Millard 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 U.S. state of

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 12,975. 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 Fillmore, and the largest city is

Delta Delta commonly refers to: * Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet * D (NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta"), the fourth letter in the Latin alphabet * River delta, at a river mouth * Delta Air Lines, a major US carrier ...

History

The

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 ...

legislature created the county on October 4, 1851, with territory not previously covered by county creations and including some area in the future state of

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

. It was named for the thirteenth US President

Millard Fillmore Millard Fillmore (January 7, 1800 – March 8, 1874) was the 13th president of the United States, serving from 1850 to 1853. He was the last president to be a member of the Whig Party while in the White House, and the last to be neither a De ...

, who was in office then. Fillmore was designated as the county seat. The county boundaries were altered in 1852 and again in 1854. On March 2, 1861, the US government created the

Nevada Territory The Territory of Nevada (N.T.) was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until October 31, 1864, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Nevada. Prior to the creation of the Neva ...

, which effectively de-annexed the described portion of Millard County falling in that Territorial Proclamation. The county boundary was further altered in 1862, 1866, 1888, and in 1919. In 1921 a boundary adjustment with Sevier brought Millard to its present configuration. Fillmore, located near the geographic center of the territory, was originally built as the capital of Utah Territory. The Utah Territorial Legislature approved a plan to locate the capital in the Pahvant Valley. On October 28, 1851, Utah Governor

Brigham Young Brigham Young ( ; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second President of the Church (LDS Church), president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1847 until h ...

traveled to the valley and chose the specific site for Fillmore. The town was surveyed that same day. A colonizing company soon followed; they built houses, a grist mill, and a sawmill. Construction of the Territorial Statehouse was initiated in 1852. The Territorial legislature met in Fillmore for the first (and only time) in 1855. The following year they voted to keep the capital in Great Salt Lake City.

Geography

Millard County lies on the west side of Utah. Its west border abuts the east border of the state of

. The county terrain consists of arid, rough undulating flatlands interrupted by numerous hills and mountain ridges.''Millard County UT'' Google Maps
/ref> The highest point in the county is Mine Camp Peak in the Central Utah Plateaus, at ASL. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (3.7%) is water. It is the third-largest county in Utah by area. The Sevier Desert covers much of Millard County, being the seafloor of ancient Lake Bonneville. Sevier Lake, a mostly dry remnant of Lake Bonneville, is in central Millard County. The Pahvant Mountains form the county's eastern boundary. Fillmore and other farming communities lie at the base of the Pahvant Mountains.

sits several miles from the banks of the Sevier River in the middle of the basin.

Major highways

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 ...

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 ...

* US-6 * US-50 * SR-21 * SR-100 * SR-125 * SR-132 * SR-133 * SR-136 * SR-257

Adjacent counties

* Juab County - north * Sanpete County - northeast * Sevier County - southeast * Beaver County - south * Lincoln County, Nevada - southwest *

White Pine County, Nevada White Pine County is a largely rural, mountain County (United States), county along the central eastern boundary of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 9,080. Its county seat is Ely, ...

- west

Protected areas

* Circus Hollow Wildlife Management Area * Clear Lake Waterfowl Management Area * Fishlake National Forest (part) * Halfway Hill Wildlife Management Area

