Report of Contributions for State and Grand Canyon Highway
Identifier
Title
Report of Contributions for State and Grand Canyon Highway
Creator
Date
1914-1915
Description
Washington County, Utah is in the southwestern corner of the state, a mix of mountains, desert, and plateau. Ancestral Puebloans left their marks on the land through petroglyphs, and bands of Southern Paiutes still live in the area. The first recorded Euro-Americans to visit the area were Dominguez and Escalante in 1776 as they sought their way to California. Fur trappers, government surveyors, and Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint (LDS)
missionaries followed, including Parley Pratt and company in 1849.
The county was formed by the Utah Territory in 1852 and fully organized in 1856, when it was detached from Iron County, with St. George as its seat. The county’s borders were adjusted a number of times over the years, with a significant decrease in 1864, when the neighboring Kane County was established. The first Euro-American settlement was Fort Harmony in 1852, followed by Santa Clara in 1854, which were Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint (LDS) missions to Native Americans in southern Utah. In succeeding years, new settlements popped up along water sources, including: Pine Valley (1855), Gunlock (1857), Harrisburg/Leeds (1857), Washington (1857), Toquerville (1858), Virgin (1858), Grafton (1859), Rockville (1861), St. George (1861), Springdale (1862), and Hebron (1868).
According to the 2020 United States Census, Washington County’s population is about 180,200 people, and it is Utah’s fifth-most populous county. It is well-known for tourism, recreation, and proximity to Zion and other national and state parks.
Utah State Route 9 (SR-9) is a highway linking Harrisburg Junction in Washington County and Mt. Carmel Junction in Kane County via Zion National Park. Funded by the federal government, construction on an improved road between La Verkin and Springdale began in 1916. When Zion was designated as a National Park in 1919, increased public attention and higher rates of tourism led to the need for further improvements to roadways. The mile-long Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel along the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway was finished in 1930, connecting the east and west sides of the park. When the highway was completed, it linked southern Utah to several nationally preserved sites including Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Cedar Breaks National Monument, and Kaibab National Forest.
missionaries followed, including Parley Pratt and company in 1849.
The county was formed by the Utah Territory in 1852 and fully organized in 1856, when it was detached from Iron County, with St. George as its seat. The county’s borders were adjusted a number of times over the years, with a significant decrease in 1864, when the neighboring Kane County was established. The first Euro-American settlement was Fort Harmony in 1852, followed by Santa Clara in 1854, which were Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint (LDS) missions to Native Americans in southern Utah. In succeeding years, new settlements popped up along water sources, including: Pine Valley (1855), Gunlock (1857), Harrisburg/Leeds (1857), Washington (1857), Toquerville (1858), Virgin (1858), Grafton (1859), Rockville (1861), St. George (1861), Springdale (1862), and Hebron (1868).
According to the 2020 United States Census, Washington County’s population is about 180,200 people, and it is Utah’s fifth-most populous county. It is well-known for tourism, recreation, and proximity to Zion and other national and state parks.
Utah State Route 9 (SR-9) is a highway linking Harrisburg Junction in Washington County and Mt. Carmel Junction in Kane County via Zion National Park. Funded by the federal government, construction on an improved road between La Verkin and Springdale began in 1916. When Zion was designated as a National Park in 1919, increased public attention and higher rates of tourism led to the need for further improvements to roadways. The mile-long Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel along the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway was finished in 1930, connecting the east and west sides of the park. When the highway was completed, it linked southern Utah to several nationally preserved sites including Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Cedar Breaks National Monument, and Kaibab National Forest.
Rights
Public domain in the United States
Extent
1.42 mb
Source
Utah Tech University Special Collections and Archives. Collection #086, WASH-SC-04, FD 1
Bibliographic Citation
Last Name, First Name [or Entity Name]. (Date). “Title”. Collection Identifier, Box #, Folder #. Utah Tech University Special Collections & Archives.
Provenance
No donor information. Found in Archives.
Files
Collection
Citation
Unknown, “Report of Contributions for State and Grand Canyon Highway,” Utah Tech University Library Digital Collections, accessed October 13, 2026, https://digital.library.utahtech.edu/items/show/2463.