Town #71: HIGHLAND est. 1870s

 

Highland is nestled on the eastern bench overlooking the northern half of Utah County. I could find very little of the history of the town. The town website page on its history was blank. It was settled sometime in the 1870s and was incorporated in 1977. Its population has tripled in the last 10 years.

Town #70: FOUNTAIN GREEN est. 1859

 Fountain Green was the last town we stopped in on this trip through Sanpete County. Fountain Green lies just northwest of Moroni. Fountian Green started out as a popular camping spot for settlers heading for other parts of the county. The town was named after the natural spring that is in the area.

Fountain Green is known for its wool industries and celebrates Lamb's Day every year. Sheep outnumber people in this little town.

Town #69: MORONI est. 1859

 

Moroni is north of Chester. It was settled by people from the town of Nephi and went through several name changes before the name of "Moroni" stuck. Moroni is better than Mego. Moroni's big industry is turkeys. One thing that I enjoy about Moroni is that they restored their pioneer opera house. So many of the old opera houses in Utah are gone.

Town #68: CHESTER est. 1800s?

 

Chester is a small farming community just north of Ephraim. It is one of those places that if you blink, you just might miss it. Chester was once called Canal Creek after the canal that ran through it, but the name was change to Chesterfield after the town in England. It is the town closest to the geographic center of Utah. This is the first town that I have not been able to find an establishment date for.

Town #67: SPRING CITY est. 1852

 

Spring City is the second oldest town in  Sanpete County. It is a small community of charming pioneer homes and tree-lined streets. The population has stayed small so that many of the original homes and other buildings have not been torn down. Spring City has been placed on the list of national historic districts. Recently, it has attracted many artists and has become an art center for Sanpete County.

Town #66: MT. PLEASANT est. 1859

Mt. Pleasant is one of the small farming communities in Sanpete County. It is located north of Ephraim. It was settled by settlers from Ephraim and Manti. In the 1880s it was the biggest town in Sanpete County. A large percentage of its population at the time were foreign born so it was common to hear five different languages on its streets. What we like the best about Mt. Pleasant is that so much of its "turn of the century" business district is still intact and being used.

Town #65: FILLMORE est. 1851

Fillmore was settled when Brigham Young, then governor of the territory of Utah, decided to have the the capitol in a centralized location. Fillmore was named for President Millard Fillmore who appointed Brigham Young as governor. Fillmore was the territorial capital for several years before they moved it back up north to Salt Lake City. They had started building the capitol building before they left, but only one wing was finished. That wing is now a state park. Fillmore is the capitol of Millard county, which was also named for the president. Now Fillmore is just one more sleepy farming community in central Utah.

Town #64: EPHRAIM est. 1854

 

Ephriam is one of our favorite towns in Utah. John's parents grew up here, and we spent many years visiting John's grandma in her home across from Snow College. Now we only seem to get to Ephraim once a year over Memorial Day weekend. Ephraim is the home for Scandinavian Days that celebrates the Danish heritage of the town's settlers. We would love to be able to find a way  to live there. It feels like a second home.