:Spanish Fork, Utah

Spanish Fork was settled in 1851 by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as part of the Mormon Pioneers' settlement of Utah Territory. Its name derives from a visit to the area by two Franciscan friars from Spain, Silvestre Vélez de Escalante and Francisco Atanasio Domínguez in 1776, who followed the stream down Spanish Fork canyon with the objective of opening a new trail from Santa Fe, New Mexico, to the Spanish missions in California, along a route later followed by fur trappers.{{Citation needed|date=April 2019}} They described the area inhabited by Native Americans as having "spreading meadows, where there is sufficient irrigable land for two good settlements.... Over and above these finest of advantages, it has plenty of firewood and timber in the adjacent sierra which surrounds it—many sheltered spots, waters, and pasturages, for raising cattle and sheep and horses."{{Cite book |last=Vélez de Escalante |first=Silvestre |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/44963604 |title=The Domínguez-Escalante journal : their expedition through Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico in 1776 |date=1995 |publisher=University of Utah Press |others=Ted J. Warner |isbn=0-585-19728-8 |location=Salt Lake City |oclc=44963604}}

In 1851, some settlers led by William Pace set up scattered farms in the Spanish Fork bottom lands and called the area the Upper Settlement. However, a larger group congregated at what became known as the Lower Settlement just over a mile northwest of the present center of Spanish Fork along the Spanish Fork river. In December 1851, Stephen Markham, who was severely wounded outside Carthage Jail in Carthage, Illinois while attempting to defend Joseph Smith and other church leaders from a mob in 1844, became the president of the first church congregation (branch) at the Lower Settlement.{{rp|823}}

In 1852, Latter-day Saints founded a settlement called Palmyra west of the historic center of Spanish Fork. George A. Smith supervised the laying out of a townsite, including a temple square in that year.{{cite book|last=Jenson|first=Andrew|date=1941|title=Encyclopedic History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|location=Salt Lake City, Utah|publisher=Deseret Book}}{{rp|631–632}} A fort and a school were built at the Palmyra site in 1852.{{rp|824}} With the onset of the Walker War in 1853, most of the farmers in the region who were not yet in the Palmyra fort moved in.{{rp|631}} Some of the people did not like this site and so moved to a different site at the mouth of Spanish Fork Canyon, where they built a structure they called "Fort St. Luke".{{rp|256–257}} Also in 1854 there was a fort founded approximately {{convert|2|mi}} south of the center of Spanish Fork that later was known as the "Old Fort".{{rp|823}}

Between 1855 and 1860, the arrival of pioneers from Iceland made Spanish Fork the first permanent Icelandic settlement in the United States.{{cite journal|last=Jackson|first=Thorstina|date=1925|title=Icelandic Communities in America: Cultural Backgrounds and Early Settlements|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3005071|journal=The Journal of Social Forces|volume=3|number=4|pages=681|doi=10.2307/3005071|jstor=3005071 |s2cid=147332269 |access-date=2022-08-09}} The city also lent its name to the 1865 Treaty of Spanish Fork, where the Utes were forced by an Executive Order of President Abraham Lincoln to relocate to the Uintah Basin.{{Citation needed|date=April 2019}}

Spanish Fork has a dry-summer continental climate (Köppen: Dsa) with cold, snowy winters and hot, dry summers.{{weather box

| single line = yes

| collapsed=yes

| precipitation colour = green

| width = auto

| location = Spanish Fork Power House, Utah, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1909–present

