Beaver is a city in, and
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
of,
Beaver County in southwestern
Utah
Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...
, United States. The population was 3,592 at the
2020 census,
up from the 2010 figure of 3,112.
History
Indigenous peoples lived in the area for thousands of years, as demonstrated by archeological evidence. A number of identified prehistoric sites have been found in Beaver County, dating to the
Archaic and Sevier
Fremont periods. A prehistoric
obsidian
Obsidian ( ) is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed when lava extrusive rock, extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimal crystal growth. It is an igneous rock. Produced from felsic lava, obsidian is rich in the lighter element ...
quarry site has been identified in the nearby
Mineral Mountains.
The historic
Southern Paiute
The Southern Paiute people () are a tribe of Native Americans who have lived in the Colorado River basin of southern Nevada, northern Arizona, and southern Utah. Bands of Southern Paiute live in scattered locations throughout this territory an ...
inhabited the region well before encountering the first European explorers. The 1776
Dominguez–Escalante Expedition is the first known European exploration in this area.
In 1847–1848, Mormons from the United States developed a trade route through the Beaver River valley between their new settlements at
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...
in the Utah Territory and
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, which was still part of
Alta California
Alta California (, ), also known as Nueva California () among other names, was a province of New Spain formally established in 1804. Along with the Baja California peninsula, it had previously comprised the province of , but was made a separat ...
,
Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
. The original route crossed the river three miles downstream from Beaver at the site that later was developed as
Greenville. This route became known during the
California Gold Rush
The California gold rush (1848–1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California from the rest of the U ...
as the Southern Route of the
California Trail
The California Trail was an emigrant trail of about across the western half of the North American continent from Missouri River towns to what is now the state of California. After it was established, the first half of the California Trail f ...
. Later called the
Mormon Road
Mormon Road, also known to the 49ers as the Southern Route, of the California Trail in the Western United States, was a seasonal wagon road pioneered by a Mormon party from Salt Lake City, Utah led by Jefferson Hunt, that followed the route of S ...
or California Road, it passed over the
Black Mountains between the crossing and
Muley Point. Following the United States' victory in the
Mexican–American War
The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...
(1846–1848), it took over California and the Southwest.
In 1855, as part of improvements, the Mormon Road over the Black Mountains was realigned eastward. It was routed from the site that developed as Beaver to
Muley Point through more wagon-friendly terrain in
Nevershine Hollow and over
Beaver Ridge into the canyon of
Fremont Wash, rejoining the original road above Muley Point. This road became a winter commercial wagon road, known in California as the Los Angeles – Salt Lake Road, and in Mormon settlements in
Utah
Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...
and
Arizona Territory
The Territory of Arizona, commonly known as the Arizona Territory, was a territory of the United States that existed from February 24, 1863, until February 14, 1912, when the remaining extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the ...
(now southern Nevada) as the California Road.
Beaver was settled in 1856 by
Mormon pioneers
The Mormon pioneers were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), also known as Latter-day Saints, who Human migration, migrated beginning in the mid-1840s until the late-1860s across the United States from the ...
traveling this road; it was one of a string of Mormon settlements along the road through Utah. By design, these settlements were located a day's ride on horseback apart, which explains the regularity of their spacing. They were generally apart. Where intervening settlements failed or were absorbed, they became apart. Beaver was developed between the settlements in the
Pahvant Valley and those in the
Parowan Valley.
In 1873 the US Army established
Fort Cameron, two miles from Beaver, because of Indian raids on the area Mormon settlements. To serve this isolated area, the territorial government placed the Second Judicial Court of the Utah Territory in Beaver from 1870 until 1896, when Utah became a state. Also included in this court's jurisdiction were Iron,
Washington,
Kane,
Garfield
''Garfield'' is an American comic strip created by Jim Davis (cartoonist), Jim Davis. Originally published locally as ''Jon'' in 1976 (later changed to ''Garfield'' in 1977), then in nationwide Print syndication, syndication from 1978, it chro ...
, and
Piute counties.
