Corinne, Utah
Encyclopedia
Corinne is a city in Box Elder County, Utah
, United States
. The population was 685 at the 2010 census.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 3.7 square miles (9.5 km²), of which, 3.6 square miles (9.3 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (2.19%) is water.
and Central Pacific Railroad
s approached their historic meeting
place at Promontory Summit early in 1869, a group of former Union Army
officers and some determined non-Mormon merchants from Salt Lake City decided to locate a Gentile town on the Union Pacific line, believing that the town could compete economically and politically with the Saints of Utah. They chose a location about six miles west of Brigham City on the west bank of the Bear River
where the railroad crossed that stream. Named by one of the founders (General J.A. Williamson) for his fourteen-year-old daughter, Corinne was designed to be the freight-transfer point for the shipment of goods and supplies to the mining towns of western Montana
along the Montana Trail
.
In its heyday Corinne had some 1,000 permanent residents, not one of whom was a Mormon, according to the boast of the local newspaper. As an end-of-the-trail town, Corinne reflected a very different atmosphere and culture from the staid and quiet Mormon settlements of Utah, nurturing not only a number of commission and supply houses but also fifteen saloons and sixteen liquor stores, with a gun-fighting town marshal to keep order in this "Dodge City" of Utah. The permanent residents of Corinne did their best to promote a sense of community pride and peaceful, cultural pursuits but had a raucous and independent clientele of freighters and stagecoachers to control.
With some support from political leaders in the nation's capital and from eastern newspapers, the town fathers attempted to use their position as a Gentile city to break the political and economic monopoly held by the Mormons in Utah Territory. They sought to have J. A. Williamson named territorial governor; tried to have the northern one degree of latitude of Utah added to Idaho so as to dismember the territory; and attempted to have Corinne named as the capital of Utah. The citizens of Corinne failed in each case to achieve their wishes, although their leaders and newspapers bombarded Washington, D.C.
for help in their fight with Brigham Young
and the Mormon hierarchy. The Saints had no difficulty in this unequal fight, even awarding the ballot to Utah women to ensure maintenance of political control of the territory.
Brigham Young assured the demise of Corinne when he and the Mormon people built the narrow-gauge Utah Northern Railroad from Ogden
to Franklin, Idaho
. Although construction of the line beyond that point ceased for four years as a result of the Panic of 1873
, in the autumn of 1877 the Union Pacific bought the spur line and began pushing it northward through Idaho
. The tracks reached Marsh Valley and cut the Montana Trail at that place, thereby supplanting wagon traffic from Corinne with rail transport from Ogden. The Gentile merchants soon abandoned Corinne in favor of Ogden or the terminus of the rail line, while Mormon farmers moved in to buy the land around Corinne and make it into another Mormon settlement.
In 1877 an LDS ward was organized, but was dissolved when the town suffered a decline in population. As farmers again settled the region, a Corinne Ward was again organized; during the interim it was part of the Bear River Ward
. A meetinghouse was built in 1914 and the Corinne Ward was reorganized that year with Alma Jenson as Bishop.
of 2000, there were 621 people, 190 households, and 159 families residing in the city. The population density
was 173.4 people per square mile (67.0/km²). There were 208 housing units at an average density of 58.1 per square mile (22.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 89.86% White, 0.48% Native American, 2.42% Asian, 0.32% Pacific Islander, 5.96% from other races
, and 0.97% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.21% of the population.
There were 190 households of which 46.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.6% were married couples
living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.3% were non-families. 15.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.27 and the average family size was 3.64.
The 2000 population distribution was 34.3% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 9.3% of 65 or more years of age. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 101.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $42,125, and the median income for a family was $45,208. Males had a median income of $32,344 versus $19,205 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $16,053. About 6.2% of families and 8.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.9% of those under age 18 and 12.9% of those age 65 or over.
Box Elder County, Utah
Box Elder County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. It lies on the north end of the Great Salt Lake, covering a large area north to the Idaho border and west to the Nevada border. Included in this area are large tracts of barren desert, contrasted by high, forested mountains. The...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 685 at the 2010 census.
Geography
Corinne is located at 41°32′55"N 112°6′50"W (41.548575, -112.113752).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 3.7 square miles (9.5 km²), of which, 3.6 square miles (9.3 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (2.19%) is water.
