Kanosh, Utah
Encyclopedia
Kanosh is a town in Millard County
, Utah
, United States
. The population was 485 at the 2000 census.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 0.9 square miles (2.2 km²), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 485 people, 165 households, and 130 families residing in the town. The population density
was 569.8 people per square mile (220.3/km²). There were 214 housing units at an average density of 251.4 per square mile (97.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.88% White, 1.03% Native American, 2.68% from other races
, and 0.41% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.71% of the population.
There were 165 households out of which 35.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 73.9% were married couples
living together, 4.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.2% were non-families. 20.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.94 and the average family size was 3.43.
In the town the population was spread out with 32.4% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 17.1% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 102.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $32,411, and the median income for a family was $36,583. Males had a median income of $30,556 versus $21,500 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $11,346. About 9.6% of families and 17.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.5% of those under age 18 and 3.3% of those age 65 or over.
began a small farm in this area before the arrival of the Mormons in Utah. His band of the Pahvants were based in this vicinity.
In 1859 Peter Robison and Peter Boyce began the aptly named settlement of Petersburg. This was not far from the current site of Kanosh.
The town of Kanosh dates back to April 28, 1867 when Brigham Young
, with the approval of Chief Kanosh, advised the pioneers to move from Petersburg (Hatton), Utah to the area then known as the campground of the Pahvant band of the Ute Tribe
. When this move took place (1867–68) there were approximately 100 pioneers and 500 Native Americans living here.
At that time the Chief Kanosh and many of his tribe were baptized members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Mortimer Wilson Warner, a local pioneer, is credited with having suggested that the town be named Kanosh in honor of the wise tribal chief.
Chief Kanosh (1812?-1884), was the leader of the Pahvant Utes from the 1850s until the time of his death. According to Mormon records he was the son of Kashe Bats and Wah Goots. The Pahvant band ranged the deserts surrounding Sevier Lake
. With the intrusion of whites into this area, Kanosh struggled to insure the hegemony and survival of his people through negotiation rather than conflict.
Kanosh was settled by Mormon pioneers and Chief Kanosh himself became an early convert to the faith. It is thought that Kanosh's willingness to work with non-Utes came out of his experiences working in the Spanish missions in California
. Whether that work was voluntary or part of the long-standing slave trade of Indians into the Spanish settlements is not known. Certainly, the physical characteristics of Kanosh and others of the "Bearded Utes," as Silvestre Vélez de Escalante had called the Pahvants in the 1770s, suggest generations of contact with the Spaniards. Kanosh spoke Spanish and seems to have had a facility for languages, as he also easily picked up English.
Over time, the Kanosh tribe dwindled both due to difficulty in adapting to a farming culture from a hunter-gathering culture and in intermarriage with the local settlers. Even though many of the natives were deeded farmland, most chose to abandon the lifestyle and accept a government offer to move into the Uinta reservation where they would receive economic assistance.
However, the Pahvants at Corn Creek, a settlement established near Kanosh, continued to farm. Surrounding Mormon settlers gave them some assistance. And although Kanosh was involved in the negotiations of the 1865 Spanish Fork treaty in which Utes agreed to move to the Uinta Basin, Kanosh and his group continued at Corn Creek until a grasshopper invasion in 1868 destroyed most of their crops. Even then, Kanosh and his people did not always remain in the Uinta Basin; they returned often to Corn Creek to farm, forage, and beg from Mormon settlers.
While Chief Kanosh is buried in the most honored location of the city cemetery, it was not until 1929 that the U.S. Government granted official recognition of the tribe and deeded them a small reserve near their ancestral lands at Corn Creek. Those few tribal members that remain today have now been almost fully assimilated into the local culture shaped by agriculture, ranching and the Mormon faith. The Kanosh surname is quite common in the area, including among female descendents who retain it as a middle name. Some of Kanosh's descendents have earned university degrees and returned from successful careers elsewhere to contribute to a comeback in the local economy.
