History

The Sanpete Valley may have been traversed or inhabited as long as 32,000 BP, by small bands of hunters. Such lifestyle probably continued for about 20,000 years, at which time the extinction of larger game animals forced a change. About 8,500 years ago, different groups (characterized by use of atlata, millstones and textiles) came onto the scene. These also departed the area about 2,500 years ago, for unknown reasons, after which the area was probably unvisited by humans for 1,500 years.

Archeological evidence indicates that the Fremont people appeared next on the stage, the first inhabitants to domesticate crops and to create relatively large communal settlements. In this county the best-known Fremont site to date is “Witch’s Knoll” three miles (5 km) SE of Ephraim. Around 1300 AD the evidence of Fremont habitation also ceases, and the county again lay unvisited until the arrival of the present-day “Indians”, the Ute/Paiute/Goshute/Shoshoni, speaking a common language called “Numic.”[4]

The largely uninhabited Great Basin was inhabited by the Mormon pioneers beginning in summer 1847. The first few years were spent establishing a base in the Great Salt Lake Valley, then groups were sent – usually by directive of the church leaders – to settle the more outlying areas. In 1849 two Ute chiefs traveled to the Salt Lake Valley to request that such settlements be made in the Sanpete Valley. The chiefs, Walkara and Sowiette, asked Mormon leader Brigham Young to settle a group of his people in the valley of Sanpitch,[4] about 125 miles (201 km) to the south. Young sent a party to explore the area in August of that year. It was deemed favorable to settlement, and Brigham Young called Isaac Morley and George Washington Bradley to organize about fifty families to move south and settle “San Pete.”[4] The group of 224 arrived on November 19.led by Isaac Morley, Charles Shumway, and Seth Taft and George Washington Bradley. After some debate, the first settlement in the valley was established on the present site of Manti, Utah.[4]

The State of Deseret enacted the county effective January 31, 1850. It was named for the Ute chief Sanpitch, which was changed to Sanpete.[5] According to William Bright, the name comes from the Ute word saimpitsi, meaning “people of the tules”.[6]

The county boundaries were adjusted a dozen times during the 19th century. An adjustment in 1913 and a refining of the county boundary definitions in 1919 brought Sanpete County to its present configuration.

Demographics

As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 22,763 people, 6,547 households, and 5,067 families in the county. The population density was 14.3/sqmi (5.53/km²). There were 7,879 housing units at an average density of 4.96/sqmi (1.91/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 92.43% White, 0.31% Black or African American, 0.87% Native American, 0.48% Asian, 0.36% Pacific Islander, 4.06% from other races, and 1.49% from two or more races. 6.63% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

In 2005 Sanpete County had a population that was 88.7% non-Hispanic whites. African Americans constituted 0.5% of the population. Native Americans were 1.0% of the population. Asians were 0.8% of the population. Pacific Islanders were growing faster in numbers than Asians and were tied with Asians at 0.8%. 8.1% of the population was now Latino.[15]

There were 6,547 households out of which 43.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.00% were married couples living together, 7.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.60% were non-families. 17.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.27 and the average family size was 3.68.

The county population contained 33.20% under the age of 18, 16.40% from 18 to 24, 21.80% from 25 to 44, 17.80% from 45 to 64, and 10.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25 years. For every 100 females there were 102.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $33,042, and the median income for a family was $37,796. Males had a median income of $30,527 versus $19,974 for females. The per capita income for the county was $12,442. About 10.40% of families and 15.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.90% of those under age 18 and 9.60% of those age 65 or over.