| Jan record high F = 69

| Feb record high F = 72

| Mar record high F = 81

| Apr record high F = 87

| May record high F = 99

| Jun record high F = 109

| Jul record high F = 108

| Aug record high F = 104

| Sep record high F = 101

| Oct record high F = 89

| Nov record high F = 79

| Dec record high F = 68

| year record high F =

|Jan avg record high F = 51.1

|Feb avg record high F = 59.6

|Mar avg record high F = 71.9

|Apr avg record high F = 80.2

|May avg record high F = 88.9

|Jun avg record high F = 97.0

|Jul avg record high F = 100.1

|Aug avg record high F = 97.8

|Sep avg record high F = 91.9

|Oct avg record high F = 81.7

|Nov avg record high F = 66.7

|Dec avg record high F = 53.7

|year avg record high F = 101.1

| Jan high F = 38.3

| Feb high F = 45.1

| Mar high F = 56.6

| Apr high F = 64.2

| May high F = 74.3

| Jun high F = 85.7

| Jul high F = 93.1

| Aug high F = 90.7

| Sep high F = 81.1

| Oct high F = 66.8

| Nov high F = 50.8

| Dec high F = 38.4

| year high F = 65.4

| Jan mean F = 30.1

| Feb mean F = 35.4

| Mar mean F = 44.7

| Apr mean F = 51.1

| May mean F = 60.0

| Jun mean F = 69.5

| Jul mean F = 77.1

| Aug mean F = 75.2

| Sep mean F = 66.0

| Oct mean F = 53.7

| Nov mean F = 40.9

| Dec mean F = 30.6

| year mean F = 52.9

| Jan low F = 22.0

| Feb low F = 25.7

| Mar low F = 32.7

| Apr low F = 37.9

| May low F = 45.6

| Jun low F = 53.3

| Jul low F = 61.1

| Aug low F = 59.7

| Sep low F = 50.9

| Oct low F = 40.5

| Nov low F = 31.0

| Dec low F = 22.7

| year low F = 40.3

|Jan avg record low F = 5.3

|Feb avg record low F = 9.7

|Mar avg record low F = 18.3

|Apr avg record low F = 25.7

|May avg record low F = 33.4

|Jun avg record low F = 41.1

|Jul avg record low F = 51.6

|Aug avg record low F = 50.8

|Sep avg record low F = 37.9

|Oct avg record low F = 26.7

|Nov avg record low F = 13.9

|Dec avg record low F = 5.2

|year avg record low F = 0.8

| Jan record low F = -16

| Feb record low F = -20

| Mar record low F = 1

| Apr record low F = 10

| May record low F = 21

| Jun record low F = 29

| Jul record low F = 38

| Aug record low F = 38

| Sep record low F = 26

| Oct record low F = 8

| Nov record low F = -6

| Dec record low F = -19

| year record low F =

| Jan precipitation inch = 2.11

| Feb precipitation inch = 2.08

| Mar precipitation inch = 2.16

| Apr precipitation inch = 2.47

| May precipitation inch = 2.11

| Jun precipitation inch = 0.97

| Jul precipitation inch = 0.57

| Aug precipitation inch = 0.74

| Sep precipitation inch = 1.40

| Oct precipitation inch = 1.81

| Nov precipitation inch = 1.80

| Dec precipitation inch = 1.97

| year precipitation inch = 20.19

|Jan snow inch = 17.3

|Feb snow inch = 14.1

|Mar snow inch = 6.8

|Apr snow inch = 4.2

|May snow inch = 0.0

|Jun snow inch = 0.0

|Jul snow inch = 0.0

|Aug snow inch = 0.0

|Sep snow inch = 0.0

|Oct snow inch = 0.5

|Nov snow inch = 7.4

|Dec snow inch = 15.7

|year snow inch = 66.0

| unit precipitation days = 0.01 in

| Jan precipitation days = 9.9

| Feb precipitation days = 9.5

| Mar precipitation days = 9.3

| Apr precipitation days = 10.8

| May precipitation days = 8.8

| Jun precipitation days = 4.9

| Jul precipitation days = 3.8

| Aug precipitation days = 5.4

| Sep precipitation days = 6.1

| Oct precipitation days = 7.1

| Nov precipitation days = 8.1

| Dec precipitation days = 9.8

| year precipitation days = 93.5

| unit snow days = 0.1 in

|Jan snow days = 6.5

|Feb snow days = 5.2

|Mar snow days = 2.9

|Apr snow days = 1.9

|May snow days = 0.0

|Jun snow days = 0.0

|Jul snow days = 0.0

|Aug snow days = 0.0

|Sep snow days = 0.0

|Oct snow days = 0.3

|Nov snow days = 3.3

|Dec snow days = 6.7

|year snow days = 26.8

| source 1 = NOAA{{cite web|url = https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=slc|title = NOWData – NOAA Online Weather Data|publisher= National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|access-date = November 25, 2022

