Editing Sevier County, Utah (section)

==History==
Evidence of indigenous peoples residing in Sevier County up to 5,000 BP has been unearthed.<ref>Excavations for US Interstate I-70 in the 1980s produced archaeologic data dating back 5,000 years.</ref> The [[Fremont culture]] of Native Americans occupied the area from about 2000 to 700 BP.<ref>Snow, Dean R. (2009). ''Archaeology of Native North America.'' Prentice Hall {{ISBN|0-13-615686-X}}.</ref> The [[Clear Creek (Utah)|Clear Creek]] site contains native [[petroglyph]]s from that period.

In Utah, the [[Numic language|Numic]]- (or Shoshonean) speaking peoples of the [[Uto-Aztecan language]] family evolved into four distinct groups in the historical period: the [[Northern Shoshone]], Goshute or [[Western Shoshone]], [[Southern Paiute]], and [[Ute people]]s. This territory's central and eastern sections were occupied primarily by various bands of the Ute.<ref>[http://historytogo.utah.gov/utah_chapters/american_indians/nativeamericansinutah.html David Rich Lewis, "Native Americans in Utah"], ''Utah History Encyclopedia'' (accessed December 6, 2016)</ref>

The first modern sighting of the [[Sevier River]] was most likely by the Catholic fathers [[Silvestre Vélez de Escalante]] and [[Francisco Atanasio Domínguez]], on their expedition to [[California]] in 1776.<ref>The Spanish Catholic clerics traveled the [[Great Basin]] to find a reported river to the Pacific Ocean. In this area, they discovered a turbulent ("severo") river that flowed northward to Yuba Lake. Thus the name "Sevier."</ref> The [[Old Spanish Trail (trade route)|Old Spanish Trail]] was the route they mapped. Over the next century, this trail carried [[fur trapper]]s, hunters, government officials, traders, and settlers.

Settlement of this area began when [[Richfield, Utah|Richfield]] was first settled. [[Mormon pioneers|Mormon settlers]] ([[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints]]) arrived on June 15, 1864, most of whom had emigrated from Scandinavian countries. Because of the growth in this small community, the people soon petitioned [[Utah Territory]] officials about a separate county.<ref>Bishop, M. Guy. ''A History of Sevier County''. Salt Lake City: Utah State Historical Society, 1997.</ref>

On January 16, 1865, the Utah Territory legislature created the county, with the area annexed from [[Sanpete County, Utah|Sanpete County]]. It was named for the Sevier River.<ref>Van Cott, J. W., 1990, ''Utah Place Names,'' {{ISBN|0-87480-345-4}}</ref> The county seat was Big Spring (later named Richfield). The county borders were adjusted in 1866, 1880, 1890, and in 1921. A clarification of boundary lines corresponding to government survey lines was completed in 1931, marking the present configuration of Sevier County.<ref>[https://publications.newberry.org/ahcbp/documents/UT_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm Individual County Chronologies/Sevier County UT Newberry Library] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306153326/http://publications.newberry.org/ahcbp/documents/UT_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm |date=March 6, 2016 }} (accessed March 29, 2019)</ref>

Although the county was in place by 1865, much of Sevier County was abandoned in the [[Black Hawk War (1865–1872)|Black Hawk War in 1867]]. Attempts to resettle the area were not successful until 1870. By 1874, 753 residents lived in the area.<ref>[http://www.sevierutah.net/index.aspx?nid=188 "History of Sevier County" Sevier County website (accessed 29 March 2019)]</ref>