East Carbon City (Carbon) is a coal mining community on U-123, one mile west of Sunnyside. East Carbon began in the fall of 1942 when a $5 million U.S. Government contract was awarded to the W.E. Ryberg-Strong-Grant Corporation of Springville, Utah to develope the town. Earlier names included Drager, named after Utah native, W.L. Drager, a Defence Plant Corporation Engineer. The name was rejected by the U.S. Post Office because it would cause mail delivery problems and confusion with the similar name of Draper, a suburb of Salt Lake City. The new name of Dragerton was selected.

By 1959 an increase in population justified the Carbon School District to build a school in Sunnyside, East Carbon High, which bordered Dragerton. In 2005 the school was demolished and in its place Bruin Point Elementary now stands. Currently, 2014, the school is undergoing an aggressive expansion/renovation program outfitted with the latest technological advances in education.

On July 23, 1973, Dragerton and Columbia incorporated to form East Carbon City.

On January 1, 2014, the city merged with the neighboring city of Sunnyside to form the city of East Carbon-Sunnyside.

G. William Wiersdorf

See: John W. Van Cott, Utah Place Names; Wikipedia, East Carbon, Utah.