In 1856, Mormons migrated to the
Beaver Valley from
Parowan to the south. George A. Smith called a council meeting in February 1856, and Simeon F. Howd was elected as presiding elder and Edward W. Thompson as clerk. In 1858, numerous migrants from
San Bernardino, California
San Bernardino ( ) is a city in and the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 census, making it the List of ...
, settled here. In December 1859, W. W. Willis and P. K. Smith were authorized by the council to build a sawmill and gristmill on North Creek, and given control of all water on the mill site. By 1869, the Mormon settlers in Beaver were numerous enough to organize a
stake. The first stake president was
John Murdock.
During the 1870s, settlers made an effort to establish a woolen mill, a tannery, and a dairy industry. Most were engaged in stock raising.
Beaver was the first town in Utah to be electrified. A
hydroelectric
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...
generation plant was constructed on the
Beaver River early in the 20th century. The plant continues to provide a large part of Beaver's power requirements today. Although, contrary to popular belief, it is not locally referred to as "
Beaver Dam
A beaver dam or beaver impoundment is a dam built by beavers; it creates a pond which protects against predators such as coyotes, alligators, cougars, foxes, eagles, wolves and bears, and holds their food during winter. These structures modify th ...
!"
In 2006, Beaver won a contest for best tasting rural water in the United States.
In 2010, Beaver took top honors in the world for best tasting water.
Its welcome billboards along I-15 highlight the water quality.
Geography
Beaver is located in eastern Beaver County, along
Interstate 15
Interstate 15 (I-15) is a major Interstate Highway in the Western United States, running through Southern California and the Intermountain West. I-15 begins near the Mexican border in San Diego County and stretches north to Alberta, Ca ...
, the main artery for the state. To the east of Beaver lie the
Tushar Mountains. The peaks in these mountains rise to over . The
Beaver River flows out of the mountains and through the city of Beaver, passing south of downtown before continuing west towards
Minersville and the
Escalante Desert
The Escalante Desert is a geographic Great Basin region and arid desert ecoregion, in the deserts and xeric shrublands biome, located in southwestern Utah.
Geography
The Escalante Desert is northwest of Cedar City in Iron County, Utah, and ext ...
basin. The
Mineral Mountains rise to the west of Beaver, and the South Hills are to the south.
Interstate 15 runs along the western edge of Beaver, with access from exits 109 and 112. I-15 leads north to the western end of
Interstate 70
Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from Interstate 15, I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to Interstate 695 (Maryland), I-695 and Maryland Route 570 (MD 570) in Woodlawn, Baltimo ...
at
Cove Fort, to
Fillmore, and to
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...
and south to
Cedar City
Cedar City is the largest city in Iron County, Utah, United States. Located south of Salt Lake City, it is north of Las Vegas on Interstate 15 in Utah, Interstate 15. Southern Utah University is located in Cedar City. It is the home of the Ut ...
, to
St George
Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the R ...
, and to
Las Vegas
Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
.
Utah State Route 153 heads east from Beaver across the Tushar Mountains to
Junction, and
Utah State Route 21 runs west through the Beaver River Valley to Minersville.
The
American Discovery Trail
The American Discovery Trail is a system of recreational trails and roads that collectively form a coast-to-coast hiking and biking trail across the mid-tier of the United States. Horses can also be ridden on most of this trail. The coastal tr ...
runs through Beaver.
An important Beaver landmark is the
hillside letter B, which is visible from the freeway ().
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the city has a total area of , all land.
Climate
Beaver has a typical Intermountain Region
cool semi-arid climate (
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
''BSk''), bordering on a
humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...
(''Dfb''), with summers characterized by hot days and chilly nights, and cold winters with moderate snowfall.
During the summer, days are hot and usually dry, though on occasions, as in July 1936 – the wettest month on record with –
monsoonal weather can bring heavy thunderstorms from the Gulf of California. Owing to the absence of cloudiness caused by the Great Salt Lake, nights are much cooler than in Salt Lake City or Ogden during this season. The hottest recorded temperature in Beaver is , which has occurred twice on June 21, 1913, and July 26, 1931, and 23.3 days will on average top , although the hottest monthly mean minimum is only in July 1968.
