Mountain shape with outline and halftone texture

Discover our towns

Explore Millard Communities

Click on communities below to view more about them.

Abraham

Abraham began as a church farm where grain was grown during the1870s by the LDS Church. In 1891 families arrived, building homes and establishing farms.

In 1942, through the efforts of several Millard Coun­ty landowners, government engineers and inspectors, a large area of land was purchased from several Abra­ham landowners to become part of the Topaz Inter­ment Camp. After selling their property, most families moved to nearby towns, leaving behind only 50 resi­dents.

After World War II, farmers were notified by the government that they could buy back their land. Many purchased their former land, and homes and farmland are scattered throughout the area. Abraham is located 5 miles northwest of the town of Hinckley.

Delta

We are pleased you have taken time to explore Delta, a prosperous rural city in western Millard County. You will discover the city and others in the county, coupled with the wide-open expanses of public-use land, make this central part of Utah an awesome vacation destination, whether you come to stay and play for a couple days, a week or a month.

With approximately 3,500 residents within the City limits, it is the largest incorporated city in the county. A relatively diverse mix of businesses and merchants are poised to meet nearly every need. Be prepared to be greeted with a smile and offered a hand-shake at every turn. We have most amenities without the hassle associated with major metropolitan areas.

Within Delta City you will find several financial institutions, full-service automobile dealerships, gas, diesel and propane stations, multiple grocery and convenience stores, motels, and restaurants. Also available are farm and home supplies, specialty products, churches of various denominations, auto parts, hardware, clothing and general retail stores. The City also boasts a rehabilitation and care center, a hospital, and caring physicians. A well-mani­cured RV park is in west Delta.

Among the many activities to enjoy are fishing, swimming, boating or water-skiing at nearby Gunnison Bend Reservoir, or playing golf on a challenging 18-hole course. You may want to take in a movie, bowl, or challenge your skills at the local skate park. Other fun adventures include participating in regional sporting activities, or relaxing in the city park while dangling your feet in the coolness of the waterfall. Be sure to visit the Great Basin Museum, which houses many historical artifacts, including those from the Topaz Internment Camp. Delta is also your gateway to the Great Basin National Park in Nevada, and is accessible traveling west along Highway 6 & 50.

Delta City website

Deseret/Oasis

looking east from Deseret.

Photo by Dean Swalberg – looking east from Deseret.

In 1859 cattlemen from Texas drove approximately 1,000 cows near the area where the town of Deseret now stands. The men built a dam along the Sevier Riv­er and began to settle land covered with greasewood, rabbit brush, sagebrush and marshlands.

Mormon settlers arrived in 1860 and made their homes in crude dugouts along the river. The dugouts consisted of a willow roof covered with dirt, which provided shelter. Jacob Croft, the leader of the colony, named the newly formed settlement Deseret, which means industry.

The area was a favorite rendezvous for the Pahvant Indians who camped along the river. The Black Hawk War started in 1865 after Chief Black Hawk made a raid on a Sanpete settlement. Some cattle were stolen from Deseret, and nearby settlers hastily build a defen­sive structure, called Fort Deseret.

Despite repeated attempts, the dam they built would not hold, and by 1868 most of the families had left except for a few stockmen who came to winter their cattle. In 1874, a company of non-Mormon men from the Tintic Mining District near Eureka arrived. The following year, a second group of Mormon settlers came to the area. The non-Mormons claimed the land around the old town site, while the new arrivals moved to the current site of Deseret. The farming community is located 5 miles west of Delta.

Deseret:
Lat: 39.286781
Long: -112.652764

Oasis:
Lat: 39.294156
Long: -112.627014

Eskdale

The Western part of Millard County is true high des­ert. Imagine having the 13,000-foot peak of Mt. Wheel­er just across the state line to the west at the Great Basin National Park and a little north, the 12,000-foot peak of Mt. Moriah. These mountains introduce Snake Valley, the final valley you enter before crossing over into Nevada.

