A Brief History of Wayne County
Wayne County lies entirely within the colorful Colorado Plateau geographical province and includes portions of Capitol Reef and Canyonlands National Parks. The Fremont River flows south into the county from Fish Lake and then east to join the Dirty Devil, a tributary of the Green River. The Green marks the county's eastern border.
Located in southeastern Utah, Wayne County is rectangular in shape. It is roughly 23 miles wide running north and south and 105 miles long running east and west, and contains 2,475 miles, with 97% belonging to Federal and State Governments. There are about 2,400 people living in the county.
The western part of the county is a broken up plateau called the Awapa Plateau. It slopes to the east from the Parker Mountain Divide for a distance of 12-15 miles, from an elevation of about 10,000 ft. - 7,999 ft. into the valley encompassing the towns of Fremont, Loa, Lyman, and Bicknell. South and east of these towns are two high up-lifted mountains divided by the Fremont River. The one on the north is Thousand Lake Mountain, and on the south is the Boulder Mountain (or Aquarius Plateau); one of the largest and highest plateaus in the U.S. Both of these mountains have horizontal lava capping and are over 11,000 ft. high with many small lakes providing excellent fishing. You can also find excellent hunting for deer, elk, antelope, turkey, duck, pheasant, chukkers and other wild game. The general area provides grazing for livestock during the summer months. Southeast of the town of Bicknell is a wet, marshy area known as the Bicknell Bottoms, an excellent wildlife habitat, and housing the largest fish egg hatchery in the state.
Scientists have identified the remains of extinct Pleistocene species such as the sloth, horse, mammoth, bison, and camel in Wayne County and dated Archaic and Fremont Indian sites (Cowboy Caves) to between 6300 B.C. and 450 A.D. Horseshoe (Barrier) Canyon and the Maze section of Canyonlands in eastern Wayne contain spectacular pictographs. In historic times the county was part of the Ute Indians' domain.
Wayne was created in May 1892 from Piute County. Most of its towns were settled after 1880 because of the remote location and limited resources. A delegate to the constitutional convention gave it the name of Wayne County in honor of his son who was dragged to death by a horse. Raising livestock is the oldest and most important industry. Beef cattle produce the most income, but dairy cows, sheep, and poultry have all contributed to the local economy in the past. Getting cattle to market was difficult. Until good roads were built in the 1930s stock was driven some 100 miles north to the railroad at Nephi and later to a Denver & Rio Grande branch line in Sevier County. The creation of national forests in the early 20th century reduced the number of cattle that could be grazed in western Wayne County.
The lumber industry became another major source of income. Wayne County is logged at a higher elevation than any place in the U.S. This area has long been famed for its hunting and fishing quality. With the completion of highway 24 through Capitol Reef National Park and scenic highway 12 over the Boulder Mountain, Wayne County is enjoying in more recent years tourism. This also provides income for some residents. Almost every town in the county has excellent accommodations for the tourist. There are two airports in the county. One is owned and maintained by the county near Bicknell and the second is government maintained and located at Hanksville. Uranium has been mined, and tar sands, another energy-related resource, await development. The state operates two fish hatcheries in Wayne.
During the Great Depression the Works Progress Administration (WPA) provided funds to build a county courthouse in Loa. County officials originally met in private homes and rented quarters and later converted a store into office space. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), another federal program during the depression, operated three camps in the county. The CCC built roads, campgrounds, and small water projects. Road building has been a major concern of local government from the beginning. Modern highways now make it easy for tourists to drive to many scenic attractions and give residents easy access to the nearest commercial center and medical and other services in Richfield.
The area east of the high mountains from Torrey to Capitol Reef National Park gradually slopes eastward, dropping 1,500 ft. in elevation. It is characterized by sandstone formations and shales, reddish-brown in color. This portion is rugged and broken except for the areas occupied by the towns of Torrey, Teasdale, and Grover. It consists primarily of range land. Pinion, juniper, and semi-desert grasses and shrubs for the principal vegetative cover here. Fruits such as apples, pears, apricots, and plums are raised in Teasdale, Torrey and Capitol Reef National Park.
Between Capitol Reef National Park and Notom is a tilted section of very colorful sedimentary formations that vary in color from buff to yellow to maroon to reddish brown. These formations are sandstone with briefly banded shales of fantastic shades and colors. This area is known as "Wayne Wonderland" and "Land of the Sleeping Rainbow". The tilted section known as the Water Pocket Fold extends through the county in a southeasterly direction from the east end of Thousand Lake Mountain to the Colorado River.
East of the reef, the topography varies from eroded dissected slopes and blue-gray mesas to a vast open and rolling area near and east of Hanksville. It is a low rainfall area used primarily for winter grazing. This area is sparsely settled with the small towns of Caineville and Hanksville. The area east of Hanksville is still called "Robbers Roost", where cattle rustling by the notorious Robbers Roost gang threatened ranchers until the late 1890s. Thus the name was originated because it was the last hideout of the old west desperados and gunmen.
Since Wayne County is the second driest county in the second driest state, water is our most precious resource. Therefore, nearly every farm in the entire county is under a sprinkling system. We, then, are able to conserve and utilize the available water. Wayne County is, no doubt, the most scenic and beautiful county in the entire west.
For a more detailed history of Wayne County see "A History of Wayne County (1999)" by Miriam B. Murphy
which can be purchased at the County Clerks Office at 18 S. Main in Loa.