Spring City, Utah
Spring City, Utah | |
|---|---|
 Old Spring City schoolhouse, April 2005 | |
 Location in Sanpete County and the state of Utah. | |
  Spring City  Spring City | |
| Coordinates: 39°28′49″N 111°29′29″W / 39.48028°N 111.49139°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Utah |
| County | Sanpete |
| Settled | 1852 |
| Named after | Springs |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor–council |
| Area | |
• Total | 1.41 sq mi (3.66 km2) |
| • Land | 1.41 sq mi (3.66 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 5,823 ft (1,775 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 949 |
• Estimate (2023)[3] | 1,094 |
| • Density | 671.6/sq mi (259.29/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (Mountain (MST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
| ZIP code | 84662 |
| Area code | 435 |
| FIPS code | 49-71730[4] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1445992[2] |
| Website | springcitycorp |
Spring City is a city in Sanpete County, Utah, United States, situated at 5,823 feet (1,775 m) in the Sanpete Valley of central Utah. The population was 949 at the 2020 census. Its town center is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Spring City Historic District, recognized as a well-preserved example of a Latter-day Saint pioneer settlement with a concentration of 19th-century oolitic limestone architecture.[5] The city has attracted professional artists since the 1970s and is home to Spring City Arts, a nonprofit organization that operates a gallery in a restored early-20th-century automobile showroom on Main Street.[6]
History
[edit]
In 1850, LDS Church president Brigham Young and his counselor Heber C. Kimball toured the Sanpete Valley and identified sites for future settlements; church leaders envisioned a line of communities stretching the length of the valley to ensure effective control of the region.[7] Spring City was first known as "Allred Settlement".[8] The original settlers in 1852 were under the leadership of James Allred, a North Carolina-born early convert who had been advised by Young to "select a place for settlement where he could locate with his numerous posterity and kindred."[7] On March 26, 1852, Allred and several sons began settling the area along Canal Creek; by winter, about 12 families occupied what was then called "Canal" or the "Allred Settlement."[7] When a Latter-day Saint ward was organized there in 1853, Ruben W. Allred was appointed the first bishop. The settlement was abandoned in the summer of 1853 because of ongoing conflict with the Ute people, including San Pitch Utes, from which Sanpete County derives its name.[7][9][10] The village was reestablished as "Springtown" in 1859 by William Black, George Black and Joseph S. Black. Christen G. Larsen was made bishop of a new LDS ward in 1860.
Beginning in 1853, the Allred family and other church leaders encouraged Danish immigrants to settle in Sanpete County; by the mid-1860s locals referred to the north side of town as "Little Copenhagen" or "Little Denmark".[7] The Danish community contributed skills as tradesmen, bakers, blacksmiths, shoemakers, and masons, and introduced the parstuga house type — a three-room single-storey plan from Scandinavia — to the town's architectural mix.[7]
Spring City was also a site of fighting during the Black Hawk War.[11] The town was incorporated in 1870; the arrival of the railroad in 1890 made exporting agricultural products and importing goods more accessible.[7]
Orson Hyde (1805–1878), an early apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, resided in Spring City and is buried in the Spring City Cemetery.
