Thompson Springs, Utah
Encyclopedia
Thompson Springs, also known as Thompson, is a small census-designated place
in central Grand County
, Utah
, United States
. The population was 39 at the 2010 census. The town is just north of the east-west highway route shared by Interstate 70, U.S. Route 6 and U.S. Route 50, between Crescent Junction
and Cisco
. The county seat of Moab
is about 37 miles to the south. Thompson Springs is located in high desert country at an elevation of 5246 feet (1,599 m), with the Book Cliffs
just to the north. The town's ZIP code
is 84540.
, and Ute
tribes have also left their mark upon the area.
Thompson Springs was named for E.W. Thompson, who lived near the springs and operated a sawmill
to the north near the Book Cliffs. The town began life in the late nineteenth century as a station stop on the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad
, which had been completed through the area in 1883. A post office at the site was established in 1890, under the name "Thompson's." The town was a community center for the small number of farmers and ranchers living in the inhospitable region, and it was also a prominent shipping point for cattle
that were run in the Book Cliffs area. Stockmen from both San Juan and Grand counties used Thompson.
Thompson gained importance in the early twentieth century due to the development of coal
mines in Sego Canyon, north of town. Commercial mining in Sego Canyon began in 1911, and that year the Ballard and Thompson Railroad was constructed to connect the mines with the railhead at Thompson. The railroad branchline and mines continued operating until about 1950.
Construction of I-70 two miles south of Thompson Springs drew traffic away from the city as Route 6 was no longer used. The later movement of the passenger train stop to Green River, Utah
led to further economic hardship for Thompson.
The original name for this settlement was Thompson Springs, a name that was reinstated in 1985. Much of the town is uninhabited today, although there are still some operating businesses in the immediate vicinity of I-70.
The Moab, Utah, Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action (UMTRA) Project is a uranium
tailings
removal and relocation project that promises to bring jobs to the area as tailings from the Atlas Mineral Company's tailings ponds outside of Moab, Utah
, will be moved to Crescent Junction
, just outside of Thompson Springs.
left by early native Americans. The Fremont culture
thrived from A.D. 600 to 1250 and was a contemporary with the Anasazi culture of the Four Corners area. There is also rock art from the Archaic period dating from 7000 B.C., the Barrier Canyon period
from around 2000 B.C., and the Ute tribe
dating from A.D. 1300.
- Unsigned designation of the highway connecting Thompson Springs
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
in central Grand County
Grand County, Utah
Grand County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of 2000 the population was 8,485, and by 2005 had been estimated at 8,743. It was named for the Colorado River, which at the time of statehood was known as the Grand River. Its county seat and largest city is Moab.-Geography:According...
, 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 39 at the 2010 census. The town is just north of the east-west highway route shared by Interstate 70, U.S. Route 6 and U.S. Route 50, between Crescent Junction
Crescent Junction, Utah
Crescent Junction is a small unincorporated community within Grand County in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Utah. The community is located at above sea level. Most highway maps use the name Crescent Junction, as the name given to the junction of Interstate 70 and U.S. Route 191...
and Cisco
Cisco, Utah
Cisco is a ghost town in Grand County, Utah near the junction of State Route 128 and Interstate 70. At one time the town served as a saloon and water-refilling station for the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad. The town's demise came with the demise of the steam locomotive. The town site...
. The county seat of Moab
Moab, Utah
Moab is a city in Grand County, in eastern Utah, in the western United States. The population was 4,779 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat and largest city in Grand County. Moab hosts a large number of tourists every year, mostly visitors to the nearby Arches and Canyonlands National Parks...
is about 37 miles to the south. Thompson Springs is located in high desert country at an elevation of 5246 feet (1,599 m), with the Book Cliffs
Book Cliffs
The Book Cliffs are a series of mountains and cliffs in western Colorado and eastern Utah, in the western United States. They are so named because many of them have the triangular appearance of a book that has been opened up, then turned on its sides and set to rest on the open sides of the book,...
just to the north. The town's ZIP code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
is 84540.
History
Evidence of human habitation or use of the Thompson Springs area can be dated back to the Archaic Period who left beautiful Pictographs in Sego Canyon. Subsequent Anasazi, FremontFremont
- Places :- Other uses :*The Fremont Bridge , in Portland, Oregon*The Fremont Bridge , in Seattle, Washington*Fremont River , a tributary of the Colorado River*Mount Fremont, Washington, in maximum elevation...
