Erda, Utah
Encyclopedia
Erda is a census-designated place
(CDP) in Tooele County
, Utah
, United States
. The population was 2,473 at the 2000 census, a significant increase from the 1990 figure of 1,113.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the CDP has a total area of 22.5 square miles (58.2 km²), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 2,473 people, 697 households, and 623 families residing in the CDP. The population density
was 110.1 people per square mile (42.5/km²). There were 722 housing units at an average density of 32.2/sq mi (12.4/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 96.93% White, 0.28% African American, 0.36% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.53% Pacific Islander, 0.61% from other races
, and 0.97% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.25% of the population.
There were 697 households out of which 54.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 81.3% were married couples
living together, 5.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 10.6% were non-families. 9.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.55 and the average family size was 3.81.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 38.0% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 3.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 105.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.6 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $62,286, and the median income for a family was $65,494. Males had a median income of $42,386 versus $30,574 for females. The per capita income
for the CDP was $18,649. About 3.5% of families and 3.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.3% of those under age 18 and 9.8% of those age 65 or over.
In one version, Shields says, a wheat and alfalfa farmer named Pierre Apollinaire DeRoubaix, who moved to the area in 1870, called it Erda after a town in France where he once lived.
"The other more well-known story is that the San Pedro-Salt Lake Railroad that ran along the Oquirrh Mountains named the town Erda after a German word that means earth," says Shields.
So which story is correct?
In Richard Wagner
's operatic cycle, Der Ring des Nibelungen
or “The Ring of the Nibelung,” Erda was the goddess of wisdom and earth. This operatic cycle was based loosely on figures and elements of Germanic folklore, particularly from the Sagas of Icelanders and the Nibelungenlied
. Wagner based his interpretation of Erda on Jord, Thor
's mother by Odin
, and the daughter of Annar
and the personification of night, Nótt
.
On the other hand Pierre Apollinaire DeRoubaix took the English spelling of his name and changed his family name to Droubay, which many current Erda residents will recognize as a founding father of their community. Even though there is no city or town in France named Erda, there is a small village named Erdeven which could have been Pierre Droubay's home town.
The running joke is that when the original settlers got to a fork in the road they said, "Do we go to Grantsville erda' Tooele?"
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
(CDP) in Tooele County
Tooele County, Utah
Tooele County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of 2000, the population was 40,735 and by 2005 was estimated at 51,311. Its county seat and largest city is Tooele....
, 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 2,473 at the 2000 census, a significant increase from the 1990 figure of 1,113.
Geography
Erda is located at 40°36′26"N 112°18′33"W (40.607109, -112.309192).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 CDP has a total area of 22.5 square miles (58.2 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 2,473 people, 697 households, and 623 families residing in the CDP. 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 110.1 people per square mile (42.5/km²). There were 722 housing units at an average density of 32.2/sq mi (12.4/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 96.93% White, 0.28% African American, 0.36% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.53% Pacific Islander, 0.61% 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 0.97% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.25% of the population.
There were 697 households out of which 54.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 81.3% 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, 5.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 10.6% were non-families. 9.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.55 and the average family size was 3.81.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 38.0% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 3.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 105.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.6 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $62,286, and the median income for a family was $65,494. Males had a median income of $42,386 versus $30,574 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 CDP was $18,649. About 3.5% of families and 3.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.3% of those under age 18 and 9.8% of those age 65 or over.
Why The Name?
Marilyn Shields, a member of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers who works at the nearby Benson Grist Mill, said there are two stories about how Erda, settled in 1851 and originally called Batesville and Rose Springs, earned its official name.In one version, Shields says, a wheat and alfalfa farmer named Pierre Apollinaire DeRoubaix, who moved to the area in 1870, called it Erda after a town in France where he once lived.
"The other more well-known story is that the San Pedro-Salt Lake Railroad that ran along the Oquirrh Mountains named the town Erda after a German word that means earth," says Shields.
So which story is correct?
In Richard Wagner
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
's operatic cycle, Der Ring des Nibelungen
Der Ring des Nibelungen
Der Ring des Nibelungen is a cycle of four epic operas by the German composer Richard Wagner . The works are based loosely on characters from the Norse sagas and the Nibelungenlied...
or “The Ring of the Nibelung,” Erda was the goddess of wisdom and earth. This operatic cycle was based loosely on figures and elements of Germanic folklore, particularly from the Sagas of Icelanders and the Nibelungenlied
Nibelungenlied
The Nibelungenlied, translated as The Song of the Nibelungs, is an epic poem in Middle High German. The story tells of dragon-slayer Siegfried at the court of the Burgundians, how he was murdered, and of his wife Kriemhild's revenge....
. Wagner based his interpretation of Erda on Jord, Thor
Thor
In Norse mythology, Thor is a hammer-wielding god associated with thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, the protection of mankind, and also hallowing, healing, and fertility...
's mother by Odin
Odin
Odin is a major god in Norse mythology and the ruler of Asgard. Homologous with the Anglo-Saxon "Wōden" and the Old High German "Wotan", the name is descended from Proto-Germanic "*Wodanaz" or "*Wōđanaz"....
, and the daughter of Annar
Annar
In Norse mythology, according to the Gylfaginning, Annar is the father of Jörð 'Earth' by Nótt 'Night'. The form Ónar is found as a variant. Annar/Ónar is also the name of a dwarf in the catalogue of dwarfs in the Völuspá that is repeated in the Gylfaginning...
and the personification of night, Nótt
Nótt
In Norse mythology, Nótt is night personified. In both the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson, Nótt is listed as the daughter of a figure by the name of Nörvi and is associated with the...
.
On the other hand Pierre Apollinaire DeRoubaix took the English spelling of his name and changed his family name to Droubay, which many current Erda residents will recognize as a founding father of their community. Even though there is no city or town in France named Erda, there is a small village named Erdeven which could have been Pierre Droubay's home town.
The running joke is that when the original settlers got to a fork in the road they said, "Do we go to Grantsville erda' Tooele?"