Marion is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, suc ...

in Summit County,

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 population was 685, according to the 2010 census.

Geography

Marion is a small farming community located about east 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 ...

and east of Park City in the upper Kamas Valley, part of the Wasatch Back region of Utah. Lying due north of the city of

Kamas Kamas may mean * Kamas, Utah * Kamas (raga), a ragam in Carnatic music * KAMAS (program), an acronym for ''Knowledge and Mind Amplification System'', an outline processor * Kamasins, a Samoyedic people * Kamassian language, an extinct Samoyedic l ...

on Utah State Route 32, Marion has always been closely associated with Kamas. Approximately to the north, across the

Weber River The Weber River ( ) is a long river of northern Utah, United States. It begins in the northwest of the Uinta Mountains and empties into the Great Salt Lake. The Weber River was named for American fur trapper John Henry Weber. The Weber River ...

, is the city of Oakley.

History

The area that is now Marion was used in the 1860s by rancher Samuel P. Hoyt, whose 600–700 head of cattle grazed over most of Marion's land. The settlement itself was founded in the mid-1870s and was originally named "Morrell" after William Morrell, who built the first house. A large portion of the early settlers were

Danish American Danish Americans ( da, Dansk-amerikanere) are Americans who have ancestral roots originated fully or partially from Denmark. There are approximately 1,300,000 Americans of Danish origin or descent. History The first Dane known to have arri ...

immigrants, and the community was also often called "Denmark". The name ''Marion'' has been credited to two different sources:

Francis Marion Lyman Francis Marion Lyman (January 12, 1840 – November 18, 1916) was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (LDS Church), Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He was the President of t ...

, who, as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles 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 Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

, organized the first ward in the area in 1909, and Marion Myrick Sorensen, who settled here with her first husband in 1882. The Marion precinct first appeared under that name in the 1900 census. Marion made news in 1979 when resident and polygamist homeschooler John Singer was killed while resisting arrest. The community garnered further publicity in 1988 when Singer's son-in-law, Addam Swapp, bombed the LDS

stake center A stake is an administrative unit composed of multiple congregations in certain denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement. The name "stake" derives from the Book of Isaiah: "enlarge the place of thy tent; stretch forth the curtains of thine ha ...

in Marion and was arrested after a 13-day standoff with state and federal law enforcement.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 685 people living in the CDP. There were 226 housing units. The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the CDP was 96.4% White, 1.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.8% from some other race, and 0.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.6% of the population.

Economy

The main economic activity in Marion has traditionally been farming. There are a few other businesses, including a small co-op store and a

snowmobile A snowmobile, also known as a Ski-Doo, snowmachine, sled, motor sled, motor sledge, skimobile, or snow scooter, is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. It is designed to be operated on snow and ice and does not ...

dealership.

Education

Marion has no schools of its own. Marion is in the

South Summit School District South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sun� ...

. Schools in

, belonging to the South Summit district, serve school-age children.

References

External links

{{authority control Census-designated places in Utah Populated places established in the 1870s Census-designated places in Summit County, Utah 1870s establishments in Utah Territory