Lakes

* Abraham Reservoir * Alexander Lake * Antelope Spring (along Cove Creek) * Antelope Spring Reservoir * AT T Road Reservoir * Beaver River Reservoir * Big Drum Reservoir * Big Sage Reservoir * Bitterweed Lake * Black Point Reservoir * Black Spring * Bloom Trail Reservoir * Borden Basin Reservoir * Burnt Tree Pond * Carr Lake * Cat Canyon Reservoir * Cedar Pass Reservoir * Chokecherry Reservoir * Clay Knoll Reservoir * Clear Lake * Clear Spot Reservoirs * Coates Reservoir * Cockleburr Lake * Confusion Hills Reservoir * Conger Reservoir * Construction Reservoir * Coyote Spring (near Beaver River) * Coyote Spring (Tule Valley) * Crafts Lake * Crater Reservoir * Cricket Reservoir * Cricket Reservoir Number 2 * D M A D Reservoir * Danish Reservoir * Deadman Reservoir * Deep Lake * Deseret Reservoirs * Devils Kitchen Reservoir * East Antelope Reservoir * East Hardpan Reservoir * East Tule Bench Reservoir * Ecks Knoll Reservoir * Fillmore Wash Reservoir * Fool Creek Number Two Reservoir * Fool Creek Reservoir Number 1 * Foote Reservoir * Georges Reservoir * Greener Reservoir * Gunnison Bend Reservoir * Halls Double Reservoir * Hardpan Reservoir * Headquarters Reservoir * Highway Reservoir * Hinckley Trail Reservoir * Hodgsen Pond * Hole-in-the-Rock Reservoir * Horsetrap Reservoir * Indian Queen Reservoir * Indian Ranch * Jackson Pond * Jensen Spring * Johnson Pond * Lakeview Reservoir * Lawson Cove Reservoir * Little Drum Reservoir * Long Ridge Reservoir * Lower Clay Spring * Madsen Reservoir * Miller Canyon Reservoir * Mormon Gap Reservoir * Mud Flat Reservoir * Mud Lake Spring * Mud Springs * Needle Hardpan Reservoir * Needle Reservoir * Neels Reservoir Number 2 * Nelson Reservoir Number 2 * Nielson Pond * North Clay Knoll Reservoir * North Knoll Spring * Pine Pass Reservoir * Pony Express Reservoir * Preuss Lake * Probst Pond * Rain Lakes * Red Rock Number 1 Reservoir * Red Rock Number 2 Reservoir * Robins Lake * Ruths Pond * Salt Lake * Salt Marsh Lake * Scipio Lake * Sevier Lake * Sevier Lake Reservoir * Sevier Lake Reservoir Number 1 * Sevier Lake Reservoir Number 4 * Sevier Lake Reservoir Number 5 * Sevier Lake Reservoir Number 6 * Smelter Knolls Reservoir * Snake Pass Reservoir * Soap Hollow Reservoir * Soap Wash Reservoir * South Cedar Wash Reservoir * South Horse Hollow Reservoir * South Tule Spring * Spring Lake * Squidike Spring * Stage Road Reservoir * Steamboat Pass Reservoir * Styler Reservoir * Swan Lake * Swan Lake Salt Marsh * Swasey Hardpan Reservoir * Swasey Reservoir Number 2 * Swasey Reservoir Number 3 * Swasey Reservoir Number 4 * Swasey Wash Reservoir * Tamarack Reservoir * The Lakes * Thompson Knoll Reservoir * Topaz Slough * Tule Spring * Twin Springs * Warm Springs * Watsons Cow Pond * West Clay Knoll Reservoir * West Marshall Tract Reservoir * West Neels Reservoir * Whirlwind Reservoir * Willow Spring (near Tule Spring)

Great Stone Face

Pahvant Valley in Millard County has several ancient lava flows and extinct volcanoes, known as the Black Rock Desert volcanic field, including the "Black Rock" lava flow. About southwest of Delta, near Black Rock's northwest perimeter is a feature named the "Great Stone Face", which protrudes about four stories above the general elevation. Locals claim that this rock formation, when viewed at the correct angle, appears similar to a profile of

Joseph Smith Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious and political leader and the founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. Publishing the Book of Mormon at the age of 24, Smith attracted tens of thou ...

. At ground level, within view of the "Great Stone Face", is a large, smooth-faced rock covered in Native American petroglyphs.

Notch Peak

Notch Peak is west of Delta. The skyline appears to have a notch taken out of it when viewed from Delta.

Little Sahara Sand Dunes

Little Sahara Recreation Area, north of Delta, is a popular area for ATV riders.

Demographics

2020 census

According to the 2020 United States census and 2020 American Community Survey, there were 12,975 people in Millard 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 1.9 people per square mile (0.7/km²). Among non- Hispanic or Latino people, the racial makeup was 10,636 (82.0%)

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 ...

, 15 (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 ...

, 100 (0.8%) Native American, 141 (1.1%) Asian, 13 (0.1%)

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 ...

, 27 (0.2%) from other races, and 269 (2.1%) from two or more races. 1,774 (13.7%) people were Hispanic or Latino. There were 6,581 (50.72%) males and 6,394 (49.28%) females, and the population distribution by age was 4,040 (31.1%) under the age of 18, 6,659 (51.3%) from 18 to 64, and 2,276 (17.5%) who were at least 65 years old. The median age was 36.1 years. There were 4,299 households in Millard County with an average size of 3.02 of which 3,316 (77.1%) were families and 983 (22.9%) were non-families. Among all families, 2,801 (65.2%) 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 ...

