In 1875, four
years after the resettlement of Panguitch, settlers moved eastward to
found Escalante. Smaller settlements were made in Aaron, later known
as Hatch, in 1872; Cannonville in 1876; Henrieville in 1878; Antimony in 1878; Boulder in 1889; Tropic in 1892; and Winder, later named Widtsoe,
in 1910.
The territorial
legislature created the county in 1882, and at the suggestion of Governor
Eli H. Murray named it after assassinated President James A. Garfield. Boulder, settled in 1889, was considered
to be the most isolated town in Utah until the mid-1930s when Civilian
Conservation Corps (CCC) workers constructed a road from Boulder to
Escalante. Mail was carried to Boulder on horseback until about 1935.
The CCC also reseeded ranges and built telephone lines, ranger stations,
and trails.
Vast rangelands
and some of the state's largest forest reserves have made cattle ranching
and lumber Garfield County's most important industries since pioneer
times. The forests also provide many recreational sites, and Panguitch
Lake is one of the state's prime fishing waters. The creation of Bryce
Canyon National Park in 1928 increased the importance of tourism to
the local economy. The large sections of Capitol
Reef National Park and Glen
Canyon National Recreation Area that lie within the county remained
largely inaccessible in the late 1980s. The proposed but controversial
paving of the Burr Trail through the Waterpocket Fold area of Capitol
Reef would, however, expand travel in eastern Garfield County. The seasonal
nature of lumbering and tourism often gives the county a higher than
average rate of unemployment.