Area:
5,l58 square miles;
population:
3,980 (in 1990); county
seat: Panguitch;
origin of county
name: after President
James A. Garfield;
principal cities/towns:
Panguitch
(1,444), Escalante
(818); economy:
cattle, lumber, tourism;
points of interest:
Anasazi
State Park,
Bryce
Canyon National Park,
Burr
Trail, Escalante
State Park, Kodachrome
Basin State Park,
Lake
Powell, Otter
Creek State Park,
Piute
State Park, Panguitch
Lake, Escalante
DUP Building, Boulder
Mountain.
The Colorado River
and Lake Powell mark
the eastern border
of remote, sparsely
populated Garfield
County. Other geographical
features include the
Henry Mountains in
the northeast and
the forested, high
plateaus in the western
half of the county.
The two areas have
eleven peaks over
10,000 feet. The Sevier
River system runs
north through western
Garfield County, and
the Escalante River
empties into the Colorado.
Traces of three major
prehistoric Indian
cultures--the Sevier,
Fremont, and Anasazi--have
been found in the
county. In historic
times Southern Paiute
and Ute Indians used
the land.
The first white settlers,
under the leadership
of Jens Nielsen, made
the difficult trip
from Beaver and Parowan
through the mountains
to the Panguitch area
in March 1864. The
village of Panguitch,
abandoned during the
Black Hawk War (1865-67),
was not resettled
until 1871.
In 1875, four years
after the resettlement
of Panguitch, settlers
moved eastward to
found Escalante. Smaller
settlements were made
in Aaron, later known
as Hatch, in 1872;
Cannonville in 1876;
Henrieville in 1878;
Antimony in 1878;
Boulder in 1889; Tropic
in 1892; and Winder,
later named Widstoe,
in 1910.
The territorial legislature
created the county
in 1882, and at the
suggestion of Governor
Eli H. Murray named
it after assassinated
President James A.
Garfield. Boulder,
settled in 1889, was
considered to be the
most isolated town
in Utah until the
mid-1930s when Civilian
Conservation Corps
(CCC) workers constructed
a road from Boulder
to Escalante. Mail
was carried to Boulder
on horseback until
about 1935. The CCC
also reseeded ranges
and built telephone
lines, ranger stations,
and trails.
Vast rangelands and
some of the state's
largest forest reserves
have made cattle ranching
and lumber Garfield
County's most important
industries since pioneer
times. The forests
also provide many
recreational sites,
and Panguitch Lake
is one of the state's
prime fishing waters.
The creation of Bryce
Canyon National Park
in 1928 increased
the importance of
tourism to the local
economy. The large
sections of Capitol
Reef National Park
and Glen Canyon National
Recreation Area that
lie within the county
remained largely inaccessible
in the late 1980s.
The proposed but controversial
paving of the Burr
Trail through the
Waterpocket Fold area
of Capitol Reef would,
however, expand travel
in eastern Garfield
County. The seasonal
nature of lumbering
and tourism often
gives the county a
higher than average
rate of unemployment.
The Upper Valley oil
field in central Garfield
County is a sizable
oil-producing area.
The county also has
large coal fields
as well as tar sands
and uranium, but these
energy-related resources
have not been developed.
Mining for other minerals
has been very limited.
Politically, since
statehood in 1896,
Garfield has been
second only to Kane
County in its loyalty
to Republican candidates.
The county has several
outstanding natural
landmarks, including
Bryce Canyon National
Park, the Escalante
Mountains, Boulder
Mountain, the Henry
Mountains, and Escalante
Canyon; in addition,
there is the Colorado
River and Lake Powell,
which form the eastern
boundary of the county.
Notable historic sites
include the commercial
buildings, courthouse,
bishop's storehouse,
and Andrew Carnegie
library in Panguitch;
nineteenth-century
brick residences in
Panguitch and Escalante;
the New Deal-era Bryce
Canyon airport; lodge
and cabins at Bryce
Canyon; and the Anasazi
State Park in Boulder.
High schools are located
in Panguitch, Tropic,
and Escalante.
Miriam B. Murphy