, 196 (4.6%) were male householders with no spouse, and 319 (7.4%) were female householders with no spouse. Among all non-families, 848 (19.7%) were a single person living alone and 135 (3.1%) were two or more people living together. 1,665 (38.7%) of all households had children under the age of 18. 3,385 (78.7%) of households were owner-occupied while 914 (21.3%) were renter-occupied. The median income for a Millard County household was $63,221 and the median family income was $67,981, with a per-capita income of $25,479. The median income for males that were full-time employees was $50,906 and for females $34,875. 12.3% of the population and 10.9% 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 7,920 people in Millard County 25 years or older, 820 (10.4%) had not completed high school, 2,565 (32.4%) 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, 2,763 (34.9%) 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 ...

, 1,374 (17.3%) 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 398 (5.0%) 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 ...

Economy

Millard County is working hard to make it easier to build

Earthship An Earthship is a style of architecture developed in the late 20th century to early 21st century by architect Mike Reynolds (architect), Michael Reynolds. Earthships are designed to behave as Passive solar building design, passive solar earth s ...

s, straw bale homes, and other ecological and sustainable housing. Millard County is the home of the Telescope Array Project

ultra-high-energy cosmic ray In astroparticle physics, an ultra-high-energy cosmic ray (UHECR) is a cosmic ray with an energy greater than 1 EeV (1018 electronvolts, approximately 0.16 joules), far beyond both the rest mass and energies typical of other cosmic ray part ...

observatory. The Lon and Mary Watson Millard County Cosmic Ray Center was dedicated on March 20, 2006.

Japanese internment camp

The Topaz War Relocation Center was a

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Japanese internment camp located in Millard County west of Delta. The location is open to the public, with a memorial at the northwest corner.

Politics and government

Millard County has traditionally voted Republican. In no national election since 1944 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate (as of 2024).

Communities

Millard County Utah incorporated and unincorporated areas

Cities

* Fillmore (county seat)

Towns

* Hinckley *

Holden Holden, formerly known as General Motors-Holden, was an Australian subsidiary company of General Motors. Founded in Adelaide, it was an automobile manufacturer, importer, and exporter that sold cars under its own marque in Australia. It was ...

* Kanosh * Leamington * Lynndyl *

Meadow A meadow ( ) is an open habitat or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non- woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as they maintain an open character. Meadows can occur naturally under favourable con ...

* Oak City * Scipio

Census-designated places

* Deseret *

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment Sutherland Sutherland () is a Counties of Scotland, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in the Scottish Highlands, Highlands of Scotland. The name dates from the Scandinavian Scotland, Viking era when t ...

Unincorporated communities

Abraham Abraham (originally Abram) is the common Hebrews, Hebrew Patriarchs (Bible), patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father who began the Covenant (biblical), covenanta ...

* Black Rock *

Border Borders are generally defined as geography, geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by polity, political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other administrative divisio ...

Burbank Burbank may refer to: Places Australia * Burbank, Queensland, a suburb in Brisbane United States * Burbank, California, a city in Los Angeles County * Burbank, Santa Clara County, California, a census-designated place * Burbank, Illinois, ...

* Cove Fort * EskDale * Flowell * Fool Creek * Gandy *

Garrison A garrison is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a military base or fortified military headquarters. A garrison is usually in a city ...

* Hatton * McCornick * Sugarville * Woodrow

Former communities

* Bloom * Borden * Clear Lake * Greenwood *

Ibex An ibex ( : ibex, ibexes or ibices) is any of several species of wild goat (genus ''Capra''), distinguished by the male's large recurved horns, which are transversely ridged in front. Ibex are found in Eurasia, North Africa and East Africa. T ...

Sunflower The common sunflower (''Helianthus annuus'') is a species of large annual forb of the daisy family Asteraceae. The common sunflower is harvested for its edible oily seeds, which are often eaten as a snack food. They are also used in the pr ...

* Topaz * Van

Education

The school district is Millard School District.
Text list
/ref>

Gallery

Image:LittleSaharaByPhilKonstantin.jpg, Little Sahara Sand Dunes File:Great stone face 1.JPG, The Great Stone Face Image:NotchPeakUtahByPhilKonstantin.jpg, Notch Peak as seen from the south on the valley floor File:Topaz War memorial.jpg, Topaz Internment Camp

References

External links

* {{Coord, 39.05, -113.10, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-UT_source:UScensus1990 1851 establishments in Utah Territory Populated places established in 1851 Great Basin National Heritage Area