Daggett County, Utah

Daggett County is a county in the northeastern corner of the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 935, making it the least populous county in Utah. Its county seat is Manila. The county was named for Ellsworth Daggett, the first surveyor-general of Utah. The small community of Dutch John, located near the state line with Colorado and Wyoming, became an incorporated town in January 2016.

WWW daggettcounty.org 𝕏 daggettcounty

History

Due to dangerous roads, mountainous terrain, and frequent bad weather preventing travel via a direct route, 19th century residents in the north portion of Uintah County had to travel on both stagecoach and rail to conduct business in Vernal, the county seat, a mere away. The journey involved overland travel to a train station in Wyoming, to either Mack, Colorado, Price, or Salt Lake City, then a stagecoach to Vernal. In the fall 1917 election, the Uintah county voters voted to establish a separate county on the northern slope of the Uinta Mountains. The act establishing the county was approved on January 7, 1918, naming Manila as the county seat.
The boundary between Daggett and Uintah counties was adjusted in 1919, with some territory being returned to Uintah. Daggett County boundaries have remained unchanged since 1919.

Geography

Daggett County lies at the lower northeastern corner of Utah. Its northern border abuts the south border of the state of Wyoming, and its eastern boundary abuts the western border of the state of Colorado. Its main geographical features are the Uinta Mountains, which comprise its southwestern portion and delineate part of its southern border, and the Green River, which has carved a deep gorge through the east-central part of the county. In 1958, the United States Bureau of Reclamation took advantage of this natural feature to construct the Flaming Gorge Dam, creating the Flaming Gorge Reservoir, which began filling in 1964.
The county terrain slopes to the north and east on the northern flank of the Uintas. The county's highest point is on a mountain crest along its south border, at ASL. The county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. It is the fourth-smallest county in Utah by area. Over 90% of the land of Daggett County is under federal ownership.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Protected areas

Ashley National Forest
Browns Park Waterfowl Area
Browns Park Waterfowl Management Area
Clay Basin Wildlife Management Area
Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area
Goslin Mountain Wildlife Management Area
Indian Crossing Campground
Marshall Draw Wildlife Management Area
Taylors Flat Wildlife Management Area

Lakes

Big Springs
Browne Lake
Browns Park National Wildlife Refuge Reservoir
Chokecherry Spring
Cow Spring
Daggett Lake
Dowds Hole
Dripping Spring
East Grindstone Spring
Fighting Spring
Flaming Gorge Reservoir
Ford Spring
Greens Lakes
* Greens Lake
* West Greens Lake
Grindstone Spring
Lamb Lakes
* Bummer Lake
* Ewe Lake
* Lamb Lake
* Mutton Lake
* Ram Lake
Long Park Reservoir
Lower Potter Lake
One Fish Lake
Pollen Lake
Potter Lake
Red Lake
Serviceberry Spring
Sheep Creek Lake
Spirit Lake
Spitzenburg Spring
Stove Lake
Tepee Lakes
* Lower Teepee Lake
* Upper Teepee Lake
Weyman Lakes
* Anson Lake
* Candy Lake
* Clear Lake
* Hidden Lake
* Penguin Lake
* Sesame Lake
* Upper Anson Lake
Youngs Spring

Demographics

2020 census

According to the 2020 United States census and 2020 American Community Survey, there were 935 people in Daggett County with a population density of 1.3 people per square mile. Among non-Hispanic or Latino people, the racial makeup was 881 White, 1 African American, 0 Native American, 1 Asian, 2 Pacific Islander, 2 from other races, and 19 from two or more races. 29 people were Hispanic or Latino.
There were 510 males and 425 females, and the population distribution by age was 219 under the age of 18, 455 from 18 to 64, and 261 who were at least 65 years old. The median age was 47.6 years.
There were 392 households in Daggett County with an average size of 2.39 of which 282 were families and 110 were non-families. Among all families, 227 were married couples, 29 were male householders with no spouse, and 26 were female householders with no spouse. Among all non-families, 99 were a single person living alone and 11 were two or more people living together. 115 of all households had children under the age of 18. 323 of households were owner-occupied while 69 were renter-occupied.
The median income for a Daggett County household was $74,911 and the median family income was $100,833, with a per-capita income of $27,568. The median income for males that were full-time employees was $69,375 and for females $35,313. 3.3% of the population and 0.0% of families were below the poverty line.
In terms of education attainment, out of the 381 people in Daggett County 25 years or older, 15 had not completed high school, 162 had a high school diploma or equivalency, 148 had some college or associate degree, 39 had a bachelor's degree, and 17 had a graduate or professional degree.

Ancestry

As of 2016, the largest self-reported ancestry groups in Daggett County, Utah, were:

35.4% were of English ancestry
9.2% were of Scots-Irish ancestry
8.8% were of German ancestry
8.3% were of Irish ancestry
7.9% were of American ancestry
7.2% were of Dutch ancestry
5.5% were of Danish ancestry.
3.3% were of Swedish ancestry
2.5% were of Scottish ancestry
2.1% were of Italian ancestry
1.6% were of Swiss ancestry
1.6% were of French ancestry
1.5% were of Norwegian ancestry
0.7% were of Polish ancestry

Politics and government

Daggett County is governed by three commissioners, an auditor/HR director, a recorder/treasurer, a clerk, an assessor, and a sheriff, all elected for four-year terms in partisan elections. Judges stand for a non-partisan retention election every four years. Current officeholders and the year the current term began:

Commission Chairman: Matt Tippets 2022
Commissioner: Randy Asay 2020
Commissioner: Jack Lytle 2022
Auditor/HR Director: Keri Pallesen 2022
Recorder/Treasurer: Brianne Carter 2020
Clerk: Brian Raymond 2020
Assessor: Lesa Asay 2020
Sheriff: Eric L. Bailey 2022
Justice Court Judge: Judge Jeri Allphin

Daggett County has traditionally voted Republican. In no national election since 1964 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate.

Commerce and transportation

The few commercial establishments in Daggett County exist to service tourists and users of the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area. Throughout the county, there is one small general store, several gas stations, five cafes or restaurants, five inns/motels, and a few miscellaneous businesses that offer raft rentals. Some businesses offer guided fishing trips on the Flaming Gorge Reservoir and the Green River. The economy is primarily related to recreation, management of government land, and ranching. There are no railroads within Daggett County.