Dutch John, Utah


Dutch John is a small town located in eastern Daggett County, Utah, United States, about northeast of the Flaming Gorge Dam on U.S. Route 191. The population was 145 at the 2010 census.

History

The town was platted and constructed beginning in 1957 by the United States Bureau of Reclamation to house workers working on the construction of Flaming Gorge Dam. After the dam's completion in 1964, Dutch John became home to a smaller number of dam maintenance and operations personnel, as well as employees of the National Park Service and United States Forest Service.
The Dutch John townsite and its buildings continued to be owned by the Bureau of Reclamation until 1998, when the town was privatized. Buildings were sold to individual landowners, and undeveloped land in the town was transferred to Daggett County. The county later completed a master plan for the Dutch John townsite, and has begun offering parcels of land for sale to developers.
In July 2002, the human-caused Mustang Ridge fire burned approximately of pinyon/juniper forest in the immediate vicinity of Dutch John. The fire caused damage to power transmission lines which were supported by wooden poles.
During the peak years of construction activity at Flaming Gorge Dam, as many as 3,500 people lived in Dutch John.
In the election of November 2014, the residents of Dutch John voted overwhelmingly to incorporate into a town. An election was held in June 2015, in which William Rogers was elected mayor; Ryan Kelly, Sandy Kunkel, Harriet Dickerson, and Dave MacDonald were elected as members of the Town Council. They took office, and incorporation became official in January 2016.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 145 people living in the CDP. There were 105 housing units. The racial makeup of the town was 97.2% White, 0.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4% Asian, and 0.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.4% of the population.

Climate

This climatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot summers and cold winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Dutch John has a humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.