Editing Scofield, Utah

{{Short description|  Town in the state of Utah, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Scofield, Utah
|settlement_type          = [[Town]]
|motto                    =
|image_skyline            = Scofield School.jpg
|imagesize                = 
|image_caption            = Historic Scofield Utah School building
|image_map                = Carbon County Utah incorporated and unincorporated areas Scofield highlighted.svg
|map_caption              = Location in [[Carbon County, UT|Carbon County]] and the state of [[Utah]]
|image_map1               = Map of USA UT.svg
|map_caption1             = Location of Utah in the United States
<!-- Location -->
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name         = {{flag|United States}}
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = {{flag|Utah}}
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Utah|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Carbon County, Utah|Carbon]]
<!-- Government -->
|government_footnotes     = 
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = 
|leader_name              = 
|established_title        = Founded
|established_date         = 1879
|named_for                = Mathew B. Scofield
<!-- Area -->
|unit_pref                = Imperial
|area_footnotes           = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2019">{{cite web|title=2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2019_Gazetteer/2019_gaz_place_49.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=August 7, 2020}}</ref>
|area_total_km2           = 2.39
|area_land_km2            = 2.39
|area_water_km2           = 0.00
|area_total_sq_mi         = 0.92
|area_land_sq_mi          = 0.92
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.00
<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States Census|2020]]
|population_footnotes     = 
|population_total         = 26
|population_density_km2   = 9.64
|population_density_sq_mi = 24.95
<!-- General information -->
|timezone                 = [[Mountain Time Zone|Mountain (MST)]]
|utc_offset               = -7
|timezone_DST             = MDT
|utc_offset_DST           = -6
|elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis/>
|elevation_ft             = 7733
|coordinates              = {{coord|39|43|11|N|111|09|44|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 84526
|area_code                = [[Area code 435|435]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 49-67990<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref>
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 2413267<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2413267}}</ref>
|website                  = {{URL|http://www.utah.com/stateparks/scofield.htm}}
|footnotes                = 
}}

'''Scofield''' is a town in [[Carbon County, Utah|Carbon County]], [[Utah]], United States. The population was 26 at the [[2020 United States Census|2020 census]].<ref name="Census 2010">{{cite web| url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US4967990| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001): Scofield town, Utah| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder| accessdate=August 10, 2015| archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213060838/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US4967990| archive-date=February 13, 2020| url-status=dead}}</ref> Scofield's name is frequently applied to the [[Scofield Mine disaster|1900 mine disaster]] in the Pleasant Valley Coal Company's Winter Quarters mine. The community was named for ''General Charles W. Scofield'', a timber contractor and local mine official. It is the smallest incorporated area in Utah by population.

==History==
[[File:Scofield Cemetery.jpg|left|thumb|Scofield Cemetery and some of its wooden grave markers]]
The town of Scofield is situated on high ground two miles south of the reservoir of the same name, the oldest and largest of the major impoundments on the [[Wasatch Plateau]]. Once the most populous community in Carbon County, Scofield has shrunk to only a few permanent residents. What has slowed the continual decline has become outsiders constructing summer vacation homes. The old brick school stands empty at the upper end of town, and there are abandoned buildings scattered through what was once the business district. Only the cemetery on a hill to the east suggests that this was once a community of some size.<ref name=edge>{{cite book | last = Geary | first = Edward A. | title = The proper edge of the sky: the high plateau country of Utah | date = March 12, 2002 | publisher = [[University of Utah Press]] | isbn = 0-87480-409-4}}</ref>

===Settlement===
Due to the luxuriant growth of the native grasses indigenous to this region, this valley was first utilized as pastures for the immense herds of cattle that came from [[Utah Valley]]. Among the first settlers of this region were S. J. Harkness, T. H. Thomas, William Burrows, O. G. Kimball, D. D. Green, A. H. Earll, R. McKecheney, who were attracted by the immense ranges for their cattle.<ref name=disast>{{cite book | last = Dilley | first = James W. | title = History of the Scofield mine disaster| url = https://archive.org/details/historyscofield00dillgoog }}</ref>