Winters are cold, though not severe, and generally dry, with the city's intermountain valley location making it sufficiently dry that only of snowfall can be expected each winter. Typically temperatures fall below freezing on all but six nights during winter and on 193.7 nights during an entire year; however maxima will top freezing on all but 14.3 afternoons. Temperatures below occur on 9.8 nights per winter, and the coldest temperature on record is on February 9, 1933, during an exceptionally cold western winter. The most snowfall has been at least between July 1948 and June 1949, and the most in a month during the notoriously cold January 1949 which averaged a record low with mean minimum as low as ; by way of contrast, no measurable snow fell during the mild, dry winter of 1962–63. The wettest calendar year has been 1936 with and the driest 1956 with ; the most in one day being on September 20, 1911.
Government
Local Government
Beaver uses a city council with five council members and a mayor. The city also has a city manager who runs day-to-day business affairs.
The current city mayor, council members, and city manager are:
* Mayor: Matt Robinson
* Council Members: Lance Cox, Tyler Schena, Alison Webb, Hal Murdock, Robin Bradshaw
* City manager: Jason Brown.
Demographics
As of 2010, the total population of Beaver was 3,112, which is 26.81% more than it was in 2000. The population growth rate is higher than the state average rate of 23.77% and is much higher than the national average rate of 9.71%. The Beaver population density is 479.56 people per square mile, which is much higher than the state average density of 32.56 people per square mile and is much higher than the national average density of 81.32 people per square mile. The most prevalent race in Beaver is white, which represent 88.37% of the total population. The average Beaver education level is lower than the state average and is lower than the national average.
As of the census of 2000,
2,454 people, 856 households, and 653 families resided in the city. The population density was 535.5 people per square mile (206.9/km). The 1,021 housing units averaged 222.8 per square mile (86.1/km). The
racial makeup of the city was 94.74% White, 0.53% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 3.06% from other races, and 1.51% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 5.05% of the population.
Of the 856 households, 41.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.0% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.6% were not families. About 21.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.84, and the average family size was 3.33.
In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 32.9% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 23.3% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,646, and for a family was $37,933. Males had a median income of $29,485 versus $17,159 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the city was $14,412. About 6.7% of families and 8.6% 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 9.0% of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
*
Butch Cassidy
Robert LeRoy Parker (April 13, 1866 – November 7, 1908), better known as Butch Cassidy, was an American train robbery, train and bank robbery, bank robber and the leader of a gang of criminal outlaws known as the "Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch, ...
, born in Beaver, became a notorious outlaw in the American West.
*
Betty Compson
Betty Compson (born Eleanor Luicime Compson; March 19, 1897 – April 18, 1974) was an American actress and film producer who got her start during Hollywood's silent era. She is best known for her performances in ''The Docks of New York'' and '' ...
, was born in Beaver March 3, 1897. She was an early motion picture star of such films as ''The Pony Express'' (1925).
*
Philo Farnsworth
Philo Taylor Farnsworth (August 19, 1906 – March 11, 1971), "The father of television", was the American inventor and pioneer who was granted the first patent for the television by the United States Government.
Burns, R. W. (1998), ''Televisi ...
, inventor of electronic television and the Farnsworth–Hirsch
fusor, a small nuclear fusion device.
[Burns, R. W. (1998), ''Television: An international history of the formative years''. IET History of Technology Series, 22. London]
The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET)
p. 370. .
*
Ida Hunt Udall, born March 8, 1858, in
Iron County, spent most of her childhood and adolescence in Beaver. In adulthood she became a diarist and homesteader.
See also
*
List of cities and towns in Utah
Utah is a state located in the Western United States. , there are 253 municipalities in the U.S. state of Utah. A municipality is called a town if the population is under 1,000 people, and a city if the population is over 1,000 people. Incorpo ...
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Cities in Beaver County, Utah
Cities in Utah
County seats in Utah
Populated places established in 1856
Mormon Road