Much of Duchesne County was part of theUintah Reservation, created 1861 by US PresidentAbraham Lincoln as a permanent home of the Uintah and White River Utes. Later the Uncompahgre Utes were moved to the Uintah and newly created Uncompahgre Indian reservations from western Colorado. At the turn of the century, under theDawes Act, both Indian reservations were thrown open to homesteaders. This was done after allotments of land were made to Indians of the three tribes. The homesteading process was opened on the Uintah on August 27, 1905.
Unlike much of the rest ofUtah Territory, settlement of the future Duchesne County area did not occur due toLDS Church pressures. It was settled by individuals who obtained 160 acres under the federal Homestead Act. Homesteaders were required to prove that they intended to farm the land. After five years of living on the land, making improvements, and paying $1.25 per acre, homesteaders were given title to their homesteads.[3]
On July 13, 1914, a referendum was presented to voters ofWasatch County to partition the eastern part into a separate county. The referendum passed, so Utah GovernorWilliam Spry proclaimed on January 4, 1915. The county seat was decided by county vote on November 5, 1914, election. The new county was named for its county seat, which in turn was called for theDuchesne River, which flows southward and then eastward through the central part of the county near the city. Its name is of uncertain origin, but the holding theory is that fur trappers named it in the 1820s in honor of MotherRose Philippine Duchesne, founder of the School of the Sacred Heart nearSt. Louis, Missouri, although other theories as to the name exist.[4] The county boundary withUintah County was adjusted by legislative act on March 5, 1917; Duchesne County boundaries have remained in their current configuration since that date.[5]
Duchesne County's terrain is semi-arid, rough, and scarred with drainages. TheDuchesne River drains the central part of the county.[6] The county generally slopes to the south and east.[7] The county has a total area of 3,256 square miles (8,430 km2), of which 3,241 square miles (8,390 km2) is land and 15 square miles (39 km2) (0.5%) is water.[8] The northern part of the county contains much of the east–west orientedUinta Mountains. The highest natural point in Utah,Kings Peak at 13,528 feet (4,123 m), is located in Duchesne County.
Duchesne County, Utah – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
There were 9,933 (50.69%) males and 9,663 (49.31%) females, and the population distribution by age was 6,328 (32.3%) under the age of 18, 10,598 (54.1%) from 18 to 64, and 2,670 (13.6%) who were at least 65 years old. The median age was 33.3 years.
There were 6,511 households in Duchesne County with an average size of 3.01 of which 4,937 (75.8%) were families and 1,574 (24.2%) were non-families. Among all families, 3,986 (61.2%) weremarried couples, 363 (5.6%) were male householders with no spouse, and 588 (9.0%) were female householders with no spouse. Among all non-families, 1,312 (20.2%) were a single person living alone and 262 (4.0%) were two or more people living together. 2,748 (42.2%) of all households had children under the age of 18. 5,124 (78.7%) of households wereowner-occupied while 1,387 (21.3%) wererenter-occupied.
The median income for a Duchesne County household was $61,655 and the median family income was $69,216, with aper-capita income of $25,086. The median income for males that werefull-time employees was $62,929 and for females $35,847. 13.9% of the population and 11.0% of families were below thepoverty line.
As of the2010 United States census, there were 18,607 people, 6,003 households, and 4,703 families in the county. Thepopulation density was 5.74 people per square mile (2.22 people/km2). There were 6,988 housing units at an average density of 2.16 units per square mile (0.83 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 89.15%White, 0.24%Black orAfrican American, 4.53%Native American, 0.28%Asian, 0.27%Pacific Islander, 2.64% fromother races, and 2.89% from two or more races. 6.00% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.[20]
There were 6,003 households, of which 40.23% had children under 18 living with them, 64.72% weremarried couples living together, 8.65% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.66% were non-families. 45.0% of all households had individuals under 18, and 22.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.05, and the average family size was 3.47.
The county population contained 33.91% under the age of 18, 6.56% from 20 to 24, 25.38% from 25 to 44, 20.92% from 45 to 64, and 10.66% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.80 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 100.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $31,298, and the median income for a family was $35,350. Males had a median income of $31,988 versus $19,692 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $12,326. About 14.20% of families and 16.80% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 19.60% of those under age 18 and 12.40% of those aged 65 or over.
Clair Poulson, West Side Precinct Justice Court Judge
Travis Tucker, Sheriff
JoAnn Evans, County Clerk-Auditor
Duchesne County voters are traditionally Republican. In no national election since 1964 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate (as of 2024).
(1994)"Duchesne County" article in theUtah History Encyclopedia. The article was written by Craig Fuller and the Encyclopedia was published by the University of Utah Press. ISBN 9780874804256. Archived fromthe original on February 7, 2024, and retrieved on April 18, 2024.
