Duchesne County ( ) is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

in the northeast part of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

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 ...

. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 19,596. Its

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 ...

is Duchesne, and the largest city is Roosevelt.

History

Much of Duchesne County was part of the Uintah Reservation, created 1861 by US President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

as a permanent home of the Uintah and White River Utes. Later the Uncompahgre Utes were moved to the Uintah and newly created Uncompahgre Indian reservations from western Colorado. At the turn of the century, under the

Dawes Act The Dawes Act of 1887 (also known as the General Allotment Act or the Dawes Severalty Act of 1887) regulated land rights on tribal territories within the United States. Named after Senator Henry L. Dawes of Massachusetts, it authorized the P ...

, both Indian reservations were thrown open to homesteaders. This was done after allotments of land were made to Indians of the three tribes. The homesteading process was opened on the Uintah on August 27, 1905. Unlike much of the rest of

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 st ...

, settlement of the future Duchesne County area did not occur due to

LDS Church The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian restorationist Christian denomination and the largest denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement. Founded during ...

pressures. It was settled by individuals who obtained 160 acres under the federal Homestead Act. Homesteaders were required to prove that they intended to farm the land. After five years of living on the land, making improvements, and paying $1.25 per acre, homesteaders were given title to their homesteads. On July 13, 1914, a referendum was presented to voters of

Wasatch County Wasatch County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 34,788. Its county seat and largest city is Heber City. The county was named for a Ute word meaning "mountain pass" or "low plac ...

to partition the eastern part into a separate county. The referendum passed, so Utah Governor William Spry proclaimed on January 4, 1915. The county seat was decided by county vote on November 5, 1914, election. The new county was named for its county seat, which in turn was called for the

Duchesne River The Duchesne River ( ), located in the Uintah Basin region of Utah in the western United States, is a tributary of the Green River. The watershed of the river covers the Northeastern corner of Utah. The Duchesne River is long,U.S. Geological S ...

, which flows southward and then eastward through the central part of the county near the city. Its name is of uncertain origin, but the holding theory is that fur trappers named it in the 1820s in honor of Mother Rose Philippine Duchesne, founder of the School of the Sacred Heart near

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

, Missouri, although other theories as to the name exist. The county boundary with Uintah County was adjusted by legislative act on March 5, 1917; Duchesne County boundaries have remained in their current configuration since that date.

Geography

Duchesne County's terrain is semi-arid, rough, and scarred with drainages. The

drains the central part of the county.''Duchesne County UT'' Google Maps (accessed 29 March 2019)
/ref> The county generally slopes to the south and east. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.5%) is water. The northern part of the county contains much of the east–west oriented

Uinta Mountains The Uinta Mountains ( ) are an east-west trending mountain range in northeastern Utah extending a short distance into northwest Colorado and slightly into southwestern Wyoming in the United States. As a subrange of the Rocky Mountains, they are u ...

. The highest natural point in Utah, Kings Peak at , is located in Duchesne County.

Major highways

* * * * * * *

Adjacent counties

* Summit County - north * Daggett County - northeast * Uintah County - east * Carbon County - south * Utah County - southwest *

- west

Protected areas

Ashley National Forest Ashley National Forest is a United States National Forest, National Forest located in northeastern Utah and southwestern Wyoming. Within the Forest's bounds are (with in Utah and in Wyoming) of vast forests, lakes, and mountains, with elevati ...

(part) * Big Sand State Park * Currant Creek Wildlife Management Area * High Uintas Wilderness (part) * Red Creek Wildlife Management Area * Skitzy Wildlife Management Area * Starvation State Park * Wasatch-Cache National Forest (part)

Lakes

* Big Sand Wash Reservoir * Cedar View Reservoir * Chepeta Lake * Crater Lake * Daynes Lake * Grandaddy Lake * Kidney Lake * Lake Atwood * Mirror Lake * Moon Lake * Starvation Reservoir * Upper Stillwater Reservoir

Demographics

2020 census

According to the 2020 United States census and 2020 American Community Survey, there were 19,596 people in Duchesne County with a

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing 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 geog ...

of 6.1 people per square mile (2.3/km²). Among non- Hispanic or Latino people, the racial makeup was 16,736 (85.4%)

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 21 (0.1%)

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 875 (4.5%) Native American, 60 (0.3%) Asian, 39 (0.2%)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...

