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Official Website
History
Much of Duchesne County was part of the Uintah Reservation, created 1861 by US President Abraham Lincoln 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, 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, settlement of the future Duchesne County area did not occur due to LDS Church 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 to partition the eastern part into a separate county. The referendum passed, so Utah Governor William Spry issued a proclamation to take effect on January 4, 1915. The county seat was decided by county vote in November 5, 1914 election. The new county was named for its county seat, which in turn was called for the Duchesne River 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 it was named by fur trappers in the 1820s in honor of Mother Rose Philippine Duchesne, founder of the School of the Sacred Heart near St. Louis, 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.
Adjacent Counties
Cities, Towns & Communities
- Altamont
- Altonah
- Arcadia
- Bluebell
- Bridgeland
- Duchesne (County Seat)
- Fruitland
- Hanna
- Mountain Home
- Myton
- Neola
- Roosevelt
- Strawberry
- Tabiona
- Talmage
- Upalco
- Utahn
Links
Ashley National Forest (part)
Wasatch-Cache National Forest (part)
National Register of Historic Places