===Discovery of coal and coming of the railroad===
[[Coal]] was discovered in the valley in 1875, and two years later a small mine was opened on the western slopes of the canyon, with the coal transported out along narrow roads. The winter of 1877 came early and was very severe, stranding the miners in the coal pit and keeping them snowbound until the following February. The ordeal led the miners to name their forced camp "[[Winter Quarters, Utah|Winter Quarters]]". It became one of the first commercial coal mines in the state. Most of the first miners at the Winter Quarters were [[Mormon]] converts from the coal districts of [[Wales]], [[England]] and [[Scotland]]. One of them, David Williams, leased the Winter Quarters Mine from the Pleasant Valley Coal Company from 1880 to 1885, operating in the dual capacity of mine manager and [[bishop (Latter Day Saints)|bishop]] of the local [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|LDS]] [[Ward (LDS Church)|ward]].  When the [[Rio Grande Western Railway]] acquired the coal company, they undertook the development of a new mine on Mud Creek, a mile from Winter Quarters, much to the chagrin of Williams, who protested that the new mine infringed on his lease. Because Bishop Williams controlled the Mormon miners, the Pleasant Valley Coal Company brought in [[History of Chinese Americans|Chinese laborers]] to work the Mud Creek mine. Soon a large contingent of [[Finns]] were recruited, along with [[Italians|Italian]], [[Greeks|Greek]], and other [[Scandinavia]]n workers.<ref name=edge/>

As coal veins commenced to be worked, it was not long before the discoverers found out that the supply seemed inexhaustible. The railway companies finding that the coal fields were of such magnitude and covered so much territory, began to survey for practicable routes to reach the coal. The route through [[Spanish Fork Canyon]] was finally decided upon, and a [[narrow-gauge railroad]] was built into Scofield. Before the railroad was completed, winter set in, and the last few miles were laid upon the ice and snow as it was impossible to find the ground due to the snow drifts. The [[Union Pacific]] Coal Company claimed all of the land on the town site, and those building a home were compelled to lease the spot of ground desired from this company. Not knowing how long they would be permitted to remain as laborers in the mines, the men did not build elaborate homes, as they knew that should the work cease, they would be compelled to sacrifice their homes. Log cabins were the order of the day, as lath and plaster was out of reach on account of high prices. The Union Pacific still continued to collect their ground rent, and the knowledge that the miners had of the company that was ruling the camp at that time deterred them from beautifying their homes as they desired.
[[File:Scofield Jail.jpg|right|thumb|Scofield Utah's historic jail]]
However, this state of affairs was not to continue for long, as the rights of the company to hold the land came to be questioned. Part of their land was [[land claim|jumped]], and their title was found to be imperfect. In fact, they had no title whatever to the land now incorporated in the townsite. The business district was more than a mile long and boasted dozens of substantial stone buildings, including an [[Independent Order of Odd Fellows|Odd Fellows Hall]].<ref name=disast/> As the mine and the community grew, new and more efficient methods were sought to move the coal from the mines, and so the Utah & Pleasant Valley Railroad was constructed, running from Springville to Winter Quarters and Scofield. It connected with the [[Denver & Rio Grande]] line in [[Colton, Utah|Colton]] {{convert|18|mi}} to the northeast.<ref name=edge/>

In 1882, the Utah Fuel Company took over the mine and town, and it soon became a subsidiary of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad. The region continued to thrive until 1900, when there were several hundred men in the mines and residents that numbered as high as 1,800. The mine was considered to be the safest in the region and according to reports, was free from the gases that plagued so many other coal operations.

[[File:ScofieldMineCoffins.jpg|left|thumb|Coffins waiting for transport to disaster site]]

===Disaster===
{{Main|Scofield Mine disaster}}
On May 1, 1900, an errant spark touched off the fine haze of coal dust deep underground, and the Winter Quarters #4 mine exploded with fury. Exactly 100 of the men were killed in an instant, and another 99 died from the poisonous [[afterdamp]], making this one of the worst coal mine disasters in history. Death came so swiftly that some of the mineworkers were found still clutching their tools. That one moment of time left 105 widows and 270 fatherless children behind. Almost 150 of the slain miners were buried in the cemetery in nearby Scofield, and two special funeral trains carried the rest of the victims to burial grounds in Utah and in other states.

