Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS or Mormon Church) first explored and settled the Sanpete Valley in central Utah in 1849, but because of skirmishes between settlers and indigenous Ute tribal members, more than a decade passed before the various communities became established. Fairview (originally known as North Bend), at the north end of the valley, was one of the last to be settled. It was surveyed in 1859 and a fort constructed the next spring in response to regional Anglo/Indian conflicts. Life in the settlement was not “all work and no play.” A large log schoolhouse built in the center of the fort was dedicated December 9, 1860. It served as a school, church, and community center. Dances were held in this building from the beginning and soon a stage was built in one end for community drama productions. (*)

A few of my posts related to Fairview are listed here:

• Churches – North Ward and South Ward
• City Cemetery and Fairview Pioneer Cemetery
• City Drug Co.
• The Corner Station
• David Sanders House
• Fairview Amusement Hall
• Fairview City Hall and Old City Hall
• Fairview Lakes
• Fairview Museum Exterior and Interior
• Fairview Tithing Office/Bishop’s Storehouse
• First Grist Mill Stones
• Given Family Massacre
• Library
• James Anderson House
• Niels P. Hjort House
• Old Fairview Mill
• Parks – Lions and Sports
• Settlement of Fairview
• Fairview posts sorted by address

In 1864 a post office was established and by 1880, with one thousand residents, Fairview was the fourth largest settlement in the valley. The full-time population would exceed 1,700 in 1910 and again in 1940, but currently sits at under 1,000; there are several reasons for this. The primary occupations in Fairview are in the livestock and agricultural industries, with sheep and cattle being the main stock. Other industries were established in the twentieth century, mainly in coal mining and dairy operations, but because major traffic routes bypass the Sanpete Valley, little growth in either industry or population has occurred in the past several decades. The isolation and lack of growth in industry and population has allowed for the retention of a majority of historic buildings and structures, not only in Fairview, but also in the entire Sanpete Valley.