The History of Castle Dale:
On August 22, 1877 a call to settle Castle Valley was issued by Brigham Young and addressed to Sanpete LDS Stake President Canute Peterson. The call read:Inasmuch as it is probable that quite a number of the brethren who have sold out in Thistle Valley to facilitate its occupancy by the Lamanites, will not desire to settle in Castle Valley though we should like as many as possible to do so, and as we are anxious to see a good, strong settlement of Latter-day Saints established in the last named valley, we should be pleased to have you make inquiry and find out what brethren in the Stake of Zion over which you preside would like to settle there.
There are numbers of the brethren in different portions of Sanpete County, who have not an abundant supply of water for their land, