Huntington, Utah
Encyclopedia
Huntington is a town in Emery County
, Utah
, United States
. The population was 2,131 at the 2000 census. It is the largest town in Emery County.
, Oliver, and Dimick Huntington, brothers who led exploring parties into the region during the 1850s. The first settlers of European extraction in the area were four stockmen, Leander Lemmon, James McHadden, Bill Gentry, and Alfred Starr, who brought their herds to Huntington Creek in 1875.
In the fall of 1877, in response to the same call from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that brought settlers to the other creeks in Castle Valley, a small group from Fairview, Utah
, under the leadership of Elias Cox, established a dugout colony on the banks of Huntington Creek and began digging irrigation canals. The colony grew from 126 in 1880 to 738 in 1890 and 1,293 in 1910. A majority of the early settlers came from Sanpete Valley, which by the late 1870s had outgrown its irrigable land, and many belonged to three or four interrelated kinship groups, making for an abundance of cousins in the community.
In 1880 a mile-square townsite was surveyed on the Prickly Pear Flat, a bench south and west of the creek. The first structure erected on the new townsite was a 40 feet (12.2 m) by 60 feet (18.3 m) log meetinghouse, which was completed in time for an all-night New Year's Eve party on 31 December 1880. Most of the townsite was without water until the completion of the Huntington Canal in 1882. Settlers drew town lots and built homes in town as they proved up on their homesteads. The first homes, some of which were still occupied until recent years, were typically of sawed log or plank construction or of adobe sheathed with lumber. The erection of a new LDS meetinghouse in 1896 inaugurated a twenty-year building boom that saw the completion of many brick homes, schools, and commercial buildings.
Huntington's early economic base was agriculture and stockraising. Alfalfa seed was an important cash crop at the turn of the century, and honey produced by local apiarist Christian Ottesen won first prize at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1903. For most of its history, however, Huntington has drawn its main income from coal mining. Small "wagon mines" in Huntington Canyon provided limited employment. The coal camp of Mohrland
, eight miles (13 km) to the north, active from about 1909 to 1938, was virtually an extension of Huntington, with many residents dividing the year between the mine and the farm. With the coming of better highways in the 1940s and 1950s, many miners commuted daily from Huntington to Hiawatha
and other Carbon County
mines.
Its proximity to the regional commercial center of Price
, and distance from a major highway, twenty miles (32 km) to the north, has prevented Huntington from developing extensive retail business. However, a flour mill erected in 1892 remained in operation into the 1980s, producing feeds for local farmers and flour and cereals marketed throughout Emery and Carbon counties. Huntington High School, established in 1915 and later renamed North Emery High, was a focal point of the community until the consolidation of Emery County schools in 1962.
From its early years, Huntington has had a strong amateur arts tradition. A martial band was organized in 1884. Community theater groups produced as many as half a dozen plays a year between 1890 and 1910. A choir directed by Thomas L. Hardee and composed of singers from Huntington and neighboring Cleveland won an Eisteddfod competition hosted by the Scofield Welsh Choir in 1895, and later performed at an LDS general conference in Salt Lake City. A men's glee club organized in the early 1920s is still in existence, with third- and even fourth-generation members.
The 1950 census found 1,442 residents in the Huntington precinct. The population fell by one-third in the next ten years as mining jobs disappeared. This economic decline was reversed in 1972 when construction began on Utah Power and Light Company's Huntington steam-electric generating plant in the mouth of the canyon. The construction plus development of coal-mining operations to supply the plant gave the town the character of an energy boom town for a few years. Industrial development not only enabled some former residents to return to the community but also attracted new permanent residents, bringing more diversity to the town's former character as a Mormon farm village. While the community is still predominantly Mormon, the Mission San Rafael was established in 1977 a few miles south of Huntington to serve Catholic families in western Emery County. Baptist, Assembly of God, and nondenominational Protestant religious services have also been held in the community. The 1990 population of Huntington was 1,875.
), UtahAmerican Energy
's Crandall Canyon Mine
, 15 miles (24 km) west north-west of Huntington, collapsed trapping 6 workers inside. The mine, located just off State Route 31
, is about 34 miles (55 km) southeast of Fairview
, and 140 miles (225 km) south of Salt Lake City
(100 miles, or 161 km, on a flight line). The workers are approximately 3.4 miles (5.5 km) from the mine entrance and 1500 feet (457 m) underground. The collapse registered recorded seismic waves in magnitude 3.9 to 4.0, by seismograph stations of the University of Utah
.
As of August 16, 2007 at about 6:30pm MDT
, three rescue workers were killed and six injured, as the tunnel the workers were digging collapsed on top of them, covering them with coal and rubble.
The six men who were not killed outright were unable to be rescued after the rescue mission was forced to halt and died as well. (see New York Times report, Reuters coverage of mine disaster, MSNBC report).
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 2.0 square miles (5.3 km²), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 2,131 people, 690 households, and 547 families residing in the town. The population density
was 1,047.6 people per square mile (405.3/km²). There were 778 housing units at an average density of 382.5 per square mile (148.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 92.40% White, 0.19% African American, 0.47% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 5.02% from other races
, and 1.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.39% of the population.