This is the home of the EskDale Community, one of three small towns in the valley. EskDale is situated at the base of the Confusion Mountain Range five miles north of Highway 50 & 6. Louis L’Amour featured the area in several of his western novels. In the history of EskDale, outlaw sightings have been rare. However, the nationally acclaimed EskDale Dairy has many eyes focused on their top-notch breeding program and is now one of the most talked about herds in the United States.

EskDale started in 1955 in this high mountain desert of western Utah and today is an oasis in this harsh area. The modern landscaped community sits in sharp con­trast to the sagebrush and wildflowers. The contrasts of the high mountains with the valley floor and the irrigated farmland with the salt flats and alkaline soil make vis­its to the area unique among the Western States. Bird watchers, wild horse lovers, and small game hunters will all find this part of Millard County a grand adventure.

Fillmore

We are proud to be a part of this great county and invite you to take a virtual tour of all the diverse activities you can find in Millard County.

If you are looking for a small town atmosphere and friendly service with a smile, then Fillmore is the place for you. Take time to visit us and get acquainted with all we have to offer.

The city boasts a population of about 2,250 and is conveniently located between Salt Lake City and St. George along the I-15 corridor. Fillmore, the county seat, is the second largest incorporated city in Millard County and is nestled snugly at the foot of the majestic Pahvant Mountain Range.

We have a unique heritage which we are dedicated to preserving and excited to share. Fillmore was established as the first territorial capital of Utah and the original Statehouse still grandly stands. It is a magnificent architectural beauty that you will fall in love with and want to visit again and again. You may even discover one of your ancestors among the many portraits lining the hallways.

While in Fillmore go on the Historic Walking Trail and visit unique homes. Stop for a picnic at one of four beautifully maintained city parks; reserve one for a family gathering or business meeting. Take time to play a round of golf at the local course, which features 85 acres of gorgeous playable area. Pay respects to local heroes at the Veterans Memorial. You will find well-maintained RV parks and excellent motels, enjoy restaurant dining, or choose from an assortment of fast food outlets. We have gas stations, tire shops, repair shops, mechanical services and ATV dealers that sell and rent machines. You can buy groceries and delicious bakery goods or visit the local drug store to fill a prescription. We also have auto parts, hardware and variety stores.

The pristine mountains offer many stimulating and exciting outdoor experiences. Come and enjoy world famous ATV trails, do some mountain biking, or just spend the day hiking along the many trails with panoramic views where you will find unique rock formations and even petroglyphs. Take a deep breath of invigorating clean fresh air and soak up the ambience of the sights and sounds of nature. Plan ample time to relax with the rod and reel if you like trout fishing. Sit back and enjoy the peace and quiet of the campground facilities along the banks of the stream that flows through beautiful Chalk Creek Canyon. Whether you are a camera buff or an avid hunter you will thrill to the sights of deer, elk, cougar, and wild turkeys.

To the west of Fillmore, the Pahvant Valley is dotted with volcanic remains, sand hills, and miles and miles of great adventure.

Fillmore City website

Flowell

 

In July of 1915, the first artesian well was drilled in the area west of Fillmore. It took several weeks of drilling, but the wells produced spec­tacular flows. During the next six months, many more wells were drilled and several families moved into the area. In 1919, a school was built, and in 1922 a post office was established. The area was originally named Crys­tal, but with the building of the post office the name was changed to Flowell, probably due to the many flowing wells in the area.

Gandy

 

Gandy was first called Warm Springs and settled in 1887. When the post office was established the town was named Gandy after the oldest living person.

A colony of peaceful Indians lived nearby and made gloves from deer skin, which the settlers bought for 50 cents a pair. Saddles were also made by the Indians and consisted of animal bones covered with raw­hide. Gandy is located in the western part of Millard County near the Nevada border.

Garrison

 

Garrison was established in the 1870’s by settlers who took up “squat­ter’s rights.” It is a cattle, sheep and crop raising settlement and is the largest winter grazing area in the state of Utah. Garrison was the center point for the first mail contract that ran from Frisco, Utah to Ely, Nevada. Emma Garrison was the first postmaster and the town was named after her. Today, Garrison has about 50 residents, a post office, a church, Utah State and Millard County road maintenance sheds and a volunteer fire department.

