Amalga was settled by Latter-Day Saint settler Hans Jorgensen in 1869. Other settlers began arriving in 1891. By March 22, 1891, when the Alto Branch of the LDS Church was organized, the town had a schoolhouse that was used for social gatherings and church meetings.
In 1916, the Amalgamated Sugar Company agreed to build a factory in town to process sugar beets, and the town name became Amalga. A spur line was established by the Utah Idaho Central Railroad, and a large hotel opened. The factory, built by Dyer Construction Company, was built by the 1917 season for $900,000.
Coinciding with the organization of the city, the Amalga Ward of the LDS Church was established on March 10, 1918, choosing its name from the Amalgamated Sugar Company.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikimedia Commons (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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