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About Scipio
The town of Scipio lies in Scipio Valley at the junction of Interstate 15 and U.S. Highway 50. The Pavant Mountain Range lies to the south of Scipio, an important range over 9,000 feet high which extends for many miles southward. A pass through these mountains is called Scipio Pass, a few miles to the southwest, where Interstate 15 crosses. The mountains continuing northwest from there are called the Canyon Mountains. A lower mountain range to the east is called the Valley Mountains.
Scipio was settled in 1859 by Mormon pioneers and was named after Scipio Africanus Kenner, a lawyer who helped acquire legal title to the land. Before that name was chosen, it was also called Round Valley and Crabell. The town preserves its historic charm and many log cabins and historic homes can be seen still. The lifestyle is an agricultural one, aside from travel services at the freeway interchange. Ranchland and farmland surround the town.
Two lakes are found close to Scipio. Yuba Lake is a reservoir on the Sevier River, several miles to the north. It is a popular boating retreat for the locals, operated as Yuba Lake State Park. Another natural lake of substantial size lies to the south, which is called Scipio Lake.
Scipio used to be a stop on U.S. Highway 91, which used to enter town from the west on Center Street, and then turn to the north. Highway 91 was eventually replaced by the freeway. U.S. Highway 50 originally passed far to the north of Scipio, but was rerouted here. To the southwest it is combined with the freeway until close to Holden, where it diverges and heads west. It heads southward out of Scipio and then bends eastward coming to Salina.
Scipio had a population of 290 in the census of 2000. The elevation ranges from about 5,280 to 5,360 feet, the east side of town being slightly higher.
For More Information:
See Wikipedia's Scipio article.