Hatton

Known first as Lower Corn Creek and settled in 1854 by Peter Robison and others, the town was situ­ated where the old immigrant trail to California crossed the creek. Many travelers came through and the town grew. Peter Robison became the first postmaster and the town was called Petersburg. However, there were already too many Petersburgs, and when Richard Hat­ton took over as postmaster a few years later, the town became known as Hatton.

Most of the townspeople were farmers who sold hay and grain to the passing immigrants. An important station on the stage line from Salt Lake City to Pioche, Nevada was established in Hatton where drivers and horses were changed.

Brigham Young paid a visit to evaluate the settle­ment in late 1867. He observed the creek water could be better used if the settlement was moved upstream a few miles where the soil had proved to be more fertile and fall frost came later than in the present site. With this word of advice, people began moving closer to the mountains and settled Kanosh. By 1870, only a tiny handful of families remained in Hatton. Hatton is lo­cated 2.5 miles north of Kanosh. I-15 is built almost on top of the old immigrant trail and practically through the backyard of Hatton.

Hinckley Town

Settled in1 876 by Mormon pioneers, the town was first called Deseret #3, as part of the Deseret LDS Ward, then Bloomington, and finally Hinckley. The name was given in honor of Ira Hinckley, who was then the Millard Stake President.

During the settlement of Hinckley, rattlesnakes were a major problem. Through the hard work of the towns­people, it soon became a thriving community with rich farmland. Hinckley is the last town in Millard County before embarking on Highway 6&50 going west, which was named “America’s Loneliest Highway.”

Holden

Fort Cedar Springs was built in 1855 by Mormon pioneers near the spring-fed hills. Mormon Church President Brigham Young gave permission for two families to start a settlement and that fall they were joined by eight other families.

The colony began building an adobe walled fort to serve as a home for the families and for protection from Paiute Indians. The site was also a haven for weary travelers. The area became known as Buttermilk Fort because of its dairy industry and the drink served.

The name was changed to Holden in 1858 when a post office was established. The town was named in honor of Elijah Holden who was frozen to death during a freak snowstorm on September 8 the prior year. The storm forced him to abandon his wagon and horses. Mr. Holden attempted to walk to safety carrying his young son who had become exhausted. After carry­ing his son as far as he could, he wrapped him in his over­shirt and left him by the roadside. Mr. Holden made it only a few miles further. Father and son both were later found frozen.

An early pioneer of Holden, Albert Stevens, is said to have brought the first alfalfa seed from southern Utah. The first dandelion seed was planted by Mary Ann Tan­ner to be used for greens.

Between 1885-90 when polygamist raids were the most severe, a number of plural wives lived in seclu­sion in Holden. Holden is a charming little town locat­ed 6 miles north of Fillmore just off I-15.

Kanosh

Kanosh is a small farm­ing town on Highway 133, 5 miles south of Meadow. Kanosh was named in honor of the Paiute Indian Chief Kanosh. It was first known as Up­per Corn Creek and settled in 1867. Chief Kanosh and his band of Pahvants, also known as Paiutes or Utes, lived nearby.

There are many interesting stories regarding Chief Kanosh, who was a lifelong friend of the Mormon pioneers. One tells of his first wife Julia who had lost her mind and the tribe thought she was possessed of evil spirits and put her to death. Betsikin, his second wife, lured Mary, a newer and younger wife, into hunting squirrels with her. She slit Mary’s throat and when the crime was discovered Betsikin was given the choice by the people how to die. She chose death by starvation. Isolated in a wigwam one mile north of Kanosh on the west side of the highway, she stayed there until death ended her loneliness.

Kanosh Indian

Near Meadow and Kanosh is the Kanosh Indian Reservation. A number of Pahvants continue to reside at least now and then on the reservation. In 1954, a congressional bill terminated the tribal status of Utah’s Paiute bands. Sponsors of the bill believed termination would speed the integration of Paiutes into non-Indian society. Results were so unsatisfactory that tribal sta­tus was restored in 1980. Remaining tribal land, which had declined in 1954 from 43,000 acres to 27,000 acres was placed in trust.