Geography
[edit]Spring City lies at an elevation of 5,823 feet (1,775 m) in the Sanpete Valley of central Utah, tucked beneath the Wasatch Plateau, which rises on the town's eastern perimeter. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city covers 1.41 square miles (3.66 km2), all land.[1] Two creeks run through the town: Canal Creek, which cuts through the southeastern corner, and Oak Creek, which runs in a northwesterly course.[7]
Climate
[edit]Spring City has a semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk), with cold winters and warm summers. The data below reflects climate normals recorded at Ephraim, Utah, the nearest reporting station, approximately 5 miles (8 km) to the south.[12]
| Climate data for Spring City, Utah (Ephraim station) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 2 (35) |
4 (39) |
9 (49) |
13 (56) |
18 (65) |
24 (76) |
28 (83) |
27 (81) |
22 (72) |
16 (60) |
7 (45) |
1 (34) |
14 (58) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −11 (12) |
−9 (15) |
−4 (24) |
−1 (30) |
4 (39) |
8 (46) |
12 (54) |
11 (51) |
6 (43) |
0 (32) |
−6 (21) |
−10 (14) |
0 (32) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 13 (0.51) |
14 (0.55) |
14 (0.55) |
26 (1.02) |
40 (1.56) |
30 (1.19) |
27 (1.08) |
34 (1.32) |
26 (1.04) |
39 (1.53) |
13 (0.53) |
15 (0.58) |
291 (11.46) |
| Source: US Climate Data[12] | |||||||||||||
Government
[edit]Spring City operates under a mayor–council form of government. As of 2018, the city's mayor was Jack Monnett, then affiliated with the Constitution Party.[13]
Economy
[edit]Spring City's economy is primarily agricultural. After treaties with Native American tribes were signed in 1869, residents turned to agriculture, stock raising, lumbering, wool growing, and mercantile trade; fields at the city's edges continue to be planted with crops.[7] The arts community, which began attracting professional artists to the town in the 1970s, contributes a secondary economic base through galleries, pottery sales, and the annual Plein Air Competition and studio tour.[6][14]
Spring City owns and operates its own municipal electric utility and a small hydroelectric generation plant at the mouth of Oak Creek Canyon, which supplies power to residents and customers within city limits and portions of the surrounding buffer zone.[15]
Demographics
[edit]| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 243 | — | |
| 1870 | 623 | 156.4% | |
| 1880 | 989 | 58.7% | |
| 1890 | 1,044 | 5.6% | |
| 1900 | 1,135 | 8.7% | |
| 1910 | 1,100 | −3.1% | |
| 1920 | 1,106 | 0.5% | |
| 1930 | 902 | −18.4% | |
| 1940 | 839 | −7.0% | |
| 1950 | 703 | −16.2% | |
| 1960 | 463 | −34.1% | |
| 1970 | 456 | −1.5% | |
| 1980 | 671 | 47.1% | |
| 1990 | 715 | 6.6% | |
| 2000 | 956 | 33.7% | |
| 2010 | 988 | 3.3% | |
| 2020 | 949 | −3.9% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[16] | |||
2023 estimate
[edit]According to the 2023 American Community Survey 5-year estimates, Spring City had a population of 1,094.[3] The median age was 47.3 years. The median household income was $65,139. About 9.0% of the population lived below the poverty line. Of 456 housing units, 55 (12.1%) were vacant; of 401 occupied units, 346 (86.3%) were owner-occupied and 55 (13.7%) were renter-occupied.[3]
| Race | Number | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| White | 985 | 90.0% |
| Black or African American | 0 | 0.0% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 7 | 0.6% |
| Asian | 2 | 0.2% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 9 | 0.8% |
| Some other race | 30 | 2.7% |
| Two or more races | 61 | 5.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) | 87 | 8.0% |
2020 census
[edit]As of the 2020 census, Spring City had a population of 949. The median age was 46.1 years. 24.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 25.9% were 65 or older. For every 100 females there were 100.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 99.4 males.[17]
0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[18]
There were 354 households, of which 31.9% had children under 18. Of all households, 68.9% were married-couple households, 11.6% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present, and 16.9% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 17.8% were made up of individuals, and 8.8% had someone living alone age 65 or older.[17]
There were 414 housing units, of which 14.5% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.7%.[17]
| Race | Number | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| White | 851 | 89.7% |
| Black or African American | 0 | 0.0% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0 | 0.0% |
| Asian | 2 | 0.2% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 6 | 0.6% |
| Some other race | 18 | 1.9% |
| Two or more races | 72 | 7.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) | 72 | 7.6% |
2000 census
[edit]The 2000 census[4] recorded 956 people, 312 households, and 243 families. The population density was 720.5 per square mile (277.5/km2). There were 370 housing units at an average density of 278.8 per square mile (107.4/km2). The racial makeup was 94.98% White, 0.10% African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.42% Pacific Islander, 1.88% from other races, and 2.09% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 3.56% of the population.
There were 312 households, of which 41.7% had children under 18, 70.2% were married couples, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.1% were non-families. 17.6% were made up of individuals, and 8.3% had someone living alone age 65 or older. The average household size was 3.06 and the average family size was 3.53.
The median household income was $34,609 and the median family income was $37,813. The per capita income was $12,310. About 15.6% of families and 20.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.3% of those under 18 and 17.7% of those 65 or older.
