Howell is a town located in the Blue Creek Valley in northeast Box Elder 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 245 at the 2010 census.

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 An economy is an area of th ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and (0.56%) is water.

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 in ...

of 2000, there were 221 people, 68 households, and 55 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical ...

was 6.2 people per square mile (2.4/km²). There were 75 housing units at an average density of 2.1 per square mile (0.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.10%

White White is the lightness, 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 diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...

, 0.45%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

and 0.45% Native American. There were 68 households, out of which 41.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 75.0% 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, 4.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.1% were non-families. 19.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.25 and the average family size was 3.76. In the town, the population was spread out, with 36.2% under the age of 18, 12.2% from 18 to 24, 20.8% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 8.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females, there were 130.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.4 males. The median income for a household in the town was $40,750, and the median income for a family was $42,250. Males had a median income of $39,861 versus $12,292 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 town was $16,510. About 7.3% of families and 7.6% 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 12.6% of those under the age of eighteen and 17.6% of those 65 or over.

History

Howell lies in the Blue Creek Valley that stretches north-south between four mountain ranges,

Promontory Mountains The Promontory Mountains are a range in Box Elder County, Utah. The range is oriented north–south and has a length of about . The southern portion forms a cape extending south into the Great Salt Lake. The First transcontinental railroad was c ...

, south,

North Promontory Mountains North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' i ...

, west, West Hills, northeast, and Blue Spring Hills, southeast. The northeast Great Salt Lake lies to the south of Howell, and north of Howell finds Interstate 84, roughly the area known to locals as Blue Creek. Nomadic

Shoshone The Shoshone or Shoshoni ( or ) are a Native American tribe with four large cultural/linguistic divisions: * Eastern Shoshone: Wyoming * Northern Shoshone: southern Idaho * Western Shoshone: Nevada, northern Utah * Goshute: western Utah, e ...

Indians used the area to travel between the Great Salt Lake and areas to the north.

Charles Crocker Charles Crocker (September 16, 1822 – August 14, 1888) was an American railroad executive who was one of the founders of the Central Pacific Railroad, which constructed the westernmost portion of the first transcontinental railroad, and took ...

, a California developer and business man oversaw development of the

First transcontinental railroad North America's first transcontinental railroad (known originally as the "Pacific Railroad" and later as the " Overland Route") was a continuous railroad line constructed between 1863 and 1869 that connected the existing eastern U.S. rail netwo ...

, which passed through

Promontory A promontory is a raised mass of land that projects into a lowland or a body of water (in which case it is a peninsula). Most promontories either are formed from a hard ridge of rock that has resisted the erosive forces that have removed the soft ...

, about south of Howell. The

Golden Spike The golden spike (also known as The Last Spike) is the ceremonial 17.6- karat gold final spike driven by Leland Stanford to join the rails of the first transcontinental railroad across the United States connecting the Central Pacific Railroad ...

was driven near Promontory (at Lampo) in 1869. Crocker formed the

Promontory Land and Livestock Company A promontory is a raised mass of land that projects into a lowland or a body of water (in which case it is a peninsula). Most promontories either are formed from a hard ridge of rock that has resisted the erosive forces that have removed the soft ...

in this time period, which had land holdings that stretched from the Great Salt Lake north to Idaho, and west to Nevada. The area was used for cattle ranching, with headquarters in Promontory, Howell, and the Dilly Ranch. The company disbanded in 1909. In 1909 the newly created Promontory-Curlew Land Company purchased the Promontory Land and Livestock Company's Utah and Idaho land holdings. Howell is named after Utah Congressman

Joseph Howell Joseph Howell (February 17, 1857 – July 18, 1918) was a U.S. Representative from Utah. Life and career Born in Brigham City, Utah Territory, Howell moved with his parents to Wellsville, Utah, in 1863. He attended the common schools and t ...

who was involved with the Promontory-Curlew Land Company. In 1910 Nephi Nessen purchased from the Promontory-Curlew Land Company, and established the first private and permanent residence in Howell. Nessen was born in

Logan, Utah Logan is a city in Cache County, Utah, United States. The 2020 census recorded the population was 52,778. Logan is the county seat of Cache County and the principal city of the Logan metropolitan area, which includes Cache County and Franklin ...

in 1867, the son of

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...

immigrants and converts to

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 nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ...

who crossed the plains from the east as part of a

Handcart company The Mormon handcart pioneers were participants in the migration of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) to Salt Lake City, Utah, who used handcarts to transport their belongings. The Mormon handcart moveme ...

. Other settler families included Andersen, Baxter, Cravens, Gunnell, Bailey, Carlsen, Douglas, Fonnesbeck, Rock, Wood, Allen, Barber, and Maughn. The Bar M Ranch was headquartered near what is now the town center. A school was opened in 1910 in a Bar M Ranch building. In 1911, a new school was opened (pictured above), which has now been converted into a community center. In 1980, a modern school was built for

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cent ...

through third grades, but closed in 2008. In 1904, the Blue Creek Reservoir was built on Blue Creek, northwest of Howell. However, the reservoir is now located almost entirely within the town limits

Transportation

While

I-84 Interstate 84 may refer to: * Interstate 84 (Oregon–Utah), passing through Idaho, formerly known as Interstate 80N * Interstate 84 (Pennsylvania–Massachusetts), passing through New York and Connecticut {{road disambiguation 84

only passes through the northeastern corner of the town, SR-83 heads south from the interstate to pass through the town (and continues on to Corinne).

References

External links