Sutherland

Sutherland was founded in 1909, but didn’t expe­rience much growth until a few years later. Many of those arriving to the area left behind their homes to move to the new farming com­munity. They lived in tents, shacks and even granaries until they could build something more suitable. Those early homes were small lumber shacks, and when one was built it was an event. All of the neighbors would come in their hay wagons and have a picnic and dance.

By the summer of 1912, there were several fami­lies with school-aged children living west of the Sevier River. Due to the number of children, a school was desperately needed. However, there was an insufficient tax base to construct the building. George A. Snow met with county commis­sioners and school district officials to take care of the educational needs of these children. Because of the time required, sev­eral prominent citizens obtained construction notes and a 30 ft.X 60 ft. brick school building was completed the next year. All eight grades were held in the large room.

After the construction of the school, area residents were able to obtain their own voting precinct and school district, both of which were named Sutherland, after Utah Senator George Sutherland. Wynn R. Walker was the first postmaster, and he also established a small general store. The store and post office are long gone, and Sutherland was never an incorporated town. However, it remains a voting district, and many people enjoy the rural life style it offers in the area west of Delta.

Leamington Town

Leamington was settled in 1871 by a small group of people that came from Oak City to acquire farm ground. It was one of the few communities not au­thorized by the Mormon Church. The first permanent homes were built in 1873. The town was named by Frank Young, who was a nephew of Brigham Young and among the first settlers. He selected the name from Leamington, England.

One of the first projects in settling the town was to build ditches to irrigate the ground. The water was taken from the Sevier River. Several attempts to dam the river failed. As a result, the settlers had to remove water several miles upstream. This meant digging ditches several miles further than anticipated. Most of the settlers were farm­ers, but by 1879 the railroad came through town, which provided employment for some people. Two stores and a hotel were built, as well as a church and a school.

The current population of Leamington is approximately 200, many of which are descendants of some of the first settlers.

East of Leamington on Highway 132 is the remains of two charcoal kilns. Because of the railroad, one of the first industries in the area was the processing of cedar into charcoal for shipping to Salt Lake City.

Leamington Town website

Lynndyl Town

Lynndyl is located 17 miles northeast of Delta on Highway 6. The main line of the Union Pacific Railroad from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles goes through the western edge of town.

The town began in 1907 and was the first railroad terminal south of Salt Lake City. At Lynndyl’s peak, there was a railroad shop, railroad station, land office for railroad officials and a large hotel. In 1911, set­tlers came to farm the area and the town was given the name Lynn, which was later changed by the post office to Lynndyl.

Mccornick

The area of McCornick was a station on the Delta/Fillmore branch of the Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad. It was located 22 miles north of Fillmore. The first settlers arrived in 1919, breaking ground, digging wells, and planting crops. The farms were about a mile apart. The settlers were truly pioneers. At one time there were 40 homes in the area, but a diminishing water supply caused many of them to leave. The school at McCornick was started in 1919, but by 1929 there were only enough children left for two teachers. By the end of the year, the school was closed and the building was moved to Flowell. The people who lived in McCor­nick during its short history felt that they had benefit­ted by living in the small rural community.

Meadow

The little town of Meadow rests on the western al­luvial slope of the Pahvant Mountains in eastern Mil­lard County. With a population of about 230 people, Meadow is a quaint little town support­ing traditional values and living condi­tions. Meadow was named because of its lush meadow­lands created by the waters of a nearby mountain stream and the productive marshlands far­ther to the west.

The original founding of Meadow began early in the year 1857 when a group of four families settled on what is called the “Ridge,” which is a gravelly-remnant created by the receding waters of ancient Lake Bonn­eville. It was here that the four families, led by James Duncan, built dugouts to serve as their first living quarters. That first year, these families successfully raised about 35 acres of wheat held communally in a common field, and watered using the waters of Mead­ow Creek.