===Decline===
On May 28, just four weeks after the disaster in Number Four, coal mining resumed at Winter Quarters. While some of those who had escaped the explosion left the area for other work, many others returned to the mines. The dead were soon replaced, though production evidently suffered somewhat from the loss of more experienced miners. Despite declining profitability, the Winter Quarters mines continued to operate until the 1930s. The [[coal tipple]] and other large structures were dismantled for their salvage value during World War II; the chapel and the boarding house were leveled.<ref name=edge/>

Scofield, sustained by several mines in Pleasant Valley, was still the largest town in Carbon County in 1915, when its citizens made an attempt to have the county seat moved to their community from [[Price, Utah|Price]]. By the 1920s, however, the coal industry in Pleasant Valley was clearly in decline and most mines ceased operation causing the town to lose nearly all its residents.

==Geography==
The town of Scofield lies in the [[bituminous]] coal field of Carbon County, Utah, about {{convert|19|mi}} from the main line of the Rio Grande Western Railroad, and is nestled among the hills that surround the upper part of Pleasant Valley. The town is situated along Mud Creek, just south (upstream) of the Scofield Reservoir. The outlet of the reservoir is the [[Price River]], which flows southeast to the [[Green River (Colorado River)|Green River]] and is thus part of the [[Colorado River]] basin.

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], Scofield has a total area of {{convert|1.8|sqkm|order=flip}}, all land.<ref name="Census 2010"/>

[[Utah State Route 96]] passes through Scofield, leading north then east {{convert|17|mi}} to [[U.S. Route 6 in Utah|U.S. Route 6]] near [[Colton, Utah|Colton]], and south {{convert|6|mi}} to its end at [[Clear Creek, Utah|Clear Creek]].

===Climate===
Scofield has an [[Subarctic climate|alpine subarctic climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''Dfc'') with enormous yearly snowfall in its long, cold winters due to its location in the Wasatch Range. Summertime on the other hand is pleasant, with warm days and crisp, cool nights hovering not too far above freezing.

{{Weather box
|location = Scofield, Utah (Skyline Mine), 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–present
|single line = Yes
|collapsed   = yes
|Jan record high F = 56
|Feb record high F = 56
|Mar record high F = 67
|Apr record high F = 74
|May record high F = 88
|Jun record high F = 91
|Jul record high F = 98
|Aug record high F = 94
|Sep record high F = 84
|Oct record high F = 75
|Nov record high F = 67
|Dec record high F = 59

|Jan avg record high F = 45.8
|Feb avg record high F = 46.0
|Mar avg record high F = 53.3
|Apr avg record high F = 62.0
|May avg record high F = 71.3
|Jun avg record high F = 79.9
|Jul avg record high F = 84.0
|Aug avg record high F = 81.5
|Sep avg record high F = 76.9
|Oct avg record high F = 67.4
|Nov avg record high F = 55.7
|Dec avg record high F = 46.4
|year avg record high F = 84.6

|Jan high F = 30.4
|Feb high F = 30.9
|Mar high F = 37.7
|Apr high F = 43.7
|May high F = 54.4
|Jun high F = 66.4
|Jul high F = 73.9
|Aug high F = 71.7
|Sep high F = 63.2
|Oct high F = 50.1
|Nov high F = 37.7
|Dec high F = 29.8
|year high F = 

|Jan mean F = 21.8
|Feb mean F = 22.5
|Mar mean F = 28.6
|Apr mean F = 34.1
|May mean F = 43.5
|Jun mean F = 53.4
|Jul mean F = 60.8
|Aug mean F = 59.0
|Sep mean F = 51.0
|Oct mean F = 39.7
|Nov mean F = 28.5
|Dec mean F = 21.1
|year mean F = 

|Jan low F = 13.1
|Feb low F = 14.0
|Mar low F = 19.5
|Apr low F = 24.4
|May low F = 32.6
|Jun low F = 40.5
|Jul low F = 47.8
|Aug low F = 46.4
|Sep low F = 38.8
|Oct low F = 29.3
|Nov low F = 19.3
|Dec low F = 12.4
|year low F = 

