Show 1 4 8 1 SANPETE PETE Utah's Utah s Hub County SANPETE COUNTY LIES IN THE VERY HEART OF BEEHIVE STATE Sanpete County c co covering o v vcr e r i in n g 1680 sql square are miles is l 10 located o c cat a t e d din din in the geographic center of Utah The county is 60 GO miles mile long and 30 miles wide with much of its it's area contained in mountains The county is governed by a aboard aboard aboard board of three commissioners now including Joe Jensen Gunnison Gunnison Gunnison Gun- Gun nison John W. W McAllister l Mt Pleasant and Clifford Blackham Blackham Blackham Black- Black ham M 1 Moroni o 0 r o 0 n i. i Other elected county officers include Gilbert Fjeldsted clerk Mae lae S. S Graham Graham Gra Gra- ham recorder Clive Hansen Hansell assessor Rulon Strate treasurer treasur treasur- er r Don V. V Tibbs attorney Ulysses Larsen Larson sheriff a and n d Clyde Whitlock surveyor The modern stone court house housein in Manti lanti contains the offices of the above officers plus cour court courtroom courtroom room county jail and offices for the welfare agency county agricultural agent draft board court officials etc Much Grazing Land LandOf Of Sanpete's area about acres are arc under cultivation with about acres of grazing grazing grazing graz graz- ing lands exclusive of the National National National Na Na- Forest Thus a very large portion of the county is found in Forest and private grazing lands The assessed valuation for the county in 1952 was with of this on ties There were cattle assessed within the county and sheep This sheep figure is but a fraction of the sheep owned by Sanpete citizens Th The large majority majority majority ma ma- of sheep owned by Sanpete Sanpete Sanpete San San- pete citizens are not in t the h e county at assessing time so are arc assessed elsewhere with Sanpete Sanpete Sanpete San San- pete receiving from the assessing assessing assessing assess assess- ing county money in proportion to the time the herds spend here Most 1 Sanpete sheep winter winter winter win win- ter in the desert lands in Western West Vest Vestern Western ern Utah and use the ranges nearby as spring and summer grazing areas In the way of taxes Sanpete charged in in 1952 and collected Towns and Cities Sanpete had a 1950 census population of divided be between between between be- be tween 17 communities Three of these communities have about 2000 persons each five communities communities communities com com- have between 1000 and 2000 people and the remainder are arc small farming communities The average elevation of the valley part of the county is about feet with the southern southern southern south south- ern end being a bit lower and the northern end higher than this Practically every town and city in the county can trace its it's history back to a fort built for protection from hostile Indians Each ach community was enclosed by walls for protection during the early days of settlement in inthe inthe inthe the county Portions of some of these rock walls can still be found in some communities Almost every community in inthe I Ithe the county is located near the mouth of a mountain canyon These canyons bring forth the vital irrigation water for the various communities and often bear the name of the settlement they serve The people of Sanpete a are r e mostly Scandinavian being descendants descendants descendants des des- of early Mormon lormon pio pio- pio- pio The first pioneers came cameto cameto cameto to Manti lanti in 1849 and the county was officially deeded to Brigham Brigham Brigham Brig- Brig ham Young and the pioneers b by Indian Chief in 1856 But there were Indian troubles and wars until after 1870 This county was called the granary of Utah in early days as the first settlers found conditions conditions conditions con con- good for the production of grains Today's crops arc are mostly hay and grains for live live- stock I |