The families did not stay for the first winter. Fearing trouble with the local Kanosh Indian tribe, they re­turned to Fillmore where most had living arrangements outside Fort Fillmore. The people of Fillmore were wor­ried as well, since the new settlement was located on the Kanosh Indian Reserve set aside in 1849. Only a few years before, in January 1855, Chief Wakara of the war-like Ute tribe had died on the banks of Meadow Creek of pneumonia, effectively ending what was called the Walker War. Chief Wakara was entombed with two of his favorite wives, two young Indian children, some of his favorite horses, and many of his prized posses­sions on a mountain rock slide east of Meadow on a formation known as the “Old Pig.”

In years following 1857, and with the waning threat from the local Indians, Meadow began to grow and thrive. New families began to arrive, and with water supplies now beginning to be stressed, the settlement was moved one mile east to its present location. Until about 1865, Meadow consisted of just a few houses located along Main Street covering about two blocks east and west.

A new log public building was built on Center Street that doubled as a church and a school. All public meetings and church events were held there. Eventu­ally, a new brick church was built on First East and Center, and the old log building was torn down.

By the turn of the twentieth century, Meadow had about 400 residents, but with a severely-limited water supply and several severe droughts, the population has stabilized to its present level.

Agriculture–farming and ranching, has been the mainstay of economic activity for Meadow since its inception, and continues to this day.

Oak City

Oak City is a charming farming community located at the mouth of Oak Creek Canyon, the natural boundary between Pahvant Valley and Round Valley.

Ranchers from Deseret first brought their cattle to sum­mer in the area in 1860 and during the winter would take them back to Deseret. In 1865, a settlement began and William Walker opened a sawmill. The community was known as Oak Creek until a post of­fice was established and the name officially became Oak City in 1868.

During early persecutions of polygamists by the federal government, many families went into exile. Oak City be­came a haven for those families who were welcomed and protected by the residents. Even very young children were taught never to have any con­versation with strangers lest they expose the whereabouts of some family.

Oak City is 13 miles east of Delta on Highway 125, and remains a productive farming area.

Scipio

Scipio was first called Round Valley. It was located about two and a half miles southwest of the present location and settled in 1857. Benjamin Johnson was the first set­tler and established a mail station.

In 1861, a stagecoach line was established from St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California and passed through Scip­io. Each coach carried 9 people, and the fare from St. Joseph to Salt Lake City was $150. A traveler was allowed 25 pounds of lug­gage.

The present site was selected in 1863 and given the name Scipio during Brigham Young’s annual visit, ap­parently after Scipio A. Kenner, a resident of the area.

An Indian raid in which horses and cattle were tak­en resulted in a fort being built in 1866 for protection during the Black Hawk Indian War. The one room log homes were joined with a mud wall to form a square. In 1886, the people moved out, taking the logs from their homes and rebuilding them in the previous areas.

Scipio is located 12 miles northeast of Fillmore on I-15, and is the closest town to Yuba State Park.

Scipio was first called Round Valley. It was located about two and a half miles southwest of the present location and settled in 1857. Benjamin Johnson was the first set­tler and established a mail station.

In 1861, a stagecoach line was established from St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California and passed through Scip­io. Each coach carried 9 people, and the fare from St. Joseph to Salt Lake City was $150. A traveler was allowed 25 pounds of lug­gage.

The present site was selected in 1863 and given the name Scipio during Brigham Young’s annual visit, ap­parently after Scipio A. Kenner, a resident of the area.

An Indian raid in which horses and cattle were tak­en resulted in a fort being built in 1866 for protection during the Black Hawk Indian War. The one room log homes were joined with a mud wall to form a square. In 1886, the people moved out, taking the logs from their homes and rebuilding them in the previous areas.

Scipio is located 12 miles northeast of Fillmore on I-15, and is the closest town to Yuba State Park.

Mountain shape with outline and halftone texture
Mountain shape with outline and halftone texture
Mountain shape with outline and halftone texture