Hanksville, Utah
Town
Hollow Mountain Store
Hollow Mountain Store
Location in Wayne County and the state of Utah.
Location in Wayne County and the state of Utah.
Coordinates: 38°22′17″N 110°42′47″W / 38.37139°N 110.71306°W / 38.37139; -110.71306
CountryUnited States
StateUtah
CountyWayne
Settled1882
IncorporatedJanuary 6, 1999
Named forEbenezer Hanks
Area
[1]
 • Total1.72 sq mi (4.45 km2)
 • Land1.69 sq mi (4.36 km2)
 • Water0.03 sq mi (0.09 km2)
Elevation
[2]
4,295 ft (1,309 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total219
 • Estimate 
(2019)[3]
220
 • Density130.56/sq mi (50.42/km2)
Time zoneUTC-7 (Mountain (MST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP codes
84734
Area code435
FIPS code49-33100
GNIS feature ID2412723[2]
Websitewww.hanksvilleutah.gov

Hanksville is a small town in Wayne County, Utah, United States, at the junction of State Routes 24 and 95. The population was 219 at the 2010 census.[4]

Situated in the Colorado Plateau's cold desert ecological region, the town is just south of the confluence of the Fremont River and Muddy Creek, which together form the Dirty Devil River, which then flows southeast to the Colorado River. The Hanksville-Burpee Quarry is located nearby, and the Mars Desert Research Station is 7 miles (11 km) northwest of town. The Bureau of Land Management's Henry Mountains field station is located in Hanksville.[5]

History

Dirty Devil River in 1954, near crossover by Poison Springs Wash Road in Hanksville, Utah

The town was settled in 1882 and known for a time for the name given to the surrounding area, Graves Valley. It took the name of Hanksville in 1885, after Ebenezer Hanks, an early settler.[6] It was incorporated in 1999.[7]

The Rural Electrification Administration brought electricity to the community in 1960. Today agriculture, mining, and tourism are the main drivers to the local economy. Tourism is particularly important with people coming for recreation at Lake Powell, Capitol Reef National Park, the Henry Mountains, the San Rafael Swell, Goblin Valley State Park, Factory Butte, and the solitude of the surrounding deserts and slot canyons.

Hanksville was a supply post for Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch, who would hide out at Robbers Roost in the desert southeast of town.

During the uranium mining frenzy following World War II, Hanksville became a supply center for the prospectors and miners scouring the deserts of the Colorado Plateau. Many abandoned mines can be found in the deserts surrounding the town.

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
189081—
190046−43.2%
19107767.4%
192014183.1%
193081−42.6%
194012959.3%
19501290.0%
196016931.0%
19701817.1%
198035193.9%
1990324−7.7%
200036211.7%
2010219−39.5%
2019 (est.)220[3]0.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]

As of the 2010 census, 219 people lived in the town. There were 94 housing units. The racial makeup of the town was 98.2% White, 0.5% Asian, and 1.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.9% of the population.[9]

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Hanksville has a semi-arid climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.[10] It has a mean annual temperature of 53.9 °F (12.2 °C) and an annual mean rainfall of 6.16 inches (156.5 mm).[11]

Climate data for Hanksville, Utah, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1910–2022
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 69
(21) 		75
(24) 		88
(31) 		98
(37) 		107
(42) 		110
(43) 		114
(46) 		110
(43) 		105
(41) 		97
(36) 		82
(28) 		70
(21) 		114
(46)
Mean maximum °F (°C) 57.4
(14.1) 		65.3
(18.5) 		78.8
(26.0) 		87.5
(30.8) 		96.9
(36.1) 		104.4
(40.2) 		108.0
(42.2) 		104.3
(40.2) 		98.5
(36.9) 		88.2
(31.2) 		70.4
(21.3) 		57.4
(14.1) 		108.4
(42.4)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 43.1
(6.2) 		51.2
(10.7) 		63.8
(17.7) 		70.8
(21.6) 		81.1
(27.3) 		93.4
(34.1) 		98.7
(37.1) 		95.2
(35.1) 		86.3
(30.2) 		71.5
(21.9) 		55.7
(13.2) 		42.9
(6.1) 		71.1
(21.8)
Daily mean °F (°C) 29.1
(−1.6) 		36.2
(2.3) 		46.4
(8.0) 		53.1
(11.7) 		62.8
(17.1) 		73.1
(22.8) 		79.8
(26.6) 		76.8
(24.9) 		67.1
(19.5) 		53.3
(11.8) 		39.7
(4.3) 		29.0
(−1.7) 		53.9
(12.1)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 15.2
(−9.3) 		21.1
(−6.1) 		28.9
(−1.7) 		35.3
(1.8) 		44.4
(6.9) 		52.7
(11.5) 		60.9
(16.1) 		58.3
(14.6) 		47.9
(8.8) 		35.1
(1.7) 		23.6
(−4.7) 		15.0
(−9.4) 		36.5
(2.5)
Mean minimum °F (°C) 1.2
(−17.1) 		6.8
(−14.0) 		16.4
(−8.7) 		23.6
(−4.7) 		33.1
(0.6) 		42.1
(5.6) 		51.1
(10.6) 		48.8
(9.3) 		35.7
(2.1) 		22.0
(−5.6) 		10.7
(−11.8) 		2.6
(−16.3) 		−2.3
(−19.1)
Record low °F (°C) −35
(−37) 		−33
(−36) 		4
(−16) 		10
(−12) 		23
(−5) 		31
(−1) 		38
(3) 		35
(2) 		24
(−4) 		−6
(−21) 		−8
(−22) 		−24
(−31) 		−35
(−37)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 0.40
(10) 		0.39
(9.9) 		0.47
(12) 		0.45
(11) 		0.43
(11) 		0.23
(5.8) 		0.71
(18) 		0.57
(14) 		0.83
(21) 		0.87
(22) 		0.47
(12) 		0.34
(8.6) 		6.16
(155.3)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 2.5
(6.4) 		1.1
(2.8) 		0.5
(1.3) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.1
(0.25) 		0.6
(1.5) 		2.5
(6.4) 		7.3
(18.65)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 4.2 4.4 4.0 3.7 3.7 2.3 4.5 5.3 4.7 4.1 2.8 3.6 47.3
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) 1.4 0.6 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.5 1.6 4.5
Source 1: NOAA[11]
Source 2: National Weather Service[12]

See also

References

  1. ^ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  2. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Hanksville
  3. ^ a b "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  4. ^ "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Hanksville town, Utah". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved February 4, 2013.
  5. ^ "Henry Mountains Field Station". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
  6. ^ Van Cott, John W. (1990). Utah Place Names. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press. p. 176. ISBN 0-87480-345-4.
  7. ^ Geographic Change Notes: Utah Archived 2008-05-02 at the Wayback Machine, United States Census Bureau, 2007. Accessed 2009-03-04.
  8. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  9. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 19, 2012.
  10. ^ "Hanksville, Utah Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)". Weatherbase. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
  11. ^ a b "U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: Hanksville, UT". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  12. ^ "NOAA Online Weather Data – NWS Salt Lake City". National Weather Service. Retrieved February 20, 2023.

External links

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