History
For almost ten years from its founding on 25 March 1869, the town of Corinne reigned as the unofficial "Gentile Capital of Utah." As the Union PacificUnion Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
and Central Pacific Railroad
Central Pacific Railroad
The Central Pacific Railroad is the former name of the railroad network built between California and Utah, USA that formed part of the "First Transcontinental Railroad" in North America. It is now part of the Union Pacific Railroad. Many 19th century national proposals to build a transcontinental...
s approached their historic meeting
First Transcontinental Railroad
The First Transcontinental Railroad was a railroad line built in the United States of America between 1863 and 1869 by the Central Pacific Railroad of California and the Union Pacific Railroad that connected its statutory Eastern terminus at Council Bluffs, Iowa/Omaha, Nebraska The First...
place at Promontory Summit early in 1869, a group of former Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
officers and some determined non-Mormon merchants from Salt Lake City decided to locate a Gentile town on the Union Pacific line, believing that the town could compete economically and politically with the Saints of Utah. They chose a location about six miles west of Brigham City on the west bank of the Bear River
Bear River (Utah)
The Bear River is a river, approximately long, in southwestern Wyoming, southeastern Idaho, and northern Utah, in the United States. The largest tributary of the Great Salt Lake, it drains a mountainous area and farming valleys northeast of the lake and southeast of the Snake River Plain...
where the railroad crossed that stream. Named by one of the founders (General J.A. Williamson) for his fourteen-year-old daughter, Corinne was designed to be the freight-transfer point for the shipment of goods and supplies to the mining towns of western Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
along the Montana Trail
Montana Trail
The Montana Trail was wagon road that served gold rush towns such as Bannack, Virginia City and later Helena, Montana during the Montana gold rush era of the 1860s and 1870s. It branched from the Oregon Trail in southeastern Idaho and ran north through eastern Idaho along a well-established native...
.
In its heyday Corinne had some 1,000 permanent residents, not one of whom was a Mormon, according to the boast of the local newspaper. As an end-of-the-trail town, Corinne reflected a very different atmosphere and culture from the staid and quiet Mormon settlements of Utah, nurturing not only a number of commission and supply houses but also fifteen saloons and sixteen liquor stores, with a gun-fighting town marshal to keep order in this "Dodge City" of Utah. The permanent residents of Corinne did their best to promote a sense of community pride and peaceful, cultural pursuits but had a raucous and independent clientele of freighters and stagecoachers to control.
With some support from political leaders in the nation's capital and from eastern newspapers, the town fathers attempted to use their position as a Gentile city to break the political and economic monopoly held by the Mormons in Utah Territory. They sought to have J. A. Williamson named territorial governor; tried to have the northern one degree of latitude of Utah added to Idaho so as to dismember the territory; and attempted to have Corinne named as the capital of Utah. The citizens of Corinne failed in each case to achieve their wishes, although their leaders and newspapers bombarded Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
for help in their fight with Brigham Young
Brigham Young
Brigham Young was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877, he founded Salt Lake City, and he served as the first governor of the Utah...
and the Mormon hierarchy. The Saints had no difficulty in this unequal fight, even awarding the ballot to Utah women to ensure maintenance of political control of the territory.
Brigham Young assured the demise of Corinne when he and the Mormon people built the narrow-gauge Utah Northern Railroad from Ogden
Ogden, Utah
Ogden is a city in Weber County, Utah, United States. Ogden serves as the county seat of Weber County. The population was 82,825 according to the 2010 Census. The city served as a major railway hub through much of its history, and still handles a great deal of freight rail traffic which makes it a...
to Franklin, Idaho
Franklin, Idaho
Franklin is a city in Franklin County, Idaho, United States. The population was 641 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Logan, Utah-Idaho Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
. Although construction of the line beyond that point ceased for four years as a result of the Panic of 1873
Panic of 1873
The Panic of 1873 triggered a severe international economic depression in both Europe and the United States that lasted until 1879, and even longer in some countries. The depression was known as the Great Depression until the 1930s, but is now known as the Long Depression...
, in the autumn of 1877 the Union Pacific bought the spur line and began pushing it northward through Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
. The tracks reached Marsh Valley and cut the Montana Trail at that place, thereby supplanting wagon traffic from Corinne with rail transport from Ogden. The Gentile merchants soon abandoned Corinne in favor of Ogden or the terminus of the rail line, while Mormon farmers moved in to buy the land around Corinne and make it into another Mormon settlement.
In 1877 an LDS ward was organized, but was dissolved when the town suffered a decline in population. As farmers again settled the region, a Corinne Ward was again organized; during the interim it was part of the Bear River Ward
Bear River City, Utah
Bear River City is a city in Box Elder County, Utah, United States. The population was 853 at the 2010 census, an increase over the 1990 population of 700. At the time this was sufficient under Utah state law for Bear River City to become a city, which it did at the end of 2000...
. A meetinghouse was built in 1914 and the Corinne Ward was reorganized that year with Alma Jenson as Bishop.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 621 people, 190 households, and 159 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 173.4 people per square mile (67.0/km²). There were 208 housing units at an average density of 58.1 per square mile (22.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 89.86% White, 0.48% Native American, 2.42% Asian, 0.32% Pacific Islander, 5.96% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.97% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.21% of the population.
There were 190 households of which 46.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.6% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.3% were non-families. 15.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.27 and the average family size was 3.64.
The 2000 population distribution was 34.3% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 9.3% of 65 or more years of age. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 101.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $42,125, and the median income for a family was $45,208. Males had a median income of $32,344 versus $19,205 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $16,053. About 6.2% of families and 8.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.9% of those under age 18 and 12.9% of those age 65 or over.