In May 1898 the name of Three Mile Creek was changed to Perry in honor of O.A. Perry, who had served as an LDS bishop for almost twenty years. Population of the town at the turn of the century was 261 (50 families).

In the spring of 1905, residents of Perry built their own electric company, with Vinson F. Davis as president. They erected their own poles and strung the wires. The company was purchased by the town in 1912 and it was sold to Utah Power and Light Company in 1950.

Water, or the lack of it, continued to be a major problem. In 1902 the Three Mile Creek Irrigation Company decided to pipe water from the mouth of the canyon to the settlement for irrigation purposes. When the Pine View Canal later was built from Ogden to Brigham City, farmers were able to increase their orchards and plant row crops, and hundreds of acres of arid land were reclaimed. A culinary water system providing water to each home in Perry was put into operation in 1911. The water came from mountain springs and later from wells. The town was incorporated in 1911.