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About Oak City
Oak City was settled in 1868 at the feet of the Canyon Mountains and overlooking the vast Sevier Desert to the west. The Canyon Mountains on the east reach elevations above 9,000 feet. Evergreen forests cover the highest slopes of the mountain, while junipers dot the lower slopes. Oak trees line the canyons, and the creek flowing out of the mountains had been called Oak Creek. Oak City, being built around the creek, was named after it. The ground continues to slope gradually downward westward from oak city, where sagebrush and grasses grow. Around Oak City, where irrigation water is available, farmland is being cultivated. The Sevier River crosses the desert to the west, giving rise to the towns of Delta, Hinckley and others, which can be seen from Oak City. Beyond the reach of the river, the land is very barren and sand dunes can be found in numerous places, including the Little Sahara Dunes, which are visible to the north of Oak City.
The settlers of Oak City came from Deseret, next to the Sevier River. Tired of the flooding of the river, they decided to move to Oak City, where they had previously pastured their animals. They arrived late in the year, bringing even the logs of their houses with them and scrambled to get ready for winter. They surveyed and laid out the town in the pattern typical of Mormon settlements, with wide streets and large lots. They drew lots to decide who got which property.
State Highway 125 was built mainly to access Oak City. It goes north to Leamington and west toward Delta. On summer weekends, many local people come to enjoy the beauty of Oak Creek Canyon, but Oak City remains a quiet rural community, much the same as it has been for most of the last 140 years. The population was 650 at the 2000 census. The elevation ranges from about 5,040 to 5,200 feet.
For More Information:
Read the historic marker about the founding of Oak City.
See also Wikipedia’s Oak City, Utah article.