Beaver County

County Website: Beaver County
Area: 2,592 square miles
Population: 6,580 (2018)
County Seat: Beaver City
Origin of County Name: from Beaver River, so called because of the many beaver once found there
Cities/Towns:  Beaver City, Milford, Minersville
Economy: livestock, transportation, trade
Points of Interest: Beaver City Historic District, Eagle Point ski resort, Frisco ghost town, Minersville Reservoir State Park, Puffer Lake

When visiting Beaver County you will find another example of typical basin and range territory. Early Archaic Indians as well as the Dominguez – Escalante expedition (1776) and even early trappers Jedediah S. Smith (1826) and John C. Fremont (1844) all came through this area before the county was created in 1856. Though a mining boom in the 1870’s put Beaver on the map, farming has sustained the area and is still the area’s major resource. People can still visit the old mining town of Frisco, now a ghost town. One unique feature of the area is the county’s geothermal power plant which uses natural steam from the ground and modern equipment to produce power.

Beaver County is probably best known for two famous people who originated here. One person more infamous than famous would be Robert Leroy Parker (a.k.a. Butch Cassidy) born in 1866. He is credited as having the longest run of successful bank and train robberies in the history of the American West. Someone probably more known today would be Philo T. Farnsworth who was born in 1906 in this county. He contributed to the invention now known as television. After his death in 1971, he was honored in 1990 by placing Utah’s second statue in the U.S. Capitol's Statuary Hall entitled "Father of Television."

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

• UOPL: Beaver County
• Beaver County Travel Council
• Utah.com - Beaver
• Utah Counties Profile - Beaver County
• Utah History Encyclopedia - Beaver County
• Utah History For Kids – Beaver County
• U.S. Census Quickfacts - Beaver County
• Visit Utah - Beaver

A sign welcoming visitors to the town of Beaver, Utah.
Image from Wikimedia Commons.

A ghost town named Frisco in Beaver County, Utah. It was an active mining camp from 1879 to 1929.
Image from Wikimedia Commons

The dilapidated housing structures and charcoal kilns tell the story of a once energetic town. Like many mining towns, Frisco experienced the industry’s boom, bust. It was officially abandoned following the collapse of the Horn Silver Mine in 1885.
Image from Wikimedia Commons

The Ancil Twitchell House, a historic home in Beaver, Utah.
Image from Wikimedia Commons

The Beaver Opera House, a historic building in Beaver, Utah.
Image from Wikimedia Commons

The Milford train station.
Image from Wikimedia Commons

The Julia Farnsworth House, a historic home in Beaver, Utah.
Image from Wikimedia Commons

The former depot building at the Milford, Utah station in July 1978.
Image from Wikimedia Commons

Milford is a city in Beaver County, Utah.
Image from Wikimedia Commons

Mineral Mountains near Milford, Utah.
Image from Wikimedia Commons

Delano Peak near Beaver, Utah.
Image from Wikimedia Commons

The old Beaver County Courthouse.
Image from Wikimedia Commons