Education
[edit]Spring City is located in the North Sanpete School District.[20] The city contains an elementary school. Students attend North Sanpete Middle School in Moroni and North Sanpete High School in Mount Pleasant.
Transportation
[edit]Utah State Route 17 passes through Spring City as the main road through town. U.S. Route 89, the principal highway through the Sanpete Valley, runs approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) to the west, bypassing the city.[7] A railroad spur reached the Sanpete Valley in 1890, enabling residents to export agricultural products more readily, though no passenger or freight rail service currently serves the city.[7]
Spring City Historic District
[edit]Spring City Historic District | |
| |
| Location | UT 17, Spring City, Utah |
|---|---|
| Area | 37 acres (15 ha) |
| Built | 1851 |
| Architectural style | Mormon vernacular |
| NRHP reference No. | 80003957[5] |
| Added to NRHP | October 22, 1980 |
The Spring City Historic District boundaries coincide with the city limits. This designation recognizes Spring City's status as a well-preserved example of a Latter-day Saint pioneer settlement. The district is primarily residential in character, but includes the town's commercial core.[21]
Spring City was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 22, 1980.[5]
Oolitic limestone and adobe are the predominant building materials; brick, frame, and log structures are also present.[21] House types from the 1865–1890 period comprise over one-third of the extant buildings, ranging from single-room log cabins to two-storey cross-wing houses. The dominant structure in the district is the LDS meetinghouse, an oolitic limestone building constructed between 1902 and 1911 to a design by Provo architect Richard C. Watkins, replacing an earlier adobe meetinghouse erected in 1863–64.[7] Pattern-book styles of the 1880–1910 period, including pyramid cottages with projecting gables, account for approximately another third of the housing stock.[21]
The district includes a Masonic lodge on B Street between Second and Main Streets, one of the few non-LDS institutional buildings in the predominantly Latter-day Saint settlement.[22]
Preservation and restoration
[edit]The old Spring City schoolhouse, documented in the Historic American Buildings Survey (survey UT-70-J), was acquired from the school district for $1 after a period of use as a camper manufacturing plant. The local Daughters of Utah Pioneers chapter stewarded the building for decades; when that group could no longer maintain the project, painter Lee Udall Bennion and ceramicist Joseph Bennion co-founded Friends of Historic Spring City, a nonprofit that funds ongoing restoration through an annual home tour. The schoolhouse restoration took approximately 40 years to complete.[23]
Arts and culture
[edit]Although still primarily a farming community, Spring City has been known as an artist community since the late 20th century.[6] Joseph Bennion and Lee Udall Bennion were among the first professional artists to settle permanently in the town; Bennion established Horseshoe Mountain Pottery on Main Street in 1980, and their presence drew subsequent artists to the area.[14] In 2010, Forbes named Spring City one of "America's Prettiest Towns".[24]
Spring City Arts, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, promotes art and art education in Spring City and Sanpete County.[6] The organization operates the Spring City Arts Gallery in a restored early-20th-century automobile showroom on Main Street, open primarily during the winter season.[6] Each year the organization hosts a Plein Air Competition and an open studio tour.[6]
Annual events
[edit]Heritage Day, organized by Friends of Historic Spring City and held on Memorial Day weekend (10 a.m.–4 p.m.), features a ticketed historic homes tour, an art auction, a framed art sale, live music, food trucks, and a bake sale by the local Daughters of Utah Pioneers chapter.[25][26] The event draws thousands of visitors each year to tour the town's 19th-century pioneer architecture.[27]
Pioneer Day events on July 24–25 include a Fireman's Breakfast and a Pioneer Parade down Main Street.[25]
The Spring City Arts Plein Air Competition and Studio Tour, held on a Saturday in late August or early September, draws artists from across the region to paint rural Sanpete Valley scenes; the public may view completed work, visit local artist studios, and purchase paintings.[25][6]
A Bluegrass and Folk Festival is held in late summer.[28]
A Candlelight Christmas home tour and art sale is held each December at the Spring City Community Center (the restored schoolhouse), with decorated pioneer homes, carol singers, bluegrass music, and a miniature art sale.[25]
Notable people
[edit]- Orson Hyde (1805–1878), Mormon apostle
- Jacob Johnson, U.S. Representative from Utah
- Joel Skousen, survivalist and author
- Joseph Bennion, studio potter and river guide
- Lee Udall Bennion, figurative painter
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
- ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Spring City, Utah
- ^ a b c d "Spring City city, Utah — 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. 2024. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
- ^ a b "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ a b c "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Welcome to Spring City Arts". Spring City Arts. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "The Founding of Spring City". Friends of Historic Spring City. Archived from the original on July 26, 2011. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
- ^ "Spring City". Spring City Corporation. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
- ^ "Sanpete County". I Love History. Utah Division of State History. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
- ^ Fletcher, Lyle. "Where did Sanpete Get It's [sic] Name?". San Pete Messenger. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ Andrew Jenson, Encyclopedic History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, p. 827
- ^ a b "Climate Ephraim – Utah". US Climate Data. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
- ^ "Constitution Party office holders". Constitution Party. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
- ^ a b Benson, Lee (May 8, 2003). "Portrait of an artist's haven". Deseret News. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
- ^ "Electric". Spring City Corporation. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
- ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ^ a b c "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved February 22, 2026.
