Chester, Utah facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Chester, Utah
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 Chester, Utah
Location in Utah
Chester, Utah
Location in Utah
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| Country | United States |
| State | Utah |
| County | Sanpete |
| Founded by | David Candland |
| Named for | Chesterfield |
| Elevation | 5,515 ft (1,681 m) |
| Population
(2000)
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| • Total | 178 |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (Mountain (MST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
| ZIP codes |
84623
|
| Area code(s) | 435 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1439662 |
Chester is a small, unincorporated community located in the middle of Sanpete County, Utah, in the United States. Being "unincorporated" means it's not officially a city or town with its own local government, but rather a community within a larger county.
What is Chester Like?
Chester is found in the beautiful Sanpete Valley. It's about 4 miles (6.4 km) west of a town called Spring City. You can find Chester where two roads, Utah State Route 132 and Utah State Route 117, meet.
In the year 2000, about 178 people lived in Chester.
Chester Ponds
In the northeastern part of Chester, you'll find the Chester Ponds. These are a group of six small reservoirs, which are like man-made lakes used to store water. They are fed by Canal Creek and Oak Creek.
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 188 | — | |
| 1890 | 259 | 37.8% | |
| 1900 | 270 | 4.2% | |
| 1910 | 279 | 3.3% | |
| 1920 | 256 | −8.2% | |
| 1930 | 171 | −33.2% | |
| 1940 | 192 | 12.3% | |
| 1950 | 153 | −20.3% | |
| 2000 | 178 | — | |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau | |||
Chester's History
Chester was started by a person named David Candland. When it was first settled, the community was called Canal Creek. This name came from the waterway that provided water to the early settlers.
Later, David Candland decided to change the name to Chesterfield. He chose this name because it was like his hometown in England. Over time, the name was shortened to just Chester. Chester even had its own post office for many years, until 1967.
The Railroad Comes to Chester
In August 1885, a railway company called the San Pete Valley Railway built its tracks all the way to Chester. This allowed trains to travel regularly between Chester and Nephi, passing through towns like Moroni and Fountain Green. However, people couldn't ride the trains until a "Station House" was built.
The railway tracks ran through the western part of Chester. Over the years, the railway changed hands. In 1890, Union Pacific Railroad took it over and extended the tracks further south to Manti. Then, in 1908, the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad (D&RG) took control of this railway line. It became known as the D&RG San Pete Valley Branch.
Eventually, in 1947, the D&RG decided to stop using this particular railway branch. After that, the closest train service for Chester was the Marysvale Branch, which ran through Spring City.
