Whiterocks 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, such ...

(CDP) in

Uintah County Uintah County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2020 United States Census the population was 35,620. Its county seat and largest city is Vernal. The county was named for the portion of the Ute Indian tribe that lived in the b ...

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 ...

, United States. The population was 341 at the 2000 census, a slight increase over the

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...

population of 312.

Geography

Whiterocks is located at (40.467560, -109.929607). 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 CDP has a total area of , all land.

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 341 people, 92 households, and 78 families residing in the CDP. 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 145.1 people per square mile (56.0/km²). There were 96 housing units at an average density of 40.8/sq mi (15.8/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 5.57%

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 ...

, 93.84% Native American, and 0.59% 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 ...

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 0.88% of the population. There were 92 households, out of which 47.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 31.5% 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, 47.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.2% were non-families. 10.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 1.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.71 and the average family size was 4.03. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 41.6% under the age of 18, 13.2% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 15.8% from 45 to 64, and 3.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females, there were 80.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.1 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $10,417, and the median income for a family was $15,156. Males had a median income of $21,750 versus $15,833 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 CDP was $3,920. About 63.4% of families and 70.9% 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 81.1% of those under age 18 and 90.0% of those age 65 or over.

History

1828 Four men, William "Toopeechee" Reed, Jim Reed, Dennis Julien, and Augustus Archambeaux, French traders from Kentucky, entered the Uintah Basin and set up a trading post near a spring of water just south and east of the present settlement of Whiterocks. The site was at a junction of trails used by the local Ute people. They brought in the first butcher knives, coffee beans, and other articles traded to the locals for fur. Antoine Rubidoux purchased the enterprise in 1832 and built a larger "fort" just east of the post.

Fort Robidoux Fort Robidoux, also known as Fort Uintah and Fort Wintya, was a fur trading post at the junction of the Uinta River and Whiterocks River in the Uinta Basin of what is today Northeastern Utah. Fort Robidoux was founded in 1832 after Antoine Robi ...

, a center for fur traders, had a life of 12 years. In 1844, this fort was burned to the ground. October 3, 1861 By order of Abraham Lincoln and the secretary of the Interior the "Uintah Valley in the Territory of Utah, be set apart and reserved for the use and occupancy of Indian Tribes." 1868 Amos Reed, a government clerk in the employment of the Indian Service, made a trip to White Rocks. His guide, Chief Antero, said that since he was to be moved to the Uintah Reservation he would choose White Rocks for his home, and he suggested to Mr. Reed that the Indian Agency be established at that place. His reason for his choice was the fact that White Rocks was located in the center of the Basin. Here the local Utes were used to staying. Here traders and trappers had established posts and headquarters. Many trails led to and from it, and here the site had a lovely natural setting. On the recommendation of Chief Antero the agency was moved from Rock Creek to Whiterocks on Christmas Day 1868.

Archaeology

Whiterocks is near the site of the eponymous "Whiterocks Village," a Uinta Fremont village partially excavated in 1966 by Wayne F. Shields, assigned on the basis of architecture and radiocarbon dates to the Whiterocks Phase, A.D. 800-950. The excavated portion consisted of four round

pithouses A pit-house (or ''pit house'', ''pithouse'') is a house built in the ground and used for shelter. Besides providing shelter from the most extreme of weather conditions, these structures may also be used to store food (just like a pantry, a larder ...

, 12-18 square feet in size, and a rectangular

granary A granary is a storehouse or room in a barn for threshed grain or animal feed. Ancient or primitive granaries are most often made of pottery. Granaries are often built above the ground to keep the stored food away from mice and other animal ...

25 by 29.5 feet in dimensions featuring coursed

adobe Adobe ( ; ) is a building material made from earth and organic materials. is Spanish for ''mudbrick''. In some English-speaking regions of Spanish heritage, such as the Southwestern United States, the term is used to refer to any kind of e ...

walls. Of the four dwellings, two had

masonry Masonry is the building of structures from individual units, which are often laid in and bound together by mortar; the term ''masonry'' can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are bricks, building ...

walls and central firepits, while the other two had single stone walls and no firepits. One fragmentary burial with two disarticulated skeletons was reportedly found but not described in the published report. The site is notable for a high frequency of

Uinta Gray Uinta or Uintah may refer to: People *Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation, Utah Places * High Uintas Wilderness * Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation, Utah * Uintah County, Utah * Uinta County, Wyoming * Uinta Mountains, in the s ...

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and por ...

sherds; 5,675

potsherds This page is a glossary of archaeology, the study of the human past from material remains. A B C D E F ...

were recovered, 5,540 of which were interpreted as Uinta Gray, a diagnostic style of the Uinta Fremont characterized by calcite temper. Other artifacts included chipped and ground stone tools, shells, nine corncobs, beans, and bone tools. The site is on 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 artistic v ...

. Much of the surface of the site was under cultivation at the time of excavation and was presumed to have been largely destroyed by agricultural activity.National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form for Whiterocks Village (42 UN 170) https://collections.lib.utah.edu/file?id=1225794 Retrieved 4 May 2021

References

External links