There were 690 households out of which 46.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.1% were married couples
living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.7% were non-families. 19.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.09 and the average family size was 3.55.
In Huntington, the population was spread out with 36.2% under the age of 18, 11.8% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 16.8% from 45 to 64, and 9.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females there were 101.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.7 males.
The median income for a household in Huntington was $36,964, and the median income for a family was $42,083. Males had a median income of $36,588 versus $19,125 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $14,606. About 11.4% of families and 13.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.4% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.
is a public-use airport
located three nautical mile
s (6 km
) northeast of Huntington's central business district
.
Emery County, Utah
Emery County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of 2000 the population was 10,860, and by 2009 had been estimated to decrease to 10,629. It was named for George W. Emery, governor of the Utah Territory in 1875...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 2,131 at the 2000 census. It is the largest town in Emery County.
History
Huntington is named after Huntington Creek, and Huntington Creek was probably named for WilliamWilliam Huntington (Mormon)
William Huntington was an early leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , most prominently during the time the Mormon pioneers were moving from Nauvoo, Illinois to Salt Lake City....
, Oliver, and Dimick Huntington, brothers who led exploring parties into the region during the 1850s. The first settlers of European extraction in the area were four stockmen, Leander Lemmon, James McHadden, Bill Gentry, and Alfred Starr, who brought their herds to Huntington Creek in 1875.
In the fall of 1877, in response to the same call from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that brought settlers to the other creeks in Castle Valley, a small group from Fairview, Utah
Fairview, Utah
Fairview is a city in Sanpete County, Utah, United States. The population was 1,160 at the 2000 census.-History:Located at the confluence of the San Pitch River and Cottonwood Creek, Fairview is the largest town in the northeast end of the Sanpete Valley...
, under the leadership of Elias Cox, established a dugout colony on the banks of Huntington Creek and began digging irrigation canals. The colony grew from 126 in 1880 to 738 in 1890 and 1,293 in 1910. A majority of the early settlers came from Sanpete Valley, which by the late 1870s had outgrown its irrigable land, and many belonged to three or four interrelated kinship groups, making for an abundance of cousins in the community.
In 1880 a mile-square townsite was surveyed on the Prickly Pear Flat, a bench south and west of the creek. The first structure erected on the new townsite was a 40 feet (12.2 m) by 60 feet (18.3 m) log meetinghouse, which was completed in time for an all-night New Year's Eve party on 31 December 1880. Most of the townsite was without water until the completion of the Huntington Canal in 1882. Settlers drew town lots and built homes in town as they proved up on their homesteads. The first homes, some of which were still occupied until recent years, were typically of sawed log or plank construction or of adobe sheathed with lumber. The erection of a new LDS meetinghouse in 1896 inaugurated a twenty-year building boom that saw the completion of many brick homes, schools, and commercial buildings.
Huntington's early economic base was agriculture and stockraising. Alfalfa seed was an important cash crop at the turn of the century, and honey produced by local apiarist Christian Ottesen won first prize at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1903. For most of its history, however, Huntington has drawn its main income from coal mining. Small "wagon mines" in Huntington Canyon provided limited employment. The coal camp of Mohrland
Mohrland, Utah
-External links:* at GhostTowns.com...
, eight miles (13 km) to the north, active from about 1909 to 1938, was virtually an extension of Huntington, with many residents dividing the year between the mine and the farm. With the coming of better highways in the 1940s and 1950s, many miners commuted daily from Huntington to Hiawatha
Hiawatha, Utah
Hiawatha is a ghost town, formerly a coal mining town in Carbon County, Utah, United States. The town is located at the base of Gentry Mountain, some 12 miles southwest of Price. It used to be a vibrant mining town, with a population of above 1,500 in the 1940s...
and other Carbon County
Carbon County, Utah
Carbon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. Named for the major coal deposits in the area, the county seat and largest city, is Price. Carbon County is the second largest natural gas producer in Utah , with 94 billion cubic feet produced in 2008. As of 2010 the population was...
mines.
Its proximity to the regional commercial center of Price
Price, Utah
Price is a city in Carbon County, Utah, United States. The city is home to the USU-College of Eastern Utah, as well as the large USU Eastern Prehistoric Museum affiliated with the college. Price is located within short distances from both Nine Mile Canyon and the Manti-La Sal National Forest...
, and distance from a major highway, twenty miles (32 km) to the north, has prevented Huntington from developing extensive retail business. However, a flour mill erected in 1892 remained in operation into the 1980s, producing feeds for local farmers and flour and cereals marketed throughout Emery and Carbon counties. Huntington High School, established in 1915 and later renamed North Emery High, was a focal point of the community until the consolidation of Emery County schools in 1962.
From its early years, Huntington has had a strong amateur arts tradition. A martial band was organized in 1884. Community theater groups produced as many as half a dozen plays a year between 1890 and 1910. A choir directed by Thomas L. Hardee and composed of singers from Huntington and neighboring Cleveland won an Eisteddfod competition hosted by the Scofield Welsh Choir in 1895, and later performed at an LDS general conference in Salt Lake City. A men's glee club organized in the early 1920s is still in existence, with third- and even fourth-generation members.
