“Imagine peering down from the mountains east of Centerville in 1852.” Thomas J. Thurston and his sons did just that. They gazed upon the green valleys of what we now know as Morgan County. Thurston’s vision shaped this land.
Morgan County is located east of the Wasatch Front. It is divided by the steep Weber Canyon. This canyon now carries Interstate 84. The county is well-watered with fifteen major streams flowing into the Weber River. High valleys and mountains define the terrain. Grasses, sagebrush, and conifers thrive here.
Long before settlers, this land offered resources to indigenous peoples. The Archaic and Fremont cultures likely lived here. Around 1100 AD, Numic people arrived. Utes and Shoshone tribes camped along the rivers. Settlers even named an area Wickiup after their shelters.
Fur trappers also frequented this area. In 1825, near present-day Mountain Green, British and American trappers nearly clashed. Peter Skene Ogden, leading Hudson’s Bay Company trappers, faced off against American rivals.
Immigrants passed through on their way to Salt Lake Valley. They followed East Creek to Mormon Flat. In 1855, Thomas J. Thurston persuaded others to improve access to Weber Canyon. They built a rough road into the valley using picks and plows.
Settlers established Weber City now Peterson. Soon, fifteen settlements arose. Morgan County was officially created in 1862.
The Union Pacific Railroad transformed Morgan in 1868-69. Tracks laid through Weber Canyon put Morgan on the map. The railroad improved the road making it a major route to the West. Weber Canyon became a corridor for communication and power lines.
Morgan County has a high percentage of privately owned land. Agriculture is important here. Beef and dairy cattle are raised. Sheep, poultry and mink farms dot the landscape. Hay and wheat fields are common.
During 1860-75, lumber crews in Hardscrabble Canyon cut railroad ties. These ties helped build the Union Pacific Railroad. Businesses sprang up in Morgan City during the railroad construction. It became the county’s trade center. Some say it was the only incorporated city on the UP line between Ogden and Omaha. Morgan County trees also provided charcoal for smelting in Salt Lake Valley and Bingham.
In 1904, the Morgan Canning Company opened. It started as a pea cannery. The business expanded with a second factory in Smithfield. Today, Morgan is home to Browning Arms and Holcim Inc. Cement production is a major industry at the Devil’s Slide plant for over 80 years. Limestone is key for cement. Silver, lead, copper, coal, iron, sulfur, and mica have been found, though mining is small-scale.
The county had two Pony Express stations: Dixie Station and Bauchman Station. Building the Transcontinental Railroad through Weber Canyon was tough. Workers managed only two feet of track per day. A company town named Devil’s Slide was named after a rock formation. The first flying machine landed in Morgan in 1923.
Jedediah Morgan Grant inspired the county’s name. Today, Morgan County balances its agricultural past with residential growth. As farming becomes less profitable, land is sold for homes. Many residents work outside the county, especially in Ogden. Morgan County continues to evolve.