Mount Pleasant, Utah
Encyclopedia
Mount Pleasant is a city in Sanpete County
, Utah
, in the United States
. Mt. Pleasant is known for its 19th-century main street buildings, for being home to Wasatch Academy
, and for being the largest city in the northern half of the county. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 3,260.
led by Madison D. Hambleton returned in the spring of 1852 to establish the Hambleton Settlement near the present site of Mt. Pleasant. During the Walkara (Walker) Indian War, the small group of settlers relocated to Spring Town (Spring City
) and later to Manti for protection. The old settlement was burned down by local Native Americans, so when a large colonizing party from Ephraim
and Manti returned to the area in 1859, a new, permanent townsite was laid out in its present location—one hundred miles south of Salt Lake City and twenty-two miles northeast of Manti.
Among the founding settlers were Mormon
converts from Scandinavia
, the United Kingdom
, and the eastern United States
. By 1880, at which time Mt. Pleasant was the county's largest city, with a population of 2,000, more than 72 percent of its married adults were foreign born. This ethnic diversity had an important impact on village life during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. For decades, five languages were commonly spoken in town, creating confusing and sometimes amusing communication problems.
The settlement and development of Mt. Pleasant followed the typical pattern for Mormon towns of the period. A square-shaped townsite was surveyed (eventually containing about 100 city blocks), lots were drawn, and the land was distributed among the population. Under the direction of James Russell Ivie
(1802–1866), a fort of adobe walls and log cabins was built. Pleasant Creek ran through the fort and farming was done outside of its walls. Around the time that Ivie was killed in the Ute Black Hawk War
, by Indians who had declined to participate in the settlement of the earlier Wakara War
, the town had acquired its present name. By the time the final peace treaty with the Indians was signed in Bishop Seeley's house on Main Street in 1872, bringing to an end to this conflict, many settlers had already erected homesteads outside of the fort. Although the townsite is large in scale, the density is relatively low due to the original layout allowing for only four lots per block.
Mormon influence was felt in all religious, political, economic, educational, and social aspects of life in early Mt. Pleasant. Self-sufficiency was a virtue and home-grown and home-manufactured food, clothing, and furnishings were far more available than rarely found imported items. Some of the first industries included tanning, shoemaking, blacksmithing, basketmaking, and freighting. Eventual modernization brought such improvements as the Deseret Telegraph in 1869, the Pyramid
newspaper in 1890—still the county's largest—and a telephone system in 1891.
Sawmills and flour mills were built, irrigation systems were dug, and a municipal government was created to oversee public laws and improvements. The city was incorporated in 1868, a year after the first co-operative store was founded, starting what became a burgeoning commercial district. Upon the arrival of the Rio Grande Western Railway in 1890, both the local population and the city's prosperity increased dramatically. By 1900 Mt. Pleasant had grown to nearly 3,000 persons, the largest size reached by any city in Sanpete County to that time, and the city had earned one of its nicknames, "Hub City."
The town's newfound wealth became immediately apparent in a building boom which saw the replacement of small, wood-frame commercial buildings with much more impressive, architect-designed stone and brick structures such as the 1888 Sanpete County Co-op, the Gentile store which competed with the ZCMI, or Mormon, store. The resulting Main Street district is today so architecturally distinctive that the two-block-long area has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Equally striking were the Victorian churches, schools, and residences which replaced the simpler adobe and log buildings of the pioneer period.
Mt. Pleasant has long been considered the most diverse city in the county, in part because of the liberal Mormons and the Protestant groups which challenged the dominant Mormon population in the late nineteenth century. Liberal Hall, built on Main Street in 1875, and Wasatch Academy
, Utah's oldest surviving private boarding school, established by Presbyterians in the same year, remain as visible and functional testaments of the city's historic and ongoing diversity. Mt. Pleasant has been culturally diverse as well, with numerous musical, theatrical, and artistic groups, varied local industries, secret societies and saloons, and one of Utah's largest local historic societies, founded in 1909 and still active.
The twentieth century brought continued changes and improvements to the face of the "Queen City," its most popular nickname. The commercial and residential districts continued to fill with fine buildings bespeaking the prosperity of the community. By 1912 the first high school--North Sanpete High School
--had been completed. The year 1912 also brought the Armory Hall, while the Elite Theater was constructed as a "fireproof" building in 1913. It burned down seven decades later. In 1917 a fine Carnegie Library
was built in a modern architectural style. The Marie Hotel was erected in 1920 and a large cheese factory came on the scene in 1930, the same year that bus service came to town. The completion of U. S. Highway 89 in 1936 was a boon needed to soften the impact of Great Depression. A city hall in 1939 and hospital in 1945, together with new schools and churches, gave Mt. Pleasant a full complement of public buildings. Growth has increased in recent decades, as is evidenced by the small new shopping center on the south edge of town.
