The History Of Corinne Is One-Of-A-Kind And Vastly Different Than Other Small Towns In Utah
By Courtnie Erickson|Published April 26, 2022
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Courtnie Erickson
Author
From Southern Utah to the Panhandle in Idaho, Courtnie Erickson has lived in what she believes are the best (and the most beautiful!) areas in the country. She graduated with a journalism degree from Utah State University and has more than 15 years of professional writing experience. You’ll likely see her with a Dr. Pepper in her hand and a pair of running shoes on her feet. Courtnie is a writer and editor at OnlyInYourState.
Utah is well known for the Mormon Pioneers. In fact, the majority of towns throughout the Beehive State were settled by these courageous people. However, Corinne, Utah, is one small town that was not established by the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In fact, in the 1800s, one newspaper reported that not a single member of the church lived in the town and it became widely known as “The Gentile Capital of Utah.”
Corinne is a beautiful small town in Box Elder County, located west of Brigham City and along the Bear River. Today, just over 600 people call it home.
This town was founded in 1869. At this time, the Union Pacific and Central Pacific Railroads were close to meeting in Promontory Summit and former Union army officers decided to establish a small town along the Union Pacific Line for non-Mormon merchants.
In the late 1860s, pretty much every successful business in Utah was owned and operated by members of the church. Brigham Young had established a policy that Mormons could only shop at other members’ businesses. If you weren’t a member of the church, it made it extremely difficult to survive in the Beehive State.
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Corinne was the solution and allowed a place for non-members in Utah to survive. The town was in a prime location for the railroad and for shipping goods to mining towns in Montana.
News of this shipping center spread fast and within two weeks, more than 500 tent buildings with businesses were located in the area. In no time at all, boarding houses, a newspaper, cigar factory, gambling halls, and more could be found in the area.
Over the years, the town began to flourish even more. More than 1,000 residents lived in Corinne during its peak. But, the most unusual part of this town? Not one resident was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which was almost unheard of at the time.
Without the presence of the church, the town looked drastically different than others around the Beehive State. There were more than a dozen saloons and liquor stores, for example.
Residents of this city, particularly its founders, worked hard to make Corinne the focus of the state, even attempting to make this small town the capital of Utah.
Brigham Young and the members of the church, however, fought hard to stop the small town. They built the Utah Northern Railroad that traveled from Ogden to Franklin, Idaho. Eventually, this railroad continued farther into Idaho, significantly hurting businesses in Corinne and resulting in many merchants moving to Ogden.
As many individuals left the small town, farmers and members of the church moved in, transforming this small town. In 1914, a meetinghouse for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was even built.
Today, as you drive through this beautiful community, you’ll notice it has become a quiet farm town. It is hard to believe this town has quite a crazy history.
Were you familiar with Corinne’s history? Have you ever spent time in this small town? Let us know in the comments! You can learn more about this small town on the City of Corinne’s website.
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