Bountiful is one of the oldest communities in Utah — the state’s second settlement, founded just two months after the pioneers reached the Salt Lake Valley. Here’s the short version of how a camp beside North Canyon became the city of Bountiful.

Timeline

1847 — Sessions’ Settlement

On September 27, 1847, Perrigrine Sessions drove his herds about nine miles north of the brand-new Salt Lake settlement and made winter camp, building a dugout near today’s 250 North 280 West. His family were the first settlers of what became Davis County, and the area was first known as Sessions’ Settlement.

1855 — A name, and a wall

The town was officially named Bountiful in 1855 — already called the “garden spot of Utah.” That same year, residents voted to build a defensive wall of mud and straw around the entire townsite: roughly three miles long, eight feet high, and four feet thick at the top, enclosing the area between today’s 400 North, 200 West, 500 South, and 400 East.

1892 — A city is born

Bountiful incorporated in 1892 under a territorial charter, electing Joseph L. Holbrook as its first mayor.

1906–1907 — Water and light

The city water system began in 1906, and in 1907 electric lights arrived — the start of the city-owned power utility Bountiful still operates today. Around the same era, Bountiful helped build the first hard-surfaced road in Utah, connecting the town toward Salt Lake County.

Dig Deeper

Visit the Bountiful Museum & Learning Center at 305 North Main, or read the city’s full historical account on the official history page.

Explore more: Bountiful City Guide • Bountiful Parks • Bountiful Trails • Events Calendar