|Jan avg record low F = -5.1
|Feb avg record low F = -4.7
|Mar avg record low F = 3.1
|Apr avg record low F = 9.8
|May avg record low F = 18.4
|Jun avg record low F = 27.4
|Jul avg record low F = 38.6
|Aug avg record low F = 37.3
|Sep avg record low F = 24.7
|Oct avg record low F = 13.5
|Nov avg record low F = -0.4
|Dec avg record low F = -6.4
|year avg record low F = -10.4

|Jan record low F = -41
|Feb record low F = -38
|Mar record low F = -27
|Apr record low F = -12
|May record low F = 9
|Jun record low F = 14
|Jul record low F = 24
|Aug record low F = 22
|Sep record low F = 12
|Oct record low F = -9
|Nov record low F = -25
|Dec record low F = -37

|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 3.03
|Feb precipitation inch = 2.73
|Mar precipitation inch = 2.43
|Apr precipitation inch = 2.66
|May precipitation inch = 1.93
|Jun precipitation inch = 1.05
|Jul precipitation inch = 1.48
|Aug precipitation inch = 1.62
|Sep precipitation inch = 1.89
|Oct precipitation inch = 1.94
|Nov precipitation inch = 2.31
|Dec precipitation inch = 2.91
|year precipitation inch = 

|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
|Jan precipitation days = 11.9
|Feb precipitation days = 11.8
|Mar precipitation days = 10.0
|Apr precipitation days = 10.7
|May precipitation days = 9.6
|Jun precipitation days = 6.1
|Jul precipitation days = 8.1
|Aug precipitation days = 10.1
|Sep precipitation days = 8.2
|Oct precipitation days = 8.3
|Nov precipitation days = 9.2
|Dec precipitation days = 10.9

|Jan snow inch = 42.5
|Feb snow inch = 40.7
|Mar snow inch = 29.6
|Apr snow inch = 24.5
|May snow inch = 7.2
|Jun snow inch = 0.5
|Jul snow inch = 0.0
|Aug snow inch = 0.1
|Sep snow inch = 0.6
|Oct snow inch = 8.0
|Nov snow inch = 28.9
|Dec snow inch = 42.8
|year snow inch = 

|unit snow days = 0.1 in
|Jan snow days = 11.5
|Feb snow days = 11.2
|Mar snow days = 8.8
|Apr snow days = 7.7
|May snow days = 2.3
|Jun snow days = 0.3
|Jul snow days = 0.0
|Aug snow days = 0.0
|Sep snow days = 0.3
|Oct snow days = 3.1
|Nov snow days = 7.9
|Dec snow days = 10.4

|Jan snow depth inch = 30.7
|Feb snow depth inch = 28.5
|Mar snow depth inch = 20.0
|Apr snow depth inch = 9.3
|May snow depth inch = 3.7
|Jun snow depth inch = 0.4
|Jul snow depth inch = 0.0
|Aug snow depth inch = 0.0
|Sep snow depth inch = 0.4
|Oct snow depth inch = 4.7
|Nov snow depth inch = 15.1
|Dec snow depth inch = 23.8
|year snow depth inch = 35.9

|source 1 = NOAA<ref name = NOAA>
{{cite web
|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=USC00427729&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL
|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
|title = U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: Scofield-Skyline Mine, UT
|access-date = September 4, 2023
}}
</ref>
|source 2 = National Weather Service<ref name = NOWData>
{{cite web
|url = https://www.weather.gov/wrh/Climate?wfo=slc
|publisher = National Weather Service
|title = NOAA Online Weather Data – NWS Salt Lake City
|access-date = September 4, 2023
}}
</ref>
}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1890= 680
|1900= 642
|1910= 746
|1920= 678
|1930= 295
|1940= 262
|1950= 236
|1960= 158
|1970= 71
|1980= 105
|1990= 43
|2000= 28
|2010= 22
|2020= 26
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|accessdate=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 28 people, 12 households, and 9 families residing in the town. The [[population density]] was 55.9 people per square mile (21.6/km<sup>2</sup>). There were 78 housing units at an average density of 155.6 per square mile (60.2/km<sup>2</sup>). The racial makeup of the town was 100.00% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]].

