Park Valley, Utah
Encyclopedia
Park Valley is an unincorporated community
in Box Elder County
, Utah
, United States
.
Park Valley lies in the northwestern part of the state, 150 miles (241.4 km) northwest of the state capital at Salt Lake City
, and 100 miles (160.9 km) west of the county seat
at Brigham City
. Utah State Route 30
runs through the center of the valley, generally from east to west. The valley is a roughly oval shape of about 30 miles (48.3 km) in length east to west and about 25 miles (40.2 km) north to south, covering a major portion of the western end of the county.
Park Valley anchors the northern end of the Great Basin
. The Raft River Mountains
to the north mark the boundary between the Great Basin and the Snake River Plain
. What is called the community of Park Valley includes name locations that formerly were nearly separate communities, such as Rosette
, Dove Creek, Muddy, Rosebud, and Kelton
, as well as ones that have been almost forgotten by time, such as Ten-Mile, Clear Creek, Rosen Valley, Terrace
, Golden
, Matlin, and other lesser camps along the old railroad grade. Since all of these areas currently belong to a homogenous community, they are all known collectively as Park Valley. The valley center, or Park Valley proper, is the community center, which contains the church house, store, hotel, the park, and the schoolhouse.
passed through the area. In 1841, the Bartleson-Bidwell Party
brought the first wagon
s through the valley.
While the Transcontinental Railroad
coming to Utah did not pass directly through the valley, its proximity played an important part in the settlement and development of the area. Settlement was apparently a result of surveys conducted for several miles on either side of the railroad right-of-way. Even before the rails were joined at Promontory
on May 10, 1869, the effect of the railroad on Park Valley had begun. The first permanent settler was William P. (Cotton) Thomas, who migrated from Brigham City in 1869, and developed a cattle ranch near Dove Creek. The heavy growth of trees along the creek and the view of the valley inspired the name.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in Box Elder County
Box Elder County, Utah
Box Elder County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. It lies on the north end of the Great Salt Lake, covering a large area north to the Idaho border and west to the Nevada border. Included in this area are large tracts of barren desert, contrasted by high, forested mountains. The...
, 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...
.
Park Valley lies in the northwestern part of the state, 150 miles (241.4 km) northwest of the state capital at 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...
, and 100 miles (160.9 km) west of the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
at Brigham City
Brigham City, Utah
Brigham City is a city in Box Elder County, Utah, United States. The population was 17,899 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Box Elder County. It lies on the western slope of the Wellsville Mountains, a branch of the Wasatch Range at the western terminus of Box Elder Canyon...
. Utah State Route 30
Utah State Route 30
State Route 30 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Utah. It is the only highway signed as a Utah state route to traverse the entire width of the state. Legislatively the highway exists as 3 separate segments. The three sections are easily connectable via Interstate 84 and U.S. Route 89...
runs through the center of the valley, generally from east to west. The valley is a roughly oval shape of about 30 miles (48.3 km) in length east to west and about 25 miles (40.2 km) north to south, covering a major portion of the western end of the county.
Park Valley anchors the northern end of the Great Basin
Great Basin
The Great Basin is the largest area of contiguous endorheic watersheds in North America and is noted for its arid conditions and Basin and Range topography that varies from the North American low point at Badwater Basin to the highest point of the contiguous United States, less than away at the...
. The Raft River Mountains
Raft River Mountains
The Raft River Mountains are a mountain range in northern Box Elder County, Utah, United States. The ghost town of Yost is on the north central slopes. Tributaries of the Raft River drain the northern slopes of the range.-Geography:...
to the north mark the boundary between the Great Basin and the Snake River Plain
Snake River Plain
The Snake River Plain is a geologic feature located primarily within the state of Idaho in the United States of America. It stretches about westward from northwest of the state of Wyoming to the Idaho-Oregon border. The plain is a wide flat bow-shaped depression, and covers about a quarter of Idaho...
. What is called the community of Park Valley includes name locations that formerly were nearly separate communities, such as Rosette
Rosette, Utah
Rosette is an unincorporated ranching community in Box Elder County, Utah, United States.Rosette is located about west of Park Valley.The community was named by the town's first postmaster, Jonathan Campbell, in 1871. The name refers to the wild roses in the area....
, Dove Creek, Muddy, Rosebud, and Kelton
Kelton, Utah
-External links:* by Randy W. Lewis* at Utah State History...
, as well as ones that have been almost forgotten by time, such as Ten-Mile, Clear Creek, Rosen Valley, Terrace
Terrace, Utah
Terrace is a ghost town, located in the Great Salt Lake Desert in west-central Box Elder County, Utah, United States. The town was established in 1869 as a Central Pacific Railroad "division point" , on the route of the First Transcontinental Railroad...
, Golden
Golden, Utah
Golden is a ghost town in Box Elder County, Utah, United States. It is located west of Park Valley, near the southern base of the Raft River Mountains.-History:...
, Matlin, and other lesser camps along the old railroad grade. Since all of these areas currently belong to a homogenous community, they are all known collectively as Park Valley. The valley center, or Park Valley proper, is the community center, which contains the church house, store, hotel, the park, and the schoolhouse.
History
In 1826, explorer Jedediah SmithJedediah Smith
Jedediah Strong Smith was a hunter, trapper, fur trader, trailblazer, author, cartographer, cattleman, and explorer of the Rocky Mountains, the American West Coast and the Southwest during the 19th century...
passed through the area. In 1841, the Bartleson-Bidwell Party
Bartleson-Bidwell Party
In 1841, the Bartleson–Bidwell Party led by Captain John Bartleson and John Bidwell, became the first American emigrants to attempt a wagon crossing from Missouri to California.-The trail:...
brought the first wagon
Wagon
A wagon is a heavy four-wheeled vehicle pulled by draught animals; it was formerly often called a wain, and if low and sideless may be called a dray, trolley or float....
s through the valley.
While the Transcontinental Railroad
Transcontinental railroad
A transcontinental railroad is a contiguous network of railroad trackage that crosses a continental land mass with terminals at different oceans or continental borders. Such networks can be via the tracks of either a single railroad, or over those owned or controlled by multiple railway companies...
coming to Utah did not pass directly through the valley, its proximity played an important part in the settlement and development of the area. Settlement was apparently a result of surveys conducted for several miles on either side of the railroad right-of-way. Even before the rails were joined at Promontory
Promontory, Utah
Promontory in Box Elder County, Utah, United States, is notable as the location of Promontory Summit where the United States' Transcontinental Railroad was officially completed on May 10, 1869....
on May 10, 1869, the effect of the railroad on Park Valley had begun. The first permanent settler was William P. (Cotton) Thomas, who migrated from Brigham City in 1869, and developed a cattle ranch near Dove Creek. The heavy growth of trees along the creek and the view of the valley inspired the name.