, 47 (0.2%) from other races, and 533 (2.7%) from two or more races. 1,285 (6.6%) people were Hispanic or Latino. There were 9,933 (50.69%) males and 9,663 (49.31%) females, and the population distribution by age was 6,328 (32.3%) under the age of 18, 10,598 (54.1%) from 18 to 64, and 2,670 (13.6%) who were at least 65 years old. The median age was 33.3 years. There were 6,511 households in Duchesne County with an average size of 3.01 of which 4,937 (75.8%) were families and 1,574 (24.2%) were non-families. Among all families, 3,986 (61.2%) were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

, 363 (5.6%) were male householders with no spouse, and 588 (9.0%) were female householders with no spouse. Among all non-families, 1,312 (20.2%) were a single person living alone and 262 (4.0%) were two or more people living together. 2,748 (42.2%) of all households had children under the age of 18. 5,124 (78.7%) of households were owner-occupied while 1,387 (21.3%) were renter-occupied. The median income for a Duchesne County household was $61,655 and the median family income was $69,216, with a

per-capita income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of unde ...

of $25,086. The median income for males that were full-time employees was $62,929 and for females $35,847. 13.9% of the population and 11.0% of families 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 ...

. In terms of education attainment, out of the 11,755 people in Duchesne County 25 years or older, 1,270 (10.8%) had not completed high school, 4,510 (38.4%) had a

high school diploma A high school diploma (sometimes referred to as a high school degree) is a diploma awarded upon graduation of high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary s ...

or equivalency, 4,362 (37.1%) had some college or

associate degree An associate degree or associate's degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of academic qualification above a high school diploma and below a bachelor's degree ...

, 1,159 (9.9%) had a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

, and 454 (3.9%) had a graduate or

professional degree A professional degree, formerly known in the US as a first professional degree, is a degree that prepares someone to work in a particular profession, practice, or industry sector often meeting the academic requirements for licensure or accreditatio ...

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 18,607 people, 6,003 households, and 4,703 families in the county. The

was . There were 6,988 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 89.15%

, 0.24%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

, 4.53% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.27%

, 2.64% from other races, and 2.89% from two or more races. 6.00% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. There were 6,003 households, of which 40.23% had children under 18 living with them, 64.72% were

living together, 8.65% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.66% were non-families. 45.0% of all households had individuals under 18, and 22.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.05, and the average family size was 3.47. The county population contained 33.91% under the age of 18, 6.56% from 20 to 24, 25.38% from 25 to 44, 20.92% from 45 to 64, and 10.66% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.80 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 100.00 males. The median income for a household in the county was $31,298, and the median income for a family was $35,350. Males had a median income of $31,988 versus $19,692 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 county was $12,326. About 14.20% of families and 16.80% of the population were below the

, including 19.60% of those under age 18 and 12.40% of those aged 65 or over.

Ancestry

As of 2015 the largest self-reported ancestry groups in Duchesne County, Utah are:

Politics and government

*Clair Poulson, West Side Precinct Justice Court Judge *Travis Tucker, Sheriff *JoAnn Evans, County Clerk-Auditor Duchesne County voters are traditionally Republican. In no national election since 1964 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate (as of 2024).

Communities

Cities

* Duchesne (county seat) * Myton * Roosevelt

Towns

* Altamont * Tabiona

Census-designated places

* Bluebell * Neola

Unincorporated communities

* Altonah * Arcadia * Boneta * Bridgeland *

Crescent A crescent shape (, ) is a symbol or emblem used to represent the lunar phase (as it appears in the northern hemisphere) in the first quarter (the "sickle moon"), or by extension a symbol representing the Moon itself. In Hindu iconography, Hind ...

* Fruitland * Hanna * Hayden (part) * Ioka *

Monarch A monarch () is a head of stateWebster's II New College Dictionary. "Monarch". Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. Life tenure, for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest ...

* Mount Emmons * Mountain Home * Stockmore *

Strawberry The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; ''Fragaria × ananassa'') is a widely grown Hybrid (biology), hybrid plant cultivated worldwide for its fruit. The genus ''Fragaria'', the strawberries, is in the rose family, Rosaceae. The fruit ...

* Talmage * Upalco * Utahn

Former communities

* Cedarview * Harper

Education

All areas in the county are in the Duchesne School District.
Text list
/ref>

References

External links

* {{Coord, 40.28, -110.44, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-UT_source:UScensus1990 1915 establishments in Utah Populated places established in 1915