History of Payson

Payson was initially called Peteetneet Creek and was named after the Ute Indian Chief, Peteetneet, who lived near the creek that runs through present day Payson.

Payson is located in Utah County and lies about sixty miles south of Salt Lake City. To the east, are the foothills of the southern Wasatch Range.

Payson was colonized by a group of sixteen Mormon pioneers who settled near Peteetneet Creek in October 1850. They included James Pace, Andrew Jackson Stewart, John Courtland Searle, and their families. Peteetneet Creek was renamed Payson by Brigham Young in 1851 in honor of James Pace.

Payson was incorporated as a city on 21 January 1853. The settlement at that time included Spring Lake Villa to the south and Summit (Santaquin) to the southwest.

There were two major breaks in the peace between the native Ute Indians and the settlers during the early years. In July 1853 what became known as the Walker War began when an Indian shot and killed a guard outside of the fort 1n Payson. Skirmishes and encounters between the settlers and the Indians continued until May 1854 when a treaty of peace was entered into with Chief Wakara. Ten years of comparative peace followed.

In June 1865 a treaty was established which stipulated that the Utes would be relocated on a reservation that had been established in Uintah County in eastern Utah. Chief Black Hawk and his followers were not willing to move and remained in Sanpete County. Conflict resulted and the ensuing Black Hawk War lasted for two years until a peace treaty was negotiated.

Payson has been a mainly a farming community until the last few years. Principal crops have always been grass hay, which the pioneers found growing wild when they arrived, lucerne (alfalfa), and grains such as wheat, barley, oats, and corn; beets, potatoes, and onions have also been grown. Cattle, sheep, and hogs are also raised in the area.

As the area grew, the supply of water became inadequate. However, additional water that became available following the construction and development of the Strawberry Reservoir brought new life to the area, with an increase in population and industrial development.

Payson, like other Mormon communities in Utah Territory, was nearly self-supporting. The people produced their own food and clothing, milled their own flour, operated their own sawmills, manufactured their own shingles, adobe bricks, and furniture. A millinery shop was established in 1906 and a floral shop in 1917. New industries continued to be established over the years, including manufacturing plants of motor homes, campers and trailers, and fiberglass boats. All of these industries are now part of the past since they no longer exist. However, new industries are locating in Payson and Payson's Industrial Park area. Companies such as NAPA Auto Parts, Rocky Mountain ATV, Liberty Safe, Albertson's Cabinet Mill, Tempkin as well an many others are now making Payson their home.

While Mormons still predominate, religious diversity is found in Payson. The early settlers were members of the original Payson Ward, organized in 1851. There are now six LDS stakes in the Payson area, with about six to eight wards within these stakes. The Presbyterian Church established a mission and school in 1877. The school became known as one of the organization's best and largest schools, with pupils attending from both Presbyterian and Mormon homes. The school continued in operation until 1910, but church services were continued long after that. A Methodist church and school was constructed in Payson before the turn of the century, but discontinued operation prior to 1920. The Jehovah's Witnesses organized locally in 1973 and constructed a Kingdom Hall soon after that. More recently, the First Baptist Church of Payson was organized in 1980 and San Andres Catholic Church was established in 1986.

The population of Payson has grown from 427 persons in 1851 to 3,998 in 1950, 4,501 in 1970, and 9,510 in 1990. In 2008, we have approximately 18,000 residents. One of Payson's largest private employers is Mountain View Hospital, with over 400 employees, followed by Rayloc with more than one hundred. Other new business have recenlty located in the Payson Industrial Park. There are four elementary schools, two junior high schools, and a high school in the city. The new Salem Hills High School, located three miles east of Payson, will house many students from the Payson Area. It is set to open in the fall of 2008.

See Madoline C. Dixon: Peteetneet Town, A History of Payson, Utah (1974), and Peteetneet II, More History of Payson, Utah (1989) for more detailed information. Some information contained here was obtained from "The Utah History Encyclopedia."