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Millard County


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Millard County Facts:

County Website: Millard County
Area: 6,818 square miles
Population: 13,437 (2023)
Founding Year: 1851
County Seat: Fillmore
Origin of County Name: after President Millard Fillmore
Cities/Towns: Delta, Fillmore, Hinckley, Holden, Kanosh, Leamington, Lynndyl, Meadow, Oak City, Scipio
Economy: alfalfa seed, cattle, electric power generation
Points of Interest: Territorial Statehouse State Park Museum, Cove Fort, Old Fort Deseret, Topaz Relocation Camp, Gunnison massacre site, Clear Lake Waterfowl Management Area
Geography: Western Utah, bordered by Juab County (north), Beaver County (south), Sevier County (east) and Nevada (west
Historical Significance: Named after U.S. President Millard Fillmore, Fillmore was the original capital of Utah Territory; area inhabited by Fremont cultures, Goshute, Paiute and Ute peoples
Notable Residents: Carlos E. Asay (religious leader), Anson Call (pioneer and colonizer), Alonzo A. Hinckley (religious leader), Milton R. Hunter (historian and author), Louise Y. Robison (Relief Society General President)
Natural Resources: Agriculture, livestock, mining

 

About Millard County:

Millard County, named after U.S. President Millard Fillmore, shares its name with the county seat, Fillmore. This county holds a unique place in Utah’s history as the originally intended capital of the state. Visitors can still explore one completed wing of the building that was meant to serve as the state capitol. Known as the Territorial Statehouse, it is the oldest government building in Utah. The territorial legislature met there only twice, in 1855 and 1856, before deciding to move the capital back to Salt Lake City due to a lack of adequate lodging in Fillmore during the 1856 session.
During World War II, Millard County became home to the Topaz Internment Camp near Delta, which housed more than 8,000 Japanese American residents. Today, travelers driving through the county can see numerous cone-shaped volcanoes. Though no longer active, these formations offer a unique opportunity to get up close, climb them, and view the hardened lava flows they once produced. Another notable site is Cove Fort, constructed from lava rock and restored to reflect what a frontier fort would have looked like in early Utah settlement days.

Resources:

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

 

Gallery:


The Territorial Statehouse in Fillmore, Utah, served as the original state capitol building and stands today as a historic site and museum.
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The assembly hall on the second floor of the Territorial Statehouse in Fillmore, Utah, once hosted important legislative sessions and now offers visitors a glimpse into Utah's early political history.
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The former Millard County Courthouse, a historic building in Fillmore, Utah, reflects the region’s rich judicial and architectural heritage and now serves as a reminder of the area’s civic past.
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The Edward and Elizabeth Partridge House, a historic home in Fillmore, Utah, stands as a well-preserved example of 19th-century pioneer architecture.
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The Millard High School Gymnasium is a historic building in Fillmore, Utah.
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An apiary, a place where bees were kept, operated in Fillmore, Utah, supporting local agriculture and honey production.
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Cove Fort Historic Site in Kanosh, Utah, is a restored 19th-century fort built from lava rock, offering visitors a glimpse into pioneer life on the early Utah frontier.
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The rear of Cove Fort Historic Site features well-maintained gardens that add to the site's historical charm and offer a glimpse into pioneer-era self-sufficiency.
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The dining room of Cove Fort Historic Site in Kanosh, Utah, is furnished to reflect the style and function of a 19th-century pioneer home.
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The main bedroom of Cove Fort Historic Site in Kanosh, Utah, is preserved with period furnishings that showcase how early settlers lived and slept in the 19th century.
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A plaque from the memorial at the Topaz Japanese Internment Camp honors the more than 8,000 Japanese Americans who were forcibly relocated and held there during World War II.
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The sewage pump house and small memorial at the Topaz Internment Camp near Delta, Utah, reflect the difficult conditions Japanese Americans endured during World War II.
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The Topaz Museum in Delta, Utah, documents the history of the Japanese American internment at the Topaz War Relocation Center during World War II.
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A refurbished barracks building, restored to its original configuration, stands behind the Topaz Museum in Delta, Utah.
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A photo of Fort Deseret in Delta, Utah, captures the historic adobe fort built by Mormon settlers in 1865 for protection during the Black Hawk War.
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A photo of the small markers at the Gunnison Massacre site shows the memorials that honor the members of John W. Gunnison’s survey party who were killed in 1853.
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Elephant Rock is a natural rock formation composed of Silurian to Devonian carbonate rocks, showcasing the area's ancient geological history.
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Petroglyphs found near the Great Stone Face outside Delta, Utah, offer a glimpse into the region’s ancient Indigenous cultures and their symbolic expressions.
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