GARFIELD COUNTY INTERESTING FACTS

     INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT GARFIELD COUNTY

There are many interesting facts about Garfield County.  It got its name from President James A. Garfield, who was shot by Charles Guiteau and later died.

Before that, Ebenezer Bryce came to the area and settled by Bryce Canyon.  His cows would sometimes get lost in the canyon.  He hated it!  Ebenezer was a shipbuilder from Scotland.  He designed the Pine Valley Chapel, which was built like an upside down ship!

     In the winter of 1864-65, the people of Panguitch almost starved because of the terrible climate.  Finally, seven men went to get flour.  They had to use quilts to lay on top of the deep snow so they could walk on it. When the men got back, everyone was so happy to finally eat real bread.

     One last interesting fact about Garfield County is that the city of Boulder was the last place in the United States to get their mail delivered by mule,  In 1940, that all changed.  Garfield is an interesting place. 

RECREATION

RECREATION IN GARFIELD COUNTY

 

There are many recreational activities in Garfield County. Three National Parks are located in the county.  They are Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, and a section of Canyonlands.  There are also three State Parks in Garfield County. They are Kodachrome Basin, Escalante Petrified Forest and Anasazi Indian.  Another place that is found in the area is Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.  You can find all sorts of adventure in these places.  Biking, ATV, horse, and hiking trails are all main types of recreational activities.  There is the Cassidy Trail which is believed that Butch Cassidy, the famous outlaw ventured through it during many of his escapes from the law.  When you visit these places located in Garfield County, you will find amazing scenery and incredible views in the United States. Because of these things, Garfield County is a fun place to visit for recreational activities.

Agriculture and Manufacturing In Garfield County

 

     Garfield County has huge rangelands and several of Utah's largest forest reserves.  Because of these areas, cattle ranching is one of the county's most essential industries.  Also, since there are so many trees in the forests, lumber has been a primary industry since pioneer times.

 

     Another thing that the land in this county does is make a place for people to visit.  In 1928, Bryce Canyon National Park was created.  This park and other beautiful places in the area helped Garfield County's tourism industry grow.



                    


Unfortunately, since lumbering and tourism are only seasonal industries, unemployment is sometimes high.

Garfield County History

                                                                       

Garfield County History

The ancient Pueblo and Fremont people lived in the Garfield County area.  They left behind pottery, tools, grinding stones, arrow points and other things.  At the Anasazi State Park, there is pottery that has been found that belonged to both cultures.  Then, the Numic people moved into the county once the Pueblo and Fremont cultures disappeared.  These Numic people are known as Southern Paiutes and Utes.

White settlers first came to the Panguitch area of Garfield County in March 1864.  They didn’t settle there very long because the winters were very hard and the Black Hawk War began the next year.  So they left.  Nobody tried to live in Panguitch again until 1871.  The county was created officially in 1882.  The town of Boulder was established in 1889.  The only way to get into town was over the Boulder Mountain, but during the winter the road was closed.  Boulder became the most isolated place in Utah until a road was established from Escalante to Boulder in the 1930’s.

MOUNTAIN RANGES IN GARFIELD COUNTY

                Bryce Canyon

    Bryce Canyon National park in Garfield County is named after the Mormon pioneer Ebeneezer Bryce. The limestone rock of Bryce Canyon was formed by erosion and rainwater. It's known for "hoodoos" which are odd-shaped spires of rocks formed by erosion.  The rocks are tinted with many different colors and a lot of different shapes. Bryce Canyon has almost 200 miles of visibility and there are views of three different states. This Canyon offers some excellent places for exploring and hiking.




                   Boulder Mountain

Boulder Mountain is a mountain range in Garfield County. It has cliffs and steep slopes.  There are over 50,000 acres of meadow lands and forest hills on the top of Boulder Mountain. Dixie National Forest contains Boulder Mountain.  It is also the tallest timbered plateau in the entire North American continent.

Garfield County Rocks & Minerals

Stibnite is the most common ore found in Garfield County. In 1880, Indians first found Antimony in the form of Stibnite.  They tried to use it as lead because that's what they thought it was.  Stibnite usually contains small bits of iron, silver and gold.  The surface parts are usually dark colored.

Conglomerate is a Sedimentary Rock. It is a well rounded gravel that is made of clay and sand. It is held together by other natural cementing agents.

There is a place called Wolverine Petrified Wood Area in Garfield County.  There are large amounts of petrified wood just laying around there.  The wood was formed by forests that grew in swampy marshes. Over time, thousands of layers of rock buried the trees and they became petrified.

Climate In Garfield County

*Garfield County gets 11 in. of rain per year. That's not much not much compared to the U.S average which is 37 in. per year.

*Garfield County gets 27 in. of snowfall per year the U.S average is 25 in.per year. The average low temperature in January is 12.8 degrees.










*Garfield County gets 255 sunny days per year. The average high temperature in July is 85.6 degrees.











*The elevation of Garfield County is 6,801 feet above sea level.