Millard County ( ) is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

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 ...

. As of the

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators serving ...

, the population was 12,503. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

is Fillmore, and the largest city is Delta.

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 state ...

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 U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

. It was named for the thirteenth US President

Millard Fillmore Millard Fillmore (January 7, 1800March 8, 1874) was the 13th president of the United States, serving from 1850 to 1853; he was the last to be a member of the Whig Party while in the White House. A former member of the U.S. House of Represen ...

, 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 Nevada ...

, 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 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 (accessed 27 March 2019)
/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 The Sevier Desert is a large arid section of central-west Utah, United States, and is located in the southeast of the Great Basin. It is bordered by deserts north, west, and south; its east border is along the mountain range and valley sequences ...

covers much of Millard County, being the seafloor of ancient

Lake Bonneville Lake Bonneville was the largest Late Pleistocene paleolake in the Great Basin of western North America. It was a pluvial lake that formed in response to an increase in precipitation and a decrease in evaporation as a result of cooler temperature ...

Sevier Lake Sevier Lake is an intermittent and endorheic lake which lies in the lowest part of the Sevier Desert, Millard County, Utah. Like Great Salt Lake and Utah Lake, it is a remnant of Pleistocene Lake Bonneville. Sevier Lake is fed primarily by t ...

, 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. Delta 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, Cana ...

Interstate 70 Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a park and ride lot just east of I-695 in Baltimore, Maryland, and is the fifth-longest Interstate in the co ...

* US-6 * US-50 * Utah State U-21 * Utah State U-100 * Utah State U-125 * Utah State U-132 * Utah State U-133 * Utah State U-136 * Utah State U-257

Adjacent counties

* Juab County - north *

Sanpete County Sanpete County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 27,822. Its county seat is Manti, and its largest city is Ephraim. The county was created in 1850. History The Sanpete Valley m ...

- northeast * Sevier County - southeast * Beaver County - south *

Lincoln County, Nevada Lincoln County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2010 census, the population was 5,345. Its county seat is Pioche. Like many counties in Nevada, it is dry and sparsely populated, though notable for containing the Area ...

- southwest *

White Pine County, Nevada White Pine County is a largely rural, mountain county along the central eastern boundary of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2010 census, the population was 10,030. Its county seat is Ely. The name "(Rocky Mountain) white pine" is an ...

- west

Protected areas

* Circus Hollow Wildlife Management Area * Clear Lake Waterfowl Management Area *

Fishlake National Forest Fishlake National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in south central Utah. The namesake for the forest is Fish Lake, the largest freshwater mountain lake in the state. Wildlife Animals that inhabit this forest are elk, shrews, deer, b ...

(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 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 17 miles (27 km) 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 leader and founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. When he was 24, Smith published the Book of Mormon. By the time of his death, 14 years later, h ...

. 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 Notch Peak is a distinctive summit located on Sawtooth Mountain in the House Range, west of Delta, Utah, United States. The peak and the surrounding area are part of the Notch Peak Wilderness Study Area (WSA). Bristlecone pines, estimated to ...

is 50 miles (80 km) 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 The Little Sahara Recreation Area is a large area of sand dunes, hills and sagebrush flats located in the northeast corner of the Sevier Desert in Juab County in the west central part of Utah, United States. Description Threcreation areais man ...

, 25 miles (40 km) north of Delta, is a popular area for ATV riders.

Demographics

As of the

2000 United States Census The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 c ...

, there were 12,405 people, 3,840 households, and 3,091 families in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was 1.89/sqmi (0.73/km²). There were 4,522 housing units at an average density of 0.69/sqmi (0.27/km²). In 2000 there were 3,840 households, of which 46.10% had children under 18 living with them, 70.60% 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 ...

living together, 7.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.50% were non-families. 18.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.19, and the average family size was 3.66. The county population contained 37.30% under 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 22.90% from 25 to 44, 19.40% from 45 to 64, and 12.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.90 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 101.90 males. The median income for a household in the county was $36,178, and the median income for a family was $41,797. Males had a median income of $36,989 versus $20,168 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 county was $13,408. About 9.40% of families and 13.10% 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 17.20% of those under age 18 and 7.20% of those aged 65 or over. The 2000 Census reported the racial makeup of the county was 93.94%