There were 12 households, out of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.7% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.7% were non-families. 16.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.50.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 14.3% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 28.6% from 45 to 64, and 21.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 75.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $26,250, and the median income for a family was $28,750. Males had a median income of $26,250 versus $14,375 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $10,764. There were no families and 9.1% of the population living below the [[poverty line]], including no under eighteens and none of those over 64.

==Scofield State Park==
[[File:Scofield.jpg|thumb|The Scofield Reservoir Dam, Utah]]
{{unreferenced section|date=January 2023}}
Scofield State Park surrounds [[Scofield Reservoir]] and has three different camping areas: Mountain View, Madsen Bay, and Lake Side. Mountain View is a 34-unit campground that includes restrooms, heated showers, fish cleaning and disposal stations, a group use pavilion, a boat launching ramp, and rental boats. Madsen Bay is a 40-unit campground with restrooms, fish cleaning and disposal areas, a boat ramp, and parking for day use. Lake Side has no camping areas and is strictly day use, offering restrooms, a group use pavilion and a fishing platform for the disabled.

==Clear Creek Camp==
{{unreferenced section|date=January 2023}}
Clear Creek Camp is an outdoor education center located {{convert|2|mi|0}} south of the town of Scofield, for post-fifth grade students in the Alpine School District. Each summer, Clear Creek Camp hosts approximately 1,100 students. The summer camp experience is designed to educate students about the outdoors and help foster a deep appreciation for the abundant natural resources and beauty in their surroundings. The camp has its roots in an outdoor education program held at Central Elementary School in the 1940s. Between 1940 and the 1960s, the program eventually grew to be so successful that a summer camp was requested. It was held at various locations for many years, including the town of [[Clear Creek, Utah|Clear Creek]] for which it is named. After being there for a few years, property became available from Questar (then Mountain Fuel) with six cabins and a multi-purpose facility in 1973. The facilities were ready to use for groups of students in 1974, and Alpine School District has used the same grounds since then.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2017-04-10 |title=Clear Creek, an educational tradition in Lehi elementary schools |url=https://lehifreepress.com/2017/04/10/clear-creek-an-educational-tradition-in-lehi-elementary-schools/ |access-date=2025-03-07 |website=Lehi Free Press |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Provo Daily Herald {{!}} 1973-08-15 {{!}} Page 35 |url=https://newspapers.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6t48888/23800876 |access-date=2025-03-07 |website=newspapers.lib.utah.edu |language=en}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Utah}}
* [[List of cities and towns in Utah]]

==References==
{{reflist|22em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Scofield, Utah}}
* [http://www.utah.com/stateparks/scofield.htm Scofield State Park official website]
* [http://www.pleasantvalleydays.com Pleasant Valley Days], annual summer festival in Scofield

{{Geographic Location
|Centre    = Scofield
|North     = [[Independence, Utah|Independence]]<br/>''[[Uinta National Forest]]''
|Northeast = ''[[Scofield Reservoir]]''
|East      = [[Helper, Utah|Helper]]<br/>[[Price, Utah|Price]]
|Southeast = [[Elmo, Utah|Elmo]]<br/>[[Huntington, Utah|Huntington]], [[Cleveland, Utah|Cleveland]]
|South     = [[Emery, Utah|Emery]], [[Ferron, Utah|Ferron]], [[Clawson, Utah|Clawson]], [[Orangeville, Utah|Orangeville]] [[Castle Dale, Utah|Castle Dale]]
|Southwest = [[Fairview, Utah|Fairview]]<br/>[[Mount Pleasant, Utah|Mount Pleasant]]
|West      = [[Mona, Utah|Mona]]<br/>[[Nephi, Utah|Nephi]]
|Northwest = [[Spanish Fork, Utah|Spanish Fork]], [[Mapleton, Utah|Mapleton]]<br/>[[Woodland Hills, Utah|Woodland Hill]]<br/>[[Santaquin, Utah|Santaquin]]<br/>[[Rocky Ridge, Utah|Rocky Ridge]]
}}

{{Carbon County, Utah}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Towns in Carbon County, Utah]]
[[Category:Mining communities in Utah]]
[[Category:Towns in Utah]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1877]]
[[Category:1877 establishments in Utah Territory]]