The northernmost of the county's "big three" cities, Mt. Pleasant was well situated near forested mountains, vast, fertile fields, and a good supply of water. While several commercial and small industrial enterprises have flourished in or near the city since the nineteenth century, agriculture and stock raising have always been the area's economic staples. Currently, nearly half of all the farms and ranches are involved in wool growing, while thirty percent raise cattle. Dairy farming, turkeys, grain, and hay are other significant contributors to the local economy. Rambouillet sheep and shorthorn cattle were prominent at the turn of the century, while modern livestock breeds and food strains dominate today.
Mt. Pleasant remains a thriving, steadily growing city. New buildings exist side by side with many remaining historic structures such as the Carnegie library, Liberal Hall, Sanpete County Co-op, Jensen, Rasmussen, and Seely homes, and the campus of Wasatch Academy
. The relic hall and adjoining Peter Madsen Peel
blacksmith shop give a flavor of the city's heritage.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 2.8 square miles (7.3 km²), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 2,707 people, 884 households, and 655 families residing in the city. The population density
was 958.8 people per square mile (370.6/km²). There were 975 housing units at an average density of 345.3 per square mile (133.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.45% White, 0.41% Native American, 0.48% Asian, 0.15% Pacific Islander, 1.18% from other races
, and 1.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.66% of the population.
There were 884 households out of which 40.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.0% were married couples
living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.9% were non-families. 23.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.99 and the average family size was 3.56.
In the city the population was spread out with 36.5% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 22.7% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 96.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,603, and the median income for a family was $40,300. Males had a median income of $32,697 versus $17,279 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $13,630. About 7.0% of families and 9.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.3% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.
and has 1 elementary school and North Sanpete High School
, the only high school in the district. The district's middle school is located in Moroni
.
Mount Pleasant is also home to Wasatch Academy
, a private boarding school established in 1875.
Mt. Pleasant Pioneer Day is held the last Saturday in March ( with rare exceptions). For a small fee, enjoy a box lunch, visit with others, and enjoy a wonderful program. Visit the Relic Home and Blacksmith Shop, and take the Main Street Tour. 2009 marked the sesquicentennial of the founding of Mt. Pleasant.
Winter activities include snowmobiling, sledding, skiing, snowboarding, hunting, fishing, hiking, horseback riding, biking, camping, and snowkiting.
Sanpete County, Utah
Sanpete County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. The population according to the 2010 U.S. Census was 27,822. It was possibly named for a Ute Indian chief named Sanpitch, which was corrupted to Sanpete. Its county seat is Manti and its largest city is Ephraim.-Geography:According to...
, 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...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Mt. Pleasant is known for its 19th-century main street buildings, for being home to Wasatch Academy
Wasatch Academy
Wasatch Academy is Utah’s only independent, coeducational, college preparatory boarding school for grades 8-12. Founded in 1875 by Duncan McMillan, Wasatch Academy sought to improve the lives of the people of the Sanpete Valley through education...
, and for being the largest city in the northern half of the county. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 3,260.
History
After taking lumber out of Pleasant Creek Canyon in late 1851, a band of Mormon colonists from MantiManti, Utah
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 3,040 people, 930 households, and 742 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,560.2 people per square mile . There were 1,010 housing units at an average density of 518.3 per square mile...
led by Madison D. Hambleton returned in the spring of 1852 to establish the Hambleton Settlement near the present site of Mt. Pleasant. During the Walkara (Walker) Indian War, the small group of settlers relocated to Spring Town (Spring City
Spring City, Utah
Spring City is a city in Sanpete County, Utah, United States. The population was 956 at the 2000 census. Although it is still largely a farming town, Spring City is becoming increasingly known as an artist community. Many excellent examples of Mormon pioneer architecture exist throughout the town...
) and later to Manti for protection. The old settlement was burned down by local Native Americans, so when a large colonizing party from Ephraim
Ephraim
Ephraim ; was, according to the Book of Genesis, the second son of Joseph and Asenath. Asenath was an Egyptian woman whom Pharaoh gave to Joseph as wife, and the daughter of Potipherah, a priest of On. Ephraim was born in Egypt before the arrival of the children of Israel from Canaan...
and Manti returned to the area in 1859, a new, permanent townsite was laid out in its present location—one hundred miles south of Salt Lake City and twenty-two miles northeast of Manti.
