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History · Tropic

Tropic dates to 1891, and 13% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 10 old photos and papers, maps from 1980 on, and the census since 1900.

1891founded
0on the National Register
13%homes built before 1940
10old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Tropic’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Tropic began

When was Tropic founded?

1891

Tropic dates its founding to 1891 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1900.

First census: 379 in 19002020 census: 486135 years
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1894.
The story so far

Tropic, in brief

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

Tropic is a town in Garfield County, Utah, United States, along Utah State Route 12 (A Journey Through Time Scenic Byway / Scenic Byway 12). As of the 2020 census, the town had a population of 486. Tropic was founded in 1891.

Tropic was established in 1891. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 530 to 486 (-8%).

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

Timeline

Tropic, 1891 to 1980

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1891
    FoundingTropic is established
  3. 1894Post officeThe Tropic post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1923In the archiveBison with saddle (Juvenile Instructor)
  6. 1940In the archiveFountain. Tropic, Utah
  7. 1980On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Tropic, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1920s to the 1940s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1920s–1940s10 items
Bison with saddle (Juvenile Instructor)1923Bison with saddle (Juvenile Instructor)Looking west at Bryce Canyon and the east face of the Punxagunt Plateau. Valley of the Pahreah or Pariah River.... - NA…1929Looking west at Bryce Canyon and the east face of the…Village of Tropic, Utah. East face of Punxagunt Plateau. Tropic Mound and Bryce Canyon. Pahreah or Pariah River in fore…1929Village of Tropic, Utah. East face of Punxagunt Plate…Fountain. Tropic, Utah1940Fountain. Tropic, UtahMain store. Tropic, Utah1940Main store. Tropic, UtahOld Mormon house at Tropic, Utah1940Old Mormon house at Tropic, UtahHome of Mormon farmer. Tropic, Utah1940Home of Mormon farmer. Tropic, UtahUntitled photo, possibly related to: Fountain. Tropic, Utah1940Untitled photo, possibly related to: Fountain. Tropic…Untitled photo, possibly related to: Main store. Tropic, Utah1940Untitled photo, possibly related to: Main store. Trop…Untitled photo, possibly related to: Old Mormon house at Tropic, Utah1940Untitled photo, possibly related to: Old Mormon house…
1950s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today2 recent
Bryce Canyon Vista2017Bryce Canyon VistaTropic, UT Backside of Brice 9-09d2009Tropic, UT Backside of Brice 9-09d
On the map

Tropic on the map in 1980

The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Tropic.

Tropic on the 1980 USGS map1980Panguitch sheet · 1:100,000

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

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Bison with saddle (Juvenile Instructor)
Retake this viewBison with saddle (Juvenile Instructor), 1923

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Tropic’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Tropic, census by census

01002003004005001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 530

Between 329 and 530 people in every census since 1900.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Tropic

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

See all →
Wayne OwensAmerican politician · b. 1937
Whittni MorganAmerican middle-distance runner and steeplechas… · b. 1997
Evan VickersAmerican politician · b. 1954
T
Tut ImlayAmerican football player and coach · b. 1902
J
J. Arthur CooperAmerican politician · b. 1933
R
Richard StithemAmerican luger · b. 1953
Help out

Finish Tropic’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewBison with saddle (Juvenile Instructor): stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Tropic’s history

What year was Tropic founded?

In 1891, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Tropic’s post office opened in 1894, and the census of 1900 counted 379 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 (5), the Library of Congress (7), 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.