The town of Kanosh was organized as a ward of the Fillmore Stake in 1877.
The population of the Kanosh precinct was 565 in 1930.
Kanosh was adversely affected by atomic testing in the Nevada desert in the late 1950s and early 1960s, with many residents and former residents developing cancerous symptoms years later. In response and after years of effort by Utah's congressional delegation, the U.S. Congress passed amendments to the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act
in 2000 to provide minimal compensation for those thus affected.
More important, the government has taken positive steps to clean up the area so that many former residents have begin to return, adding or refurbishing business such as a motel, service station and eating places which were once closed or barely surviving. New homes have been or are being constructed on the north side of town. The south side of town has a stone "Welcome to Kanosh" monument at the junction of the new state highway which connects to I-15 southbound and the old highway which leads to the town cemetery. Thus, the once new interstate which once hastened the town's exodus has breathed new life into the town since the new state road connects to either the northbound or southbound I-15 interchanges within a few miles in either direction and also greatly reduces the driving time to Fillmore, Utah
, county seat and one-time territorial capitol.
Millard County, Utah
Millard County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. In 2010, its population was 12,420. It was named for Millard Fillmore, thirteenth President of the United States. Its county seat is Fillmore and the largest city is Delta.-Geography:...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population 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 485 at the 2000 census.
Geography
Kanosh is located at 38°48′1"N 112°26′20"W (38.800193, -112.438994).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 town has a total area of 0.9 square miles (2.2 km²), all of it land.
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 485 people, 165 households, and 130 families residing in the town. 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 569.8 people per square mile (220.3/km²). There were 214 housing units at an average density of 251.4 per square mile (97.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.88% White, 1.03% Native American, 2.68% 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 0.41% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.71% of the population.
There were 165 households out of which 35.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 73.9% 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, 4.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.2% were non-families. 20.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.94 and the average family size was 3.43.
In the town the population was spread out with 32.4% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 17.1% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 102.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $32,411, and the median income for a family was $36,583. Males had a median income of $30,556 versus $21,500 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 town was $11,346. About 9.6% of families and 17.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.5% of those under age 18 and 3.3% of those age 65 or over.
History
Chief KanoshKanosh (Pahvant Chief)
Kanosh was a nineteenth century leader of the Pahvant band of the Ute Indians.It is believed Kanosh was born in Spanish Fork Canyon, but this is not certain."Kanosh learned to speak good English for an Indian...
began a small farm in this area before the arrival of the Mormons in Utah. His band of the Pahvants were based in this vicinity.
In 1859 Peter Robison and Peter Boyce began the aptly named settlement of Petersburg. This was not far from the current site of Kanosh.
The town of Kanosh dates back to April 28, 1867 when 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...
, with the approval of Chief Kanosh, advised the pioneers to move from Petersburg (Hatton), Utah to the area then known as the campground of the Pahvant band of the Ute Tribe
Ute Tribe
The Ute are an American Indian people now living primarily in Utah and Colorado. There are three Ute tribal reservations: Uintah-Ouray in northeastern Utah ; Southern Ute in Colorado ; and Ute Mountain which primarily lies in Colorado, but extends to Utah and New Mexico . The name of the state of...
. When this move took place (1867–68) there were approximately 100 pioneers and 500 Native Americans living here.
At that time the Chief Kanosh and many of his tribe were baptized members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Mortimer Wilson Warner, a local pioneer, is credited with having suggested that the town be named Kanosh in honor of the wise tribal chief.
Chief Kanosh (1812?-1884), was the leader of the Pahvant Utes from the 1850s until the time of his death. According to Mormon records he was the son of Kashe Bats and Wah Goots. The Pahvant band ranged the deserts surrounding Sevier Lake
Sevier Lake
Sevier Lake is an intermittent and endorheic lake which lies in the lowest part of the Sevier Desert, Millard County, Utah. Like Great Salt Lake and Utah Lake, it is a remnant of Pleistocene Lake Bonneville. Sevier Lake is fed primarily by the Beaver and Sevier rivers, and the additional inflow...