Among the founding settlers were Mormon
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
converts from Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
, and the eastern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. By 1880, at which time Mt. Pleasant was the county's largest city, with a population of 2,000, more than 72 percent of its married adults were foreign born. This ethnic diversity had an important impact on village life during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. For decades, five languages were commonly spoken in town, creating confusing and sometimes amusing communication problems.
The settlement and development of Mt. Pleasant followed the typical pattern for Mormon towns of the period. A square-shaped townsite was surveyed (eventually containing about 100 city blocks), lots were drawn, and the land was distributed among the population. Under the direction of James Russell Ivie
James Russell Ivie
James Russell Ivie was a Mormon pioneer, an early Latter Day Saint leader, and a pioneer settler of Sanpete County, Utah Territory...
(1802–1866), a fort of adobe walls and log cabins was built. Pleasant Creek ran through the fort and farming was done outside of its walls. Around the time that Ivie was killed in the Ute Black Hawk War
Black Hawk War (Utah)
The Black Hawk War, or Black Hawk's War, from 1865 to 1872, is the name of the estimated 150 military engagement between Mormon settlers in the Four Corners region and members of the Ute, Paiute, Apache and Navajo tribes, led by a local Ute chief, Antonga Black Hawk...
, by Indians who had declined to participate in the settlement of the earlier Wakara War
Wakara War
The Wakara or Walkara War was a low intensity conflict between Chief Walkara and his Ute band and Mormon settlers in present day south central Utah...
, the town had acquired its present name. By the time the final peace treaty with the Indians was signed in Bishop Seeley's house on Main Street in 1872, bringing to an end to this conflict, many settlers had already erected homesteads outside of the fort. Although the townsite is large in scale, the density is relatively low due to the original layout allowing for only four lots per block.
Mormon influence was felt in all religious, political, economic, educational, and social aspects of life in early Mt. Pleasant. Self-sufficiency was a virtue and home-grown and home-manufactured food, clothing, and furnishings were far more available than rarely found imported items. Some of the first industries included tanning, shoemaking, blacksmithing, basketmaking, and freighting. Eventual modernization brought such improvements as the Deseret Telegraph in 1869, the Pyramid
The Pyramid
The Pyramid is a small island south of Pitt Island in the Chatham Islands group of New Zealand....
newspaper in 1890—still the county's largest—and a telephone system in 1891.
Sawmills and flour mills were built, irrigation systems were dug, and a municipal government was created to oversee public laws and improvements. The city was incorporated in 1868, a year after the first co-operative store was founded, starting what became a burgeoning commercial district. Upon the arrival of the Rio Grande Western Railway in 1890, both the local population and the city's prosperity increased dramatically. By 1900 Mt. Pleasant had grown to nearly 3,000 persons, the largest size reached by any city in Sanpete County to that time, and the city had earned one of its nicknames, "Hub City."
The town's newfound wealth became immediately apparent in a building boom which saw the replacement of small, wood-frame commercial buildings with much more impressive, architect-designed stone and brick structures such as the 1888 Sanpete County Co-op, the Gentile store which competed with the ZCMI, or Mormon, store. The resulting Main Street district is today so architecturally distinctive that the two-block-long area has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Equally striking were the Victorian churches, schools, and residences which replaced the simpler adobe and log buildings of the pioneer period.
Mt. Pleasant has long been considered the most diverse city in the county, in part because of the liberal Mormons and the Protestant groups which challenged the dominant Mormon population in the late nineteenth century. Liberal Hall, built on Main Street in 1875, and Wasatch Academy
Wasatch Academy
Wasatch Academy is Utah’s only independent, coeducational, college preparatory boarding school for grades 8-12. Founded in 1875 by Duncan McMillan, Wasatch Academy sought to improve the lives of the people of the Sanpete Valley through education...
, Utah's oldest surviving private boarding school, established by Presbyterians in the same year, remain as visible and functional testaments of the city's historic and ongoing diversity. Mt. Pleasant has been culturally diverse as well, with numerous musical, theatrical, and artistic groups, varied local industries, secret societies and saloons, and one of Utah's largest local historic societies, founded in 1909 and still active.
The twentieth century brought continued changes and improvements to the face of the "Queen City," its most popular nickname. The commercial and residential districts continued to fill with fine buildings bespeaking the prosperity of the community. By 1912 the first high school--North Sanpete High School
North Sanpete High School
North Sanpete High School is a public high school serving grades 9 through 12, located in Mount Pleasant, Utah. The school is the only high school serving the North Sanpete School District....
