Duchesne County, Utah

Duchesne County
Duchesne County
County
	Duchesne County Courthouse in Duchesne
	Seal
	Location within the U.S. state of Utah
	Utah's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 40°17′N 110°26′W / 40.28°N 110.44°W
Country	United States
State	Utah
Founded	January 4, 1915 (proclaimed in effect)
Named for	Duchesne River
Seat	Duchesne
Largest city	Roosevelt
Area
• Total	3,256 sq mi (8,430 km2)
• Land	3,241 sq mi (8,390 km2)
• Water	15 sq mi (40 km2) 0.50%
Population (2020)
• Total	19,596
• Density	6.0/sq mi (2.3/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district	1st
Website	duchesne.utah.gov

Duchesne County (/duːˈʃeɪn/ doo-SHAYN) is a county in the northeast part of the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 19,596.^[1] Its county seat is Duchesne,^[2] and the largest city is Roosevelt.

History

Much of Duchesne County was part of the Uintah Reservation, created 1861 by US President Abraham 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 the Dawes 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 of Utah Territory, settlement of the future Duchesne County area did not occur due to LDS 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 of Wasatch County to partition the eastern part into a separate county. The referendum passed, so Utah Governor William 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 the Duchesne 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 Mother Rose Philippine Duchesne, founder of the School of the Sacred Heart near St. Louis, Missouri, although other theories as to the name exist.^[4] The county boundary with Uintah County was adjusted by legislative act on March 5, 1917; Duchesne County boundaries have remained in their current configuration since that date.^[5]

Geography

Duchesne County's terrain is semi-arid, rough, and scarred with drainages. The Duchesne 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 oriented Uinta Mountains. The highest natural point in Utah, Kings Peak at 13,528 feet (4,123 m), is located in Duchesne County.

Major highways

^[6]

Adjacent counties

Summit County - north
Daggett County - northeast
Uintah County - east
Carbon County - south
Utah County - southwest
Wasatch County - west

Protected areas

Ashley National Forest (part)
Big Sand State Park
Currant Creek Wildlife Management Area
High Uintas Wilderness (part)
Red Creek Wildlife Management Area
Skitzy Wildlife Management Area
Starvation State Park
Wasatch-Cache National Forest (part)

^[6]

Lakes

Big Sand Wash Reservoir
Cedar View Reservoir
Chepeta Lake
Crater Lake
Daynes Lake
Grandaddy Lake
Kidney Lake
Lake Atwood
Mirror Lake
Moon Lake
Starvation Reservoir
Upper Stillwater Reservoir

^[6]

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1920	9,093	—
1930	8,263	−9.1%
1940	8,958	8.4%
1950	8,134	−9.2%
1960	7,179	−11.7%
1970	7,299	1.7%
1980	12,565	72.1%
1990	12,645	0.6%
2000	14,371	13.6%
2010	18,607	29.5%
2020	19,596	5.3%
US Decennial Census^[9] 1790–1960^[10] 1900–1990^[11] 1990–2000^[12] 2010^[13] 2020^[14]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 18,607 people, 6,003 households, and 4,703 families in the county. The population 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 or African American, 4.53% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.27% Pacific Islander, 2.64% from other races, and 2.89% from two or more races. 6.00% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.^[15]

There were 6,003 households, of which 40.23% had children under 18 living with them, 64.72% were married 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. The per capita income for the county was $12,326. About 14.20% of families and 16.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.60% of those under age 18 and 12.40% of those aged 65 or over.

2015

As of 2015 the largest self-reported ancestry groups in Duchesne County, Utah are:^[16]

Largest ancestries (2015)	Percent
English	31.9%
German	10.6%
Irish	7.4%
American	6.4%
Danish	4.5%
Scottish	4.3%
Swedish	3.2%
Italian	2.3%
Norwegian	1.6%
Welsh	3.1%

Politics and government

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 2020).

State elected offices
	District	Name	Affiliation	First elected
Senate	26	Ronald Winterton	Republican	2018^[17]
House of Representatives	53	Kera Birkeland	Republican	2020^[18]
House of Representatives	55	Scott Chew	Republican	2014^[19]
House of Representatives	69	Christine Watkins	Republican	2016^[20]
Board of Education	12	James Moss Jr.	Republican	2020^[21]

United States presidential election results for Duchesne County, Utah^[22]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	7,513	87.75%	843	9.85%	206	2.41%
2016	5,508	78.82%	500	7.16%	980	14.02%
2012	5,698	89.32%	581	9.11%	100	1.57%
2008	4,689	81.24%	911	15.78%	172	2.98%
2004	4,742	85.35%	738	13.28%	76	1.37%
2000	3,622	79.67%	779	17.14%	145	3.19%
1996	2,648	63.67%	892	21.45%	619	14.88%
1992	1,983	43.44%	772	16.91%	1,810	39.65%
1988	3,118	70.82%	1,227	27.87%	58	1.32%
1984	4,437	85.16%	746	14.32%	27	0.52%
1980	3,827	79.41%	854	17.72%	138	2.86%
1976	2,619	65.77%	1,110	27.88%	253	6.35%
1972	2,183	70.49%	629	20.31%	285	9.20%
1968	1,733	61.15%	858	30.28%	243	8.57%
1964	1,251	48.66%	1,320	51.34%	0	0.00%
1960	1,546	56.98%	1,166	42.98%	1	0.04%
1956	1,856	67.99%	874	32.01%	0	0.00%
1952	1,969	61.32%	1,242	38.68%	0	0.00%
1948	1,266	44.11%	1,588	55.33%	16	0.56%
1944	1,140	41.17%	1,629	58.83%	0	0.00%
1940	1,322	39.96%	1,982	59.92%	4	0.12%
1936	1,070	34.68%	1,970	63.86%	45	1.46%
1932	1,333	43.39%	1,590	51.76%	149	4.85%
1928	1,585	63.48%	899	36.00%	13	0.52%
1924	1,277	57.60%	731	32.97%	209	9.43%
1920	1,523	61.76%	822	33.33%	121	4.91%
1916	687	26.95%	1,443	56.61%	419	16.44%