The townsite of Clarkston was laid out in 1864. It was named for Israel Justus Clark, who was an early settler and the first branch president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Clarkston. The settlers originally settled east of modern day Clarkston in a spot known as the flat. Due to water quality concerns and sickness they moved the town a higher in elevation and closer to City Creek and other springs. They also experimented in dry farming mainly north of town. There was trouble with the native Americans and in 1866 the settlement was abandoned for a short time. Eventually an agreement was made between the settlers and Indian John, a chief under the Washakie. A Latter-day Saint ward was organized in Clarkston in the fall of 1867 with William F. Rigby as bishop. A brick meetinghouse was built in 1910. In 1930 Clarkston had a population of 570. Among the first settlers were Israel J. Clark, James Myler, William Ricks, Michael Poulsen, Johannis Dahle, Gideon Harmison, David Cook, John Griffiths, John Griffin, John Godfrey, Samuel Whitney, Ole S. Jensen and their families; also the Thompson and Hansen families, A. W. Heggie, a Mr. Parker, Paul Paulson, Andrew McCombs, Simon Smith, Isaac Cook, A. H. Atkinson and others. The existence of the Clarkston settlement was threatened in 1869 when a majority of the settlers, due mainly to discouragement because of the severe winters and heavy drifting snow, decided to move to the present site of Newton, Utah. But a few people decided to stay in Clarkston and some who had left returned, and the settlement became a permanent one. There was a controversy over retaining the name Clarkston for the original settlement or transferring it to the "New Town."
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of, all of it land. High above Clarkston is Gunsight Peak at an elevation of 8244 feet. Clarkston averages 219 sunny days a year. The average rainfall is 18 inches a year, with an average snowfall of 62 inches per year.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 688 people, 206 households, and 172 families residing in the town. The population density was 718.0 people per square mile. There were 219 housing units at an average density of 228.6 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 95.78% White, 0.29% Native American, 1.60% from other races, and 2.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.18% of the population. There were 206 households, out of which 47.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 76.7% were married couples living together, 4.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.5% were non-families. 16.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.34 and the average family size was 3.78. In the town, the population was spread out, with 35.5% under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 23.4% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females, there were 108.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.9 males. The median income for a household in the town was $40,592, and the median income for a family was $42,171. Males had a median income of $32,344 versus $20,000 for females. The per capita income for the town was $13,626. None of the families and 0.7% of the population were living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 7.2% of those over 64.
