Juab County

Juab County is a part of the Basin and Range physiographic province. Most of its fertile farming land lies in the Juab Valley near Nephi at the base of Mount Nebo (11,877 feet).

Also in the east of the county is the rich Tintic mining district and the rolling sand dunes of Little Sahara Recreation Area.

Broad semi-arid valleys and low desert mountains fill the western part of the county. Moving from east to west, Juab’s mountain ranges are: the Wasatch, the East Tintic Range, West Tintic Range, Thomas Range (Topaz Mountain at 7,113 feet), Fish Springs Range, and the southern tip of the Deep Creek Range.

First Peoples

Archaic Period sites have been found in Juab County. The Archaic people often lived near marshes like Fish Springs, where they could find plenty of animals and plants to use for food, clothing, and shelter.

Later, Fremont people found good places to settle in the Juab area. Many lived near the present town of Nephi. North of town, 30 mounds of different heights and diameter show where some of them lived and farmed.

The University of Utah excavated the mounds in 1965 and found evidence of many dwellings. Most of these were made of adobe. They also found artifacts like pottery, food scraps, smoking pipes, figurines, stone tools, fire pits, and more. The Nephi Mounds site became an important archaeology site in the Great Basin.

Threshing wheat in the early 1900s on a dry farm near Nephi.

Goshute Indians, who didn’t farm but instead hunted and gathered their food, lived on the land later. They successfully lived on the desert’s scarce resources until Euro Americans began coming through and settling.

History

The newcomers took over some resources and ruined others. Unhappy with this situation, Goshutes attacked mail stations and raided and stole from the newcomers. They eventually signed a peace treaty.

The Goshute Tribe received a reservation—though much smaller than their traditional lands—within those lands.

The Pony Express station at Willow Springs, near Callao by Francis L. Horspool.

Early explorers through the county included members of the Dominguez-Escalante expedition, Jedediah Smith, John C. Fremont, John Gunnison, and J. H. Simpson. John C. Fremont journeyed through the county’s eastern end on his way north. In 1859 Simpson located the route later used by the Pony Express and transcontinental telegraph.

Settlers and Miners

The first settlement in Juab Valley occurred in 1851 when a group of Mormon farmers arrived near Salt Creek. This settlement became present-day Nephi.

In 1869 prospectors discovered precious metals in the Tintic region. The finds changed the economic and industrial destiny of Juab County. The towns of Diamond, Silver City, Mammoth, and especially Eureka became the main areas of the Tintic Mining District. By 1899, Tintic had become one of country’s most important mining districts.

Telephone service truck and crew at Eureka, in 1921.

From 1870 to 1899 Tintic produced about 35 million dollars in mineral wealth. The metals in Tintic consisted of silver, gold, copper, lead, zinc, and some uranium at Topaz Mountain.

Economy

Mining continued through the 1950s, and even today some mining operations continue on a small scale. In recent years several small manufacturing firms have helped to diversify Juab’s economy.

Recreation at the White Sand Dunes at Little Sahara Recreation Area remains very popular, attracting tourists and visitors to western Juab.

Did You Know?

You can see into Nevada from Mt. Nebo, the tallest mountain in the Wasatch Range.
The Tintic Mining District, rich in silver and lead, was named after Tintic, a Ute leader.
The county’s big sand dunes are called Little Sahara.
The first baseball game in the county was played in 1875.
Juab resident Maud Fitch, an ambulance driver during WWI, was awarded the French croix de guerre for her work in serving wounded soldiers.

Fast Facts

Area: 3,412 Square Miles

County Seat: Nephi

How it Got its Name: Possibly a Ute Word Meaning Flat or Level Plain

Main Cities and Towns: Nephi, Eureka, Mona, Levan

Economy: Manufacturing, Mining, Recreation

Keep Exploring!

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Return to the I Love Utah History home page here.