}}{{cite web|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=USC00428119&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMALL|title = Summary of Monthly Normals 1991–2020|publisher= National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|access-date = November 25, 2022

}}

}}

{{US Census population

|1860= 773

|1870= 1450

|1880= 2304

|1890= 2686

|1900= 3327

|1910= 3751

|1920= 4035

|1930= 3727

|1940= 4167

|1950= 5230

|1960= 6472

|1970= 7284

|1980= 9825

|1990= 11272

|2000= 20246

|2010= 34691

|2020= 42602

|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}

}}

As of the 2010 census, there were 34,691 people, 9,069 households, and 7,885 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,252.7 people per square mile (871.6/km{{sup|2}}). There were 9,440 housing units, at an average density of 613.0 per square mile (237.2/km{{sup|2}}). The ethnical makeup of the city was 90.9% European American, 0.4% African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.7% Pacific Islander, 4.4% some other ethnicity, and 2.5% from two or more ethnicities. Hispanic or Latino of any ethnicity were 10.6% of the population.{{cite web| url=https://www.census.gov| title=Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Spanish Fork city, Utah| publisher=United States Census Bureau| access-date=March 8, 2012}} As for ages, the population was quite young with 40.9% being under the age of 18, 53.6% aged 18–64 and 5.5% over the age of 65.{{cite web|url=http://censusviewer.com/city/UT/Spanish%20Fork%20(corporate%20name%20for%20Spanish%20Fork%20City)%20049Utah|title=Spanish Fork (Spanish Fork City), Utah — Overview|publisher=United States Census Bureau, Moonshadow Mobile CensusViewer|access-date=November 30, 2018|url-status=dead|archive-date=2018-12-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181201051402/http://censusviewer.com/city/UT/Spanish%20Fork%20(corporate%20name%20for%20Spanish%20Fork%20City)%20049Utah}}

At the 2000 census, the median income for a household in the city was $62,805, and the median income for a family was $64,909. The per capita income for the city was $17,162. About 4.3% of families and 6.2% of the population were below the poverty line.

{{Update span|text=Mountain Country Foods is currently Spanish Fork's largest private employer with 350 employees. Eight other businesses employ one hundred or more workers: SAPA, Klune Industries, Longview Fibre, Nature's Sunshine, Rocky Mountain Composites, J.C. Penney, Western Wats, and Provo Craft.|date=April 2019}}{{cite web|url=http://www.spanishfork.org/dept/econdev/majorEmployers.php|title=Spanish Fork City Economic Development|date=n.d.|publisher=Spanish Fork, Utah|url-status=dead|archive-date=2016-12-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201172246/http://www.spanishfork.org/dept/econdev/majorEmployers.php}}

Spanish Fork has a predominantly LDS population. There are seventy-four LDS wards in nine stakes in the southern Utah Valley and a temple, the Payson Utah Temple, which opened in June 2015. The majority of residents are Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints just like all of Utah County.{{cite web|url=https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/payson-utah-temple/|title=The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Church Temples|date=n.d.|publisher=Church of Jesus Christ Temples}}

There are other churches in town: the Presbyterian Church established a church and mission day school in 1882. The school functioned until the state school system was inaugurated in the early part of the twentieth century. Today there are nine public elementary schools, two intermediate, and two high schools of the Nebo School District.{{cite web |url=http://www.nebo.edu/ |title=Nebo School District |publisher=Nebo.edu |date= |access-date=2022-03-20}}

A Lutheran church, established by immigrants from Iceland, was built on the east bench of Spanish Fork.{{cite book|last=Powell|first=Allan Kent|date=1994|title=Utah History Encyclopedia|location=Salt Lake City, Utah|publisher=University of Utah Press|isbn=9780874804256|url={{Google books|g7d5AAAAMAAJ|plainurl=yes}}}} There is also the Faith Baptist Church, a Baptist congregation.{{cite web|url=http://www.usachurches.org/church/faith-baptist-church.htm|title = Faith Baptist Church|date=n.d.|publisher=USAChurch.org}}

A Roman Catholic church serves the Catholics of southern Utah Valley; many happen to be of Italian descent (see Utah Italians), Hispanics, Filipino Americans, and some Greek Catholics from the Balkans.