- ^ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved February 22, 2026.
- ^ "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved February 22, 2026.
- ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Sanpete County, UT" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved September 28, 2024. - Text list
- ^ a b c Carter, Tom (January 1979). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form: Spring City Historic District". National Park Service. Retrieved March 4, 2014.
- ^ "Spring City Area Study, Masonic Lodge, B Street, Spring City, Sanpete County, UT". Historic American Buildings Survey, Library of Congress. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
- ^ Shumway, Mia (August 12, 2024). "A Spring City artist's reflection on the nearly 40 year restoration of a local landmark". Utah Public Radio. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
- ^ "America's Prettiest Towns". Forbes. April 15, 2010. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
- ^ a b c d "Events". Friends of Historic Spring City. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
- ^ "Spring City Heritage Day". Utah State Historic Preservation Office. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
- ^ "Gleaning a Small Town's Harvest in Spring City, Utah". Visit Utah. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
- ^ "Sanpete Valley". Visit Utah. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
External links
[edit]
- Official website
- Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. UT-70, "Spring City Area Study, Spring City, Sanpete County, UT", 5 photos, 1 measured drawing, 3 data pages
- HABS No. UT-70-A, "Spring City Area Study, Adobe House, First Street, Spring City, Sanpete County, UT", 1 photo
- HABS No. UT-70-B, "Spring City Area Study, Bishop's Storehouse, Fourth & E Streets, Spring City, Sanpete County, UT", 2 photos
- HABS No. UT-70-C, "Spring City Area Study, City Hall, Main Street, Spring City, Sanpete County, UT", 2 photos
- HABS No. UT-70-D, "Spring City Area Study, Frame House, Second & B Streets, Spring City, Sanpete County, UT", 2 photos
- HABS No. UT-70-E, "Spring City Area Study, Peter Hons House, Fourth & F Streets, Spring City, Sanpete County, UT", 1 photo
- HABS No. UT-70-F, "Spring City Area Study, Orson Hyde House, Main & C Streets, Spring City, Sanpete County, UT", 2 photos
- HABS No. UT-70-G, "Spring City Area Study, Log Cabin, First & B Streets, Spring City, Sanpete County, UT", 1 photo
- HABS No. UT-70-H, "Spring City Area Study, Log Cabin, Spring City, Sanpete County, UT", 2 photos
- HABS No. UT-70-I, "Spring City Area Study, Masonic Lodge, B Street, Spring City, Sanpete County, UT", 2 photos
- HABS No. UT-70-J, "Spring City Area Study, Public School, Fourth & E Streets, Spring City, Sanpete County, UT", 2 photos
- HABS No. UT-70-K, "Spring City Area Study, Stone House, Main & F Streets, Spring City, Sanpete County, UT", 1 photo
- HABS No. UT-70-L, "Spring City Area Study, Tithing Barn, Second Street, Spring City, Sanpete County, UT", 1 photo
- HABS No. UT-70-M, "Spring City Area Study, Tithing Office, Second Street, Spring City, Sanpete County, UT", 2 photos
- HABS No. UT-70-<, "Spring City Area Study, Ward Chapel, Main Street, Spring City, Sanpete County, UT", 5 photos
Places adjacent to Spring City, Utah | |
|---|---|
Municipalities and communities of Sanpete County, Utah, United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |  | |
| Towns | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
