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History · Kanarraville

Kanarraville dates to 1861

Most of Kanarraville was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1992. Below: maps from 1950 on and the census since 1890.

1861founded
0on the National Register
3%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Kanarraville began, and where its name came from

When was Kanarraville founded?

1861

Kanarraville dates its founding to 1861 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1890.

First census: 282 in 18902020 census: 442165 years

How did Kanarraville get its name?

Kanarraville was named for Piute Chief Canarrah or Quanarrah, but settlers spelled it Kanarrah or Kanarra.

Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1864. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Kanarraville’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 Kanarraville are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Shrank, then grewLost a third of its people between 1920 and 1970, then more than doubled.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Kanarraville’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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People over time

Kanarraville, census by census

01002003004001900192019401960198020002020326 in 1920Low: 204

Lost a third of its people between 1920 and 1970, then more than doubled.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

The story

How Kanarraville came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Kanarraville.

Read it all →

Kanarra, later renamed Kanarraville, on Kanarra Creek, was first settled in 1861 and 1862. It was named for Piute Chief Canarrah or Quanarrah, but settlers spelled it Kanarrah or Kanarra. Its settlers were families driven from Fort Harmony when the fort had to be abandoned after most of its adobe walls were washed away during a month of heavy rains in January and February, during the Great Flood of 1862. New Harmony in Washington County was the other settlement created by refugees from this disaster.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Kanarraville, 1861 to 2020

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1861
    FoundingKanarraville is established
  3. 1864Post officeThe Kanarraville post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1950On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1964Post officeThe Kanarraville post office closes
  7. 21st century
  8. 2020CensusPopulation peaks at 442
By decade

Kanarraville, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Sandstone Pockets in Kanarra Canyon DyeClan.com2011Sandstone Pockets in Kanarra Canyon DyeClan.comFall Leaves in Kanarra Canyon DyeClan.com2011Fall Leaves in Kanarra Canyon DyeClan.com
On the map

Kanarraville on the map, 1950 to 1978

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

Kanarraville on the 1950 USGS mapKanarraville on the 1978 USGS map1950Kanarraville sheet · 1:24,000

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Kanarraville

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

See all →
Alma RichardsAmerican Olympic high jump gold medalist athlet… · b. 1890
Mike LeavittAmerican politician · b. 1951
A
Ally CondieAmerican novelist · b. 1978
Celeste MaloyAmerican lawyer and Utah land rights advocate · b. 1981
Helen Foster SnowAmerican journalist · b. 1907
Mitch TalbotAmerican baseball player · b. 1983
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Kanarraville had its own post office from 1864 to 1964.

Kanarraville
1864–1964
18601940today

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

Questions about Kanarraville’s history

What year was Kanarraville founded?

In 1861, according to Wikidata. Kanarraville’s post office opened in 1864, and the census of 1890 counted 282 people here.

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), Wikipedia, 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.