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Box Elder County


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Box Elder County Facts:

County Website: Box Elder County
Area: 5,746 square miles
Population: 62,684 (2023)
County Seat: Brigham City
Origin of County Name: named for the many box elder trees growing there
Cities/Towns: Bear River City, Brigham City, Corinne, Deweyville, Elwood, Fielding, Garland, Honeyville, Howell, Mantua, Perry, Plymouth, Portage, Snowville, Tremonton, Willard
Economy: agriculture, aerospace/defense
Points of Interest: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Brigham City Museum and Gallery, Box Elder LDS Tabernacle in Brigham City, Crystal Hot Springs, Golden Spike National Historic Site, Willard Bay, Willard Historic District

 

About Box Elder County:

Box Elder County’s history is diverse. Box Elder was created in 1856, though the Shoshoni Indians and the settlers continued to have violent clashes until 1863 when a treaty was negotiated by the Territorial Governor. Box Elder is probably best known as the home of Promontory, the site of the driving of the Golden Spike on May 10,1869. This spike was important both to Utah and the Nation since it represented the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad. This county also has archaeological sites that date as far back as 12,000 years ago.

Today ATK, started in 1957, continues to help build NASA’s space shuttle booster rockets as well as the Minuteman missiles. Agriculture is also important to Box Elder County’s economy with the usual crops of hay, grain, and alfalfa as well as many fruit orchards. Box Elder is also home to Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge and much of the Great Salt Lake.

 

Resources:

More information for Box Elder County can be found at the following sites:

 

Gallery:


An archway welcoming visitors to Brigham City.
Image from Wikimedia Commons
A scenic view of the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge located in Brigham City, Utah.
Image from Wikimedia Commons

The Box Elder County Courthouse, a historic building in Brigham City.
Image from Wikimedia Commons.

The Golden Spike National Historic Site shows the recreated No. 119 and Jupiter locomotives used to commemorate the driving of the Golden Spike to complete the continental railroad on May 10th 1869.
Image from Wikimedia Commons
The U.S. Navy Band called Country Current entertains the crowd during a performance at the Box Elder County Fair in Tremonton, Utah.
Image from Wikimedia Commons
The Spiral Jetty from atop Rozel Point. The sculpture was created by Robert Smithson.
Image from Wikimedia Commons
The Sun Tunnels are deliberately and strategically placed on the grounds of the ancient Lake Bonneville.
Image from Wikimedia Commons
Willard Bay State Park, Utah.
Image from Wikimedia Commons
The old schoolhouse in Howell, Utah, United States.
Image from Wikimedia Commons
The Portage Town Hall in Portage, Utah.
Image from Wikimedia Commons
The Garland Carnegie Library, a historic building in Garland, Utah.
Image from Wikimedia Commons
The Holmgren Farmstead, a historic home in Tremonton, Utah.
Image from Wikimedia Commons