The 1950 census found 1,442 residents in the Huntington precinct. The population fell by one-third in the next ten years as mining jobs disappeared. This economic decline was reversed in 1972 when construction began on Utah Power and Light Company's Huntington steam-electric generating plant in the mouth of the canyon. The construction plus development of coal-mining operations to supply the plant gave the town the character of an energy boom town for a few years. Industrial development not only enabled some former residents to return to the community but also attracted new permanent residents, bringing more diversity to the town's former character as a Mormon farm village. While the community is still predominantly Mormon, the Mission San Rafael was established in 1977 a few miles south of Huntington to serve Catholic families in western Emery County. Baptist, Assembly of God, and nondenominational Protestant religious services have also been held in the community. The 1990 population of Huntington was 1,875.
Mine disaster
On Monday, August 6, 2007, at 2:48 A.M. (MSTMountain Time Zone
The Mountain Time Zone of North America keeps time by subtracting seven hours from Coordinated Universal Time, also known as Greenwich Mean Time, during the shortest days of autumn and winter , and by subtracting six hours during daylight saving time in the spring, summer, and early autumn...
), UtahAmerican Energy
UtahAmerican Energy
UtahAmerican Energy, Inc. , is a bituminous coal underground coal mine and lignite surface mining company, headquartered in Sandy, Utah. UtahAmerican is a subsidiary of Cleveland, Ohio based Murray Energy Corporation. UtahAmerican is a company with approximately $65.1 million in annual sales, and...
's Crandall Canyon Mine
Crandall Canyon Mine
The Crandall Canyon Mine, formerly Genwal Mine, was an underground bituminous coal mine in northwestern Emery County, Utah.The mine made headline news when six miners were trapped by a collapse in August 2007. Ten days later, three rescue workers were killed by a subsequent collapse...
, 15 miles (24 km) west north-west of Huntington, collapsed trapping 6 workers inside. The mine, located just off State Route 31
Utah State Route 31
State Route 31 is a state highway in Sanpete and Emery Counties in the U.S. state of Utah. It runs for from US-89 at Fairview to SR-10 in Huntington...
, is about 34 miles (55 km) southeast of Fairview
Fairview, Utah
Fairview is a city in Sanpete County, Utah, United States. The population was 1,160 at the 2000 census.-History:Located at the confluence of the San Pitch River and Cottonwood Creek, Fairview is the largest town in the northeast end of the Sanpete Valley...
, and 140 miles (225 km) south of Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
(100 miles, or 161 km, on a flight line). The workers are approximately 3.4 miles (5.5 km) from the mine entrance and 1500 feet (457 m) underground. The collapse registered recorded seismic waves in magnitude 3.9 to 4.0, by seismograph stations of the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
.
As of August 16, 2007 at about 6:30pm MDT
MDT
MDT may refer to:* Autodesk Mechanical Desktop, AutoCAD® software for manufacturing, purpose-built to accelerate the mechanical design process.* Maggot Debridement Therapy, usage of live maggots to clean wounds with necrotic tissue...
, three rescue workers were killed and six injured, as the tunnel the workers were digging collapsed on top of them, covering them with coal and rubble.
The six men who were not killed outright were unable to be rescued after the rescue mission was forced to halt and died as well. (see New York Times report, Reuters coverage of mine disaster, MSNBC report).
Geography
Huntington is located at 39°19′45"N 110°57′57"W (39.329259, -110.965929) in northwestern Emery County near the mouth of a long canyon that cuts diagonally into the Wasatch Plateau. The town is bisected by the Huntington Creek.According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 2.0 square miles (5.3 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 2,131 people, 690 households, and 547 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,047.6 people per square mile (405.3/km²). There were 778 housing units at an average density of 382.5 per square mile (148.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 92.40% White, 0.19% African American, 0.47% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 5.02% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.39% of the population.
There were 690 households out of which 46.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.1% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.7% were non-families. 19.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.09 and the average family size was 3.55.
In Huntington, the population was spread out with 36.2% under the age of 18, 11.8% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 16.8% from 45 to 64, and 9.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females there were 101.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.7 males.
The median income for a household in Huntington was $36,964, and the median income for a family was $42,083. Males had a median income of $36,588 versus $19,125 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $14,606. About 11.4% of families and 13.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.4% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation
The Huntington Municipal AirportHuntington Municipal Airport (Utah)
Huntington Municipal Airport is a county owned, public-use airport located three nautical miles northeast of the central business district of Huntington, a town in Emery County, Utah, United States.- Facilities and aircraft :...
is a public-use airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
located three nautical mile
Nautical mile
The nautical mile is a unit of length that is about one minute of arc of latitude along any meridian, but is approximately one minute of arc of longitude only at the equator...
s (6 km
Kilometre
The kilometre is a unit of length in the metric system, equal to one thousand metres and is therefore exactly equal to the distance travelled by light in free space in of a second...
) northeast of Huntington's central business district
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
.
External links
- Huntington City at EmeryCounty.com