, and Ute
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...
tribes have also left their mark upon the area.
Thompson Springs was named for E.W. Thompson, who lived near the springs and operated a sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
to the north near the Book Cliffs. The town began life in the late nineteenth century as a station stop on the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad
Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad
The Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad , often shortened to Rio Grande or D&RGW, formerly the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, is a defunct U.S. railroad company. The railroad started as a narrow gauge line running south from Denver, Colorado in 1870; however, served mainly as a transcontinental...
, which had been completed through the area in 1883. A post office at the site was established in 1890, under the name "Thompson's." The town was a community center for the small number of farmers and ranchers living in the inhospitable region, and it was also a prominent shipping point for cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
that were run in the Book Cliffs area. Stockmen from both San Juan and Grand counties used Thompson.
Thompson gained importance in the early twentieth century due to the development of coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
mines in Sego Canyon, north of town. Commercial mining in Sego Canyon began in 1911, and that year the Ballard and Thompson Railroad was constructed to connect the mines with the railhead at Thompson. The railroad branchline and mines continued operating until about 1950.
Construction of I-70 two miles south of Thompson Springs drew traffic away from the city as Route 6 was no longer used. The later movement of the passenger train stop to Green River, Utah
Green River, Utah
Green River is a city in Emery County, Utah, United States. The population was 973 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Green River is located at , on the banks of the Green River, after which the city is named. The San Rafael Swell region is to the west of Green River, while Canyonlands National Park...
led to further economic hardship for Thompson.
The original name for this settlement was Thompson Springs, a name that was reinstated in 1985. Much of the town is uninhabited today, although there are still some operating businesses in the immediate vicinity of I-70.
The Moab, Utah, Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action (UMTRA) Project is a uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
tailings
Tailings
Tailings, also called mine dumps, slimes, tails, leach residue, or slickens, are the materials left over after the process of separating the valuable fraction from the uneconomic fraction of an ore...
removal and relocation project that promises to bring jobs to the area as tailings from the Atlas Mineral Company's tailings ponds outside of Moab, Utah
Moab, Utah
Moab is a city in Grand County, in eastern Utah, in the western United States. The population was 4,779 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat and largest city in Grand County. Moab hosts a large number of tourists every year, mostly visitors to the nearby Arches and Canyonlands National Parks...
, will be moved to Crescent Junction
Crescent Junction, Utah
Crescent Junction is a small unincorporated community within Grand County in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Utah. The community is located at above sea level. Most highway maps use the name Crescent Junction, as the name given to the junction of Interstate 70 and U.S. Route 191...
, just outside of Thompson Springs.
Demographics
As of the census of 2010, there were 39 people residing in the CDP. There were 43 housing units. The racial makeup of the town was 94.9% White, and 5.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0% of the population.Rock art
Thompson Springs is also the site of some fabulous rock artRock art
Rock art is a term used in archaeology for any human-made markings made on natural stone. They can be divided into:*Petroglyphs - carvings into stone surfaces*Pictographs - rock and cave paintings...
left by early native Americans. The Fremont culture
Fremont culture
The Fremont culture or Fremont people is a pre-Columbian archaeological culture which received its name from the Fremont River in the U.S. state of Utah where the first Fremont sites were discovered. The Fremont River itself is named for John Charles Frémont, an American explorer. It inhabited...
thrived from A.D. 600 to 1250 and was a contemporary with the Anasazi culture of the Four Corners area. There is also rock art from the Archaic period dating from 7000 B.C., the Barrier Canyon period
Barrier Canyon Style
Barrier Canyon Style describes a distinctive style of rock art which appears mostly in Utah, with the largest concentration of sites in and around the San Rafael Swell and Canyonlands National Park, but the full range extends into much of the state and western Colorado...
from around 2000 B.C., and 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...
dating from A.D. 1300.
See also
Utah State Route 94Utah State Route 94
State Route 94 , located entirely within Grand County, is a long state highway in the U.S. state of Utah. The highway serves as a spur route into Thompson Springs...
- Unsigned designation of the highway connecting Thompson Springs