. With the intrusion of whites into this area, Kanosh struggled to insure the hegemony and survival of his people through negotiation rather than conflict.
Kanosh was settled by Mormon pioneers and Chief Kanosh himself became an early convert to the faith. It is thought that Kanosh's willingness to work with non-Utes came out of his experiences working in the Spanish missions in California
Spanish missions in California
The Spanish missions in California comprise a series of religious and military outposts established by Spanish Catholics of the Franciscan Order between 1769 and 1823 to spread the Christian faith among the local Native Americans. The missions represented the first major effort by Europeans to...
. Whether that work was voluntary or part of the long-standing slave trade of Indians into the Spanish settlements is not known. Certainly, the physical characteristics of Kanosh and others of the "Bearded Utes," as Silvestre Vélez de Escalante had called the Pahvants in the 1770s, suggest generations of contact with the Spaniards. Kanosh spoke Spanish and seems to have had a facility for languages, as he also easily picked up English.
Over time, the Kanosh tribe dwindled both due to difficulty in adapting to a farming culture from a hunter-gathering culture and in intermarriage with the local settlers. Even though many of the natives were deeded farmland, most chose to abandon the lifestyle and accept a government offer to move into the Uinta reservation where they would receive economic assistance.
However, the Pahvants at Corn Creek, a settlement established near Kanosh, continued to farm. Surrounding Mormon settlers gave them some assistance. And although Kanosh was involved in the negotiations of the 1865 Spanish Fork treaty in which Utes agreed to move to the Uinta Basin, Kanosh and his group continued at Corn Creek until a grasshopper invasion in 1868 destroyed most of their crops. Even then, Kanosh and his people did not always remain in the Uinta Basin; they returned often to Corn Creek to farm, forage, and beg from Mormon settlers.
While Chief Kanosh is buried in the most honored location of the city cemetery, it was not until 1929 that the U.S. Government granted official recognition of the tribe and deeded them a small reserve near their ancestral lands at Corn Creek. Those few tribal members that remain today have now been almost fully assimilated into the local culture shaped by agriculture, ranching and the Mormon faith. The Kanosh surname is quite common in the area, including among female descendents who retain it as a middle name. Some of Kanosh's descendents have earned university degrees and returned from successful careers elsewhere to contribute to a comeback in the local economy.
The town of Kanosh was organized as a ward of the Fillmore Stake in 1877.
The population of the Kanosh precinct was 565 in 1930.
Kanosh was adversely affected by atomic testing in the Nevada desert in the late 1950s and early 1960s, with many residents and former residents developing cancerous symptoms years later. In response and after years of effort by Utah's congressional delegation, the U.S. Congress passed amendments to the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act
Radiation Exposure Compensation Act
The United States Radiation Exposure Compensation Act is a federal statute providing for the monetary compensation of people, including atomic veterans, who contracted cancer and a number of other specified diseases as a direct result of their exposure to atmospheric nuclear testing undertaken by...
in 2000 to provide minimal compensation for those thus affected.
More important, the government has taken positive steps to clean up the area so that many former residents have begin to return, adding or refurbishing business such as a motel, service station and eating places which were once closed or barely surviving. New homes have been or are being constructed on the north side of town. The south side of town has a stone "Welcome to Kanosh" monument at the junction of the new state highway which connects to I-15 southbound and the old highway which leads to the town cemetery. Thus, the once new interstate which once hastened the town's exodus has breathed new life into the town since the new state road connects to either the northbound or southbound I-15 interchanges within a few miles in either direction and also greatly reduces the driving time to Fillmore, Utah
Fillmore, Utah
Fillmore is a city in Millard County, Utah, United States. The population was 2,253 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Millard County. It is named for the thirteenth US President Millard Fillmore....
, county seat and one-time territorial capitol.