, the Pyramid Newspaper in 1890, and a telephone system in 1891.
Sawmills and flour mills were built, irrigation systems were dug, and a municipal government was created to oversee public laws and improvements. The city was incorporated in 1868, a year after the first co-operative store was founded. Upon the arrival of the
Rio Grande Western Railway
The Utah Division of the former Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad (D&RGW) is a rail line that connects Grand Junction, Colorado and Salt Lake City, Utah (formerly Ogden) in the Western United States. It is now incorporated into the Union Pacif ...
in 1890, both the local population and the city's prosperity increased dramatically. By 1900, Mt. Pleasant had grown to nearly 3,000 people, the largest size reached by any city in Sanpete County to that time, and the city had earned one of its nicknames, "Hub City."
The increased wealth in the town led to the replacement of small, wood-frame commercial buildings with stone and brick structures such as the 1888 Sanpete County Co-op. Victorian churches, schools, and residences replaced the simpler adobe and log buildings of the pioneer period.
By 1912, the first high school,
North Sanpete High School
North Sanpete High School is a public high school serving grades 9 through 12, located in Mount Pleasant, Utah, United States. The school is the only high school serving the North Sanpete School District
North Sanpete School District is a publi ...
, had been completed. 1912 also brought the Armory Hall, while the Elite Theater was constructed as a "fireproof" building in 1913. It burned down seven decades later. In 1917, a
Carnegie Library was built in a modern architectural style. The Marie Hotel was erected in 1920 and a large cheese factory was built in 1930, the same year that bus service came to town. The completion of U.S. Highway 89 in 1936 softened the impact of the Great Depression. A city hall was built in 1939 and a hospital in 1945.
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the city has a total area of 2.8 square miles (7.3 km
2), all land.
Climate
This
climatic
Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorologic ...
region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm, dry summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the
Köppen Climate Classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
system, Mount Pleasant has a
warm summer continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.
Demographics
As of the
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
of 2000, there were 2,707 people, 884 households, and 655 families residing in the city. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: 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 term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
was 958.8 people per square mile (370.6/km
2). There were 975 housing units at an average density of 345.3 per square mile (133.5/km
2). The racial makeup of the city was 96.45%
White
White is the 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 reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 0.41%
Native American, 0.48%
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.15%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...
, 1.18% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 1.33% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, 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 Vic ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 2.66% of the population.
There were 884 households, out of which 40.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.0% 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, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.9% were non-families. 23.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.99 and the average family size was 3.56.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 36.5% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 22.7% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,603, and the median income for a family was $40,300. Males had a median income of $32,697 versus $17,279 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 city was $13,630. About 7.0% of families and 9.2% 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 t ...
, including 9.3% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those aged 65 or over.
Arts and culture
Annual cultural events
''Hub City Days'' and the Fourth of July Celebration include a parade down state street featuring local businesses and residents. Events include a breakfast at the city park, a carnival at the city park, a rodeo featuring local cowboys, and fireworks following the rodeo.
''Mt. Pleasant Pioneer Day'' is held the last Saturday in March.
Sports
Winter activities include snowmobiling, sledding, skiing, snowboarding, hunting, fishing, hiking, horseback riding, biking, camping, and snow kiting.
Education
Mount Pleasant is within the
North Sanpete School District
North Sanpete School District is a public school district in the U.S. state of Utah. The district provides education for students in the northern half of Sanpete County
Sanpete County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 201 ...
and has 1 elementary school and
North Sanpete High School
North Sanpete High School is a public high school serving grades 9 through 12, located in Mount Pleasant, Utah, United States. The school is the only high school serving the North Sanpete School District
North Sanpete School District is a publi ...
, the only high school in the district. The district's middle school is located in
Moroni.
Mount Pleasant is also home to
Wasatch Academy
Wasatch Academy is an independent, coeducational, college preparatory boarding school for grades 7-12 located in Mount Pleasant, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by Reverend Duncan McMillan, a Presbyterian minister who had come to ...
, a private boarding school established in 1875.
Notable people
*
Leonard B. Jordan
Leonard Beck Jordan (May 15, 1899June 30, 1983) was an American politician who served as the 23rd List of Governors of Idaho, governor of Idaho and a United States Senate, United States Senator for over ten years.
Early life and education
Born ...
,
23rd Governor of Idaho and
United States Senator
The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...
from
Idaho
Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...
; born in Mount Pleasant.
*
Cyrus H. Wheelock, the author of the LDS hymn "Ye Elders of Israel"
*
Mike Lookinland
Michael Paul Lookinland (born December 19, 1960) is an American actor and cameraman. He is best known for his role as the youngest brother, Bobby Brady, on the ABC sitcom ''The Brady Bunch'' from 1969 to 1974, and its many sequels and spinoffs. ...
, actor
*
Spencer Cox, 18th
Governor of Utah
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
and 8th
Lieutenant Governor of Utah
The office of the lieutenant governor of Utah was created in 1975. Nine people have held the position since then.
Prior to the creation of the lieutenant governor's office, the succession to the governorship of Utah was held by the Utah Secretary ...
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
Mt. Pleasant Relic home and Blacksmith ShopComprehensive Statistical Data and more about Mount Pleasant
{{authority control
Cities in Utah
Cities in Sanpete County, Utah
Populated places established in 1852
1852 establishments in Utah Territory