--had been completed. The year 1912 also brought the Armory Hall, while the Elite Theater was constructed as a "fireproof" building in 1913. It burned down seven decades later. In 1917 a fine Carnegie Library
Carnegie Library
Carnegie Library, Carnegie Public Library, Carnegie Free Library, Carnegie Free Public Library, Andrew Carnegie Library, Andrew Carnegie Free Library or Carnegie Library Building may refer to any of the following Carnegie libraries:- California :*Carnegie Library , listed on the National Register...
was built in a modern architectural style. The Marie Hotel was erected in 1920 and a large cheese factory came on the scene in 1930, the same year that bus service came to town. The completion of U. S. Highway 89 in 1936 was a boon needed to soften the impact of Great Depression. A city hall in 1939 and hospital in 1945, together with new schools and churches, gave Mt. Pleasant a full complement of public buildings. Growth has increased in recent decades, as is evidenced by the small new shopping center on the south edge of town.
The northernmost of the county's "big three" cities, Mt. Pleasant was well situated near forested mountains, vast, fertile fields, and a good supply of water. While several commercial and small industrial enterprises have flourished in or near the city since the nineteenth century, agriculture and stock raising have always been the area's economic staples. Currently, nearly half of all the farms and ranches are involved in wool growing, while thirty percent raise cattle. Dairy farming, turkeys, grain, and hay are other significant contributors to the local economy. Rambouillet sheep and shorthorn cattle were prominent at the turn of the century, while modern livestock breeds and food strains dominate today.
Mt. Pleasant remains a thriving, steadily growing city. New buildings exist side by side with many remaining historic structures such as the Carnegie library, Liberal Hall, Sanpete County Co-op, Jensen, Rasmussen, and Seely homes, and the campus of Wasatch Academy
Wasatch Academy
Wasatch Academy is Utah’s only independent, coeducational, college preparatory boarding school for grades 8-12. Founded in 1875 by Duncan McMillan, Wasatch Academy sought to improve the lives of the people of the Sanpete Valley through education...
. The relic hall and adjoining Peter Madsen Peel
Peter Madsen Peel
Peter Madsen Peel was a founder, first blacksmith, and civic leader of Mount Pleasant, Utah. A replica of his blacksmith shop is located next to the Relic Hall in Mt. Pleasant, including a working forge....
blacksmith shop give a flavor of the city's heritage.
Geography
Mount Pleasant is located at 39°32′35"N 111°27′23"W (39.543104, -111.456325).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 city has a total area of 2.8 square miles (7.3 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 2,707 people, 884 households, and 655 families residing in the city. 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 958.8 people per square mile (370.6/km²). There were 975 housing units at an average density of 345.3 per square mile (133.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.45% White, 0.41% Native American, 0.48% Asian, 0.15% Pacific Islander, 1.18% 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 1.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.66% of the population.
There were 884 households out of which 40.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.0% 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, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.9% were non-families. 23.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.99 and the average family size was 3.56.
In the city the population was spread out with 36.5% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 22.7% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 96.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,603, and the median income for a family was $40,300. Males had a median income of $32,697 versus $17,279 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 $13,630. About 7.0% of families and 9.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.3% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Mount Pleasant is within the North Sanpete School DistrictNorth Sanpete School District
North Sanpete School District is a public school district in the U.S. state of Utah. The district provides education for students in the northern half of Sanpete County. The offices for the district are located in Mount Pleasant...
and has 1 elementary school and North Sanpete High School
North Sanpete High School
North Sanpete High School is a public high school serving grades 9 through 12, located in Mount Pleasant, Utah. The school is the only high school serving the North Sanpete School District....
, the only high school in the district. The district's middle school is located in Moroni
Moroni, Utah
Moroni is a city in Sanpete County, Utah, United States. The population was 1,280 at the 2000 census.-Name:The city is named after Moroni, a prophet in the beliefs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints .-History:...
.
Mount Pleasant is also home to Wasatch Academy
Wasatch Academy
Wasatch Academy is Utah’s only independent, coeducational, college preparatory boarding school for grades 8-12. Founded in 1875 by Duncan McMillan, Wasatch Academy sought to improve the lives of the people of the Sanpete Valley through education...
, a private boarding school established in 1875.
Annual events and other Attractions
Hub City Days and the Fourth of July Celebration include a parade down state street featuring local businesses and residents including children. Events include a breakfast at the city park, a carnival for the kids at the city park, a rodeo featuring local cowboys on the evening of the fourth and fireworks following the rodeo.Mt. Pleasant Pioneer Day is held the last Saturday in March ( with rare exceptions). For a small fee, enjoy a box lunch, visit with others, and enjoy a wonderful program. Visit the Relic Home and Blacksmith Shop, and take the Main Street Tour. 2009 marked the sesquicentennial of the founding of Mt. Pleasant.
Winter activities include snowmobiling, sledding, skiing, snowboarding, hunting, fishing, hiking, horseback riding, biking, camping, and snowkiting.