White White is the 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 reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 0.10%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 1.31% Native American, 0.48% Asian, 0.20%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 2.76% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.21% from two or more races. 7.18% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race. By 2005, 86.7% of Millard County's population was non-Hispanic whites. The proportion of African Americans had doubled to 0.2%. Native Americans were now 1.5% of the country's population. Asians had fallen to only 0.4% of the population. 11.0% of the population was Latino, just above the 10.9% for Utah. As of 2010, Millard County had a population of 12,310. The ethnic and racial makeup of the population was 84.7% non-Hispanic white, 0.1% black, 1.0% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.5% reporting two or more races, and 12.8% Hispanic or Latino.

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 Michael Reynolds. Earthships are designed to behave as passive solar earth shelters made of both natural and upcycled materials suc ...

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

Telescope Array Project The Telescope Array project is an international collaboration involving research and educational institutions in Japan, The United States, Russia, South Korea, and Belgium. The experiment is designed to observe air showers induced by ultra-high- ...

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 pa ...

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 The Topaz War Relocation Center, also known as the Central Utah Relocation Center (Topaz) and briefly as the Abraham Relocation Center, was an American concentration camp which housed Americans of Japanese descent and immigrants who had come t ...

was a

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

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 2020).

Communities

Millard County Utah incorporated and unincorporated areas

Cities

* Delta * Fillmore (county seat)

Towns

Hinckley Hinckley is a market town in south-west Leicestershire, England. It is administered by Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council. Hinckley is the third largest settlement in the administrative county of Leicestershire, after Leicester and Loughbo ...

Holden Holden, formerly known as General Motors-Holden, was an Australian subsidiary company of General Motors. It was an Australian automobile manufacturer, importer, and exporter which sold cars under its own marque in Australia. In its last thr ...

* 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 these areas maintain an open character. Meadows may be naturally occurring or arti ...

* Oak City * Scipio

Census-designated places

* Deseret *

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment'ksar''with its surrounding feeding source, the palm grove, within a relational and circulatory nomadic system.” The location of oases has been of critical imp ...

Sutherland Sutherland ( gd, Cataibh) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in the Highlands of Scotland. Its county town is Dornoch. Sutherland borders Caithness and Moray Firth to the east, Ross-shire and Cromartyshire (later c ...

Unincorporated communities

Abraham Abraham, ; ar, , , name=, group= (originally Abram) is the common Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father of the special relationship between the Je ...

* Black Rock *

Border Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders ca ...

* Burbank *

Cove Fort Cove Fort is a fort, unincorporated community, and historical site located in Millard County, Utah. It was founded in 1867 by Ira Hinckley (the paternal grandfather of Gordon B. Hinckley) at the request of Brigham Young. One of its distinctiv ...

* EskDale * Flowell * Fool Creek * Gandy *

Garrison A garrison (from the French ''garnison'', itself from the verb ''garnir'', "to equip") 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 mili ...

* Hatton * McCornick * Sugarville * Woodrow

Former communities

* Bloom * Borden * Clear Lake * Greenwood *

Ibex An ibex (plural 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 ...

Sunflower The common sunflower (''Helianthus annuus'') is a large annual forb of the genus ''Helianthus'' grown as a crop for its edible oily seeds. Apart from cooking oil production, it is also used as livestock forage (as a meal or a silage plant), ...

Topaz Topaz is a silicate mineral of aluminium and fluorine with the chemical formula Al Si O( F, OH). It is used as a gemstone in jewelry and other adornments. Common topaz in its natural state is colorless, though trace element impurities can mak ...

Van A van is a type of road vehicle used for transporting goods or people. Depending on the type of van, it can be bigger or smaller than a pickup truck and SUV, and bigger than a common car. There is some varying in the scope of the word across th ...

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