ISKCON, the international society of Krishna Consciousness, have built a temple in Spanish Fork, run by Caru Das, the temple priest. Indian Americans form a small but noticeable community in the Spanish Fork-Provo area (especially in the neighboring town of Springville).{{cite web|author=Tony Blair |url=http://iskcon.org/ |title=Home - ISKCON - The Hare Krishna Movement |publisher=ISKCON |date= |accessdate=2022-03-20}}

In Utah Valley's historical settlement by immigrants, Scandinavians (most notably Icelanders); as well as Swiss people; Spanish Americans, Hispanics or Latinos; English Americans, Irish Americans and Scottish Americans are prevalent ethnocultural groups in Spanish Fork, and the nearby towns of Salem and Payson.{{cite web|url=http://www.citytowninfo.com/places/utah/spanish-fork|title = Spanish Fork, Utah - City Information, Fast Facts, Schools, Colleges, and More}}

The Angelus Theatre in Spanish Fork hosts live shows, collaborating with theater companies including Great Hall Theatrical Experiences andCobb&Co, and other events such as live music or rock bands.{{cite web | url=https://archives.lib.byu.edu/agents/corporate_entities/1028 | title=Angelus Theatre | BYU Library - Special Collections }}

Spanish Fork City hosts five large-scale events each year: Fiesta Days, Icelandic Days, the Harvest Moon Hurrah, the Festival of Lights, and the Festival of Colors.{{Citation needed|date=April 2019}}

The Icelandic Association of Utah was founded in 1897 and hosts Iceland Days every year. The association picked June because Icelandic Independence Day, or National Day, is June 17.

Spanish Fork was the first Icelandic settlement in the United States, after Icelanders who joined the Church of Jesus Christ were expelled from that country, according to association spokesman Glenn Grossman.{{Citation needed|date=April 2019}} Although other nationalities helped found the town, under colonizer Brigham Young, Icelanders kept their identity and celebrate it with their culture every year during the three-day event.

The Harvest Moon Hurrah is sponsored by the Spanish Fork Arts Council and takes place on a Saturday in September closest to the date of the full moon. Activities include children's crafts and activities, a giant paint-it-yourself mural, storyteller, old-fashioned family photos, caricature artist, clown and balloon animals, hay rides with live bluegrass band, and live entertainment. The 2009 Hurrah was headlined by Peter Breinholt, a local musician.{{cite web|url=http://www.spanishfork.org/dept/parkrec/arts/hurrah.php|title=Harvest Moon Hurrah|date=n.d.|publisher=Spanish Fork, Utah|url-status=dead|archive-date=2013-01-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116044405/http://www.spanishfork.org/dept/parkrec/arts/hurrah.php}}

File:Festival of Colors at the Krishna Temple near Spanish Fork, Utah 2012.jpg

The Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple (erected by Christopher Warden, an International Society for Krishna Consciousness follower{{cite web|url=http://www.utahkrishnas.org/utah-krishna-pioneers-2/|title = Utah Krishna Pioneers|date =1994|last=Young|first=Chad}}) celebrates Holi and is known for the Festival of Colors where thousands of people gather from all over the country.{{cite web|url=http://www.utahkrishnas.org/festival-colors/|title = Holi - Festival of Colors|date =n.d.|publisher=Utah Krishnas}}

Each year Spanish Fork hosts the "Fiesta Days". The event is held every July, and is centered around the Pioneer Day Celebration. There are a number of entertainment events, including a rodeo, craft fair, parade, duck race, and a fireworks show on the 24th.

Spanish Fork has a council-manager form of government.

