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History · Deseret

Deseret’s post office opened in 1864, and 2 of its places are on the National Register

Most of Deseret was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1954. Its Register listings are the Fort Deseret and the Deseret Relief Society Hall. Below: maps from 1962 on and the census since 1870.

1864first post office
2on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Deseret began

When was Deseret founded?

1864

The Deseret post office opened in 1864, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 150 in 18702020 census: 327162 years
Founding year: the first Deseret post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Deseret’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Deseret are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 661 in 1890; 327 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Deseret’s homes were built before 1954.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Deseret’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Deseret’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Deseret, census by census

010020030040050060070018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 661

Peaked at 661 in 1890; 327 people lived here in 2020.

11 censuses, 1870–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Deseret’s Wikipedia page.

The story so far

Deseret, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Deseret yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Deseret ( ) is a census-designated place in Millard County, Utah, United States. The population was 327 at the 2020 census. Deseret is located approximately 10 miles (16 km) southwest of Delta, and about 150 miles (240 km) southwest of Salt Lake City. The name Deseret comes from the Book of Mormon.

Its first post office opened in 1864. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 353 to 327 (-7%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Deseret, 1864 to 1974

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1864Post officeThe Deseret post office opens
  3. 1890CensusPopulation peaks at 661
  4. 20th century
  5. 1906BuiltDeseret Relief Society Hall is built
  6. 1962On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1974Post officeThe Deseret post office closes
By decade

Deseret, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Fort Deseret, Near2012Fort Deseret, NearDeseret, Utah2012Deseret, Utah
On the map

Deseret on the map, 1962 to 1986

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Deseret. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Deseret on the 1962 USGS mapDeseret on the 1986 USGS map1962Delta sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Deseret.

On the National Register

2 historic places in Deseret

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts
first listed
1970
Fort Deseret
Deseret Relief Society Hall, built 1906
BuildingsStructures

Architectural styles listings

Adobe Mud1
Late Victorian1
Fort DeseretAdobe Mud
Deseret Relief Society HallLate Victorian · Built 1906

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Deseret

Nobody well known was born in Deseret itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Chrissy TeigenAmerican model · b. 1985
Culbert OlsonAmerican politician · b. 1876
William H. KingAmerican politician · b. 1863
Sam MelvilleAmerican actor · b. 1936
Arnold WilliamsAmerican politician · b. 1898
James E. FaustApostle of the LDS Church · b. 1920
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and burying grounds

Deseret had its own post office from 1864 to 1974.

Deseret
1864–1974
18601940today
1cemetery inside Deseret
Deseret City

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

OasisIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Deseret’s history

What year was Deseret founded?

The Deseret post office opened in 1864, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Deseret?

Two places: the Fort Deseret (listed 1970) and the Deseret Relief Society Hall (1995).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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 (2), the National Register of Historic Places (2), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) 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.