Elsinore, Utah

Elsinore, Utah
Town

Elsinore's old White Rock Schoolhouse
Nickname(s): Little Denmark

Location in Sevier County and the state of Utah.
Coordinates: 38°41′4″N 112°8′51″W / 38.68444°N 112.14750°W / 38.68444; -112.14750Coordinates: 38°41′4″N 112°8′51″W / 38.68444°N 112.14750°W / 38.68444; -112.14750[1]
Country United States
State Utah
County Sevier
Settled 1874
Named for Elsinore
Area
 • Total 1.3 sq mi (3.3 km2)
 • Land 1.3 sq mi (3.3 km2)
 • Water 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation 5,351 ft (1,631 m)
Population (2012)
 • Total 845
 • Density 581.8/sq mi (224.6/km2)
Time zone Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
 • Summer (DST) MDT (UTC-6)
ZIP code 84724
Area code(s) 435
FIPS code 49-22650[2]
GNIS feature ID 1440921[3]

Elsinore is a town in Sevier County, Utah, United States. The population was 733 at the 2000 census.

History

The community was first settled in the spring of 1874 by James C. Jensen, Jens Iver Jensen, and others. The area was settled by Danish converts to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and named after Kronborg Castle, known as Elsinore in Hamlet.[4][5] It was home to a Utah-Idaho Sugar Company factory for processing sugar beets into sugar from 1911 to 1929, but was closed due to a sugar beet blight.[4] The town was given its official name at the suggestion of Latter-day Saint Stake President Joseph A. Young. Previously, the town was named Little Denmark because many of the early settlers were immigrants of that country.

One of the town's leading citizens, George Staples (1834–1890) was gored to death by a Jersey bull on his farm outside town on October 30, 1890. Staples was the English immigrant and adopted Sioux who widely credited with opening the way for peaceful settlement of southern Utah by negotiation with Native American tribes in the area such as the Pahvant Ute band led by Chief Kanosh (1821–1884).

On September 29, 1921, the town was rocked by an earthquake which damaged several buildings, including the school, which would later house the library.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.3 square miles (3.3 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1880223—
1890590164.6%
19006255.9%
19106565.0%
192084328.5%
1930654−22.4%
19406743.1%
1950657−2.5%
1960483−26.5%
1970357−26.1%
198061271.4%
1990608−0.7%
200073320.6%
201084715.6%
Est. 2015857[6]1.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]

As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 733 people, 261 households, and 196 families residing in the town. The population density was 581.8 people per square mile (224.6/km²). There were 287 housing units at an average density of 227.8 per square mile (87.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.50% White, 0.14% African American, 1.36% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.95% from other races, and 1.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.59% of the population.

There were 261 households out of which 40.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.8% were married couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.9% were non-families. 23.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.33.

In the town the population was spread out with 33.4% under the age of 18, 10.4% from 18 to 24, 23.2% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 88.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $27,917, and the median income for a family was $36,250. Males had a median income of $30,208 versus $16,705 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,523. About 16.2% of families and 20.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.3% of those under age 18 and 10.2% of those age 65 or over.

Library

In 1980, 10-year-old Jason Hardman petitioned Elsinore's mayor for permission to open a library. The library was initially set up in the basement of the town's public school (the historic town hall building), with 1,000 books. Hardman became the librarian, making him the youngest librarian in the United States. By 1982, the library had 10,000 volumes, which largely came from donations. By 1985, it had 17,000 volumes.[8]

Staples Art Center

The town also has a small art gallery and gift shop to support area artists. One of the founding members, Sue Ann Staples Brady, named it for her great-great-grandfather, George Staples, whose work with Native American tribes was instrumental in its founding.

References

  1. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  2. 1 2 "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  3. ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  4. 1 2 Arrington, Leonard J. (1966). Beet sugar in the West; a history of the Utah-Idaho Sugar Company, 1891-1966. University of Washington Press. pp. 73–75. OCLC 234150.
  5. ↑ Van Atta, Dale (Jan 22, 1977). "You name it - there's a town for it". The Deseret News. p. 15. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  6. ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015". Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  8. ↑ Noyce, David (July 31, 2005). "Sevier County's down-home residents give it a unique character". Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved April 29, 2014.

Media related to Elsinore, Utah at Wikimedia Commons

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