{{Main|Nebo School District}}

In 1862, Spanish Fork built its first school house. That one room edifice served the city's educational needs for nearly 50 years. In 1910, Spanish Fork built the Thurber School on Main Street. Although it's not used for daily K-12 classes anymore, it still functions as a city office building.{{cite web|title=About the City|url=http://www.spanishfork.org/about/city/history.php|publisher=Spanish Fork City|access-date=18 May 2012|url-status=dead|archive-date=2015-03-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150320185239/http://www.spanishfork.org/about/city/history.php}} Today, Spanish Fork is served by the Nebo School District. Public schools in this district within Spanish Fork include the following:

• Spanish Fork High School
• Maple Mountain High School
• Landmark High School (alternative school)
• Spanish Fork Junior High School
• Diamond Fork Middle School (formerly known as Diamond Fork Junior High School)
• Brockbank Elementary
• Canyon Elementary
• Larsen Elementary
• Park Elementary
• Rees Elementary
• Riverview Elementary School
• East Meadows Elementary
• Sierra Bonita Elementary
• Maple Ridge Elementary

In addition, there is a private girls school, the New Haven School, and a K-12 charter school, the American Leadership Academy.

In September 2008, the Spanish Fork Wind Project was completed.{{cite web|url=http://www.wasatchwind.com/sfwp.html|title=Spanish Fork Wind Project|date=2008|publisher=Wasatch Wind|url-status=dead|archive-date=2008-07-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080702030122/http://wasatchwind.com:80/sfwp.html}} This project, a 9-turbine wind energy project, can produce up to 18.9 megawatts at full production, and the nine turbines can power up to 6,000 typical homes.{{cite web|url=http://newsnet.byu.edu/story.cfm/69673|title=Spanish Fork wind farm brings alternative energy|date=2008-10-06|last=Rich|first=Matthew|publisher=BYU NewsNet|url-status=dead|archive-date=2008-11-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081123174534/http://newsnet.byu.edu/story.cfm/69673|access-date=2009-04-08}}{{cite web|url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,700256733,00.html|title=Spanish Fork wind-farm project celebrated with kite event|date=2008-09-06|last=Dana|first=Jens|publisher=Deseret News|url-status=dead|archive-date=2008-09-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080908133057/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,700256733,00.html}} It is a utility-scale wind farm producing electricity from wind power.{{cite web|url=http://www.resilience.org/stories/2011-05-13/harvesting-utah’s-urban-winds|title=Harvesting Utah's urban winds|date=2011-05-13|last1=Hartman|first1=Cathy L.|last2=Reategui|first2=Sandra|publisher=Resilience}}{{cite web|url=http://www.ksl.com/?sid=4190348|title = Spanish Fork will celebrate wind power|last=Boal|first=Jed|date=2008-09-05|publisher=KSL.com}}

• Isaac Asiata, football player
• D. Elden Beck, educator
• Scott Brumfield, football player
• Kate B. Carter, Utah pioneer historian
• Zebedee Coltrin, Utah pioneer
• Kaycee Feild, bareback bronc rider
• Jaren Hall, football player
• Gail Halvorsen, U.S. Air Force candy bomber
• Ab Jenkins, politician and racing driver
• Lucky Blue Smith, male model
• Stephen M. Studdert, Advisor to three U.S. Presidents
• Hefa Leone Tuita, dancer

{{portal|Utah}}

• List of cities and towns in Utah
• Icelandic heritage in Spanish Fork, Utah

{{reflist|22em}}

{{Commons category|Spanish Fork, Utah}}

{{Wikivoyage|Spanish Fork|Spanish Fork, Utah}}

• {{official website|http://www.spanishfork.org/}}

{{Geographic Location

|Centre = Spanish Fork

|North = Provo, Springville

|Northeast =

|East = Mapleton

|Southeast = Scofield

|South = Salem
Woodland Hills

|Southwest = Payson

|West = Vernon / Utah Lake

|Northwest = Eagle Mountain / Utah Lake

}}

{{Utah County, Utah}}

{{Utah}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Cities in Utah

Category:Populated places established in 1850

Category:Provo–Orem metropolitan area

Category:Icelandic-American history

Category:Cities in Utah County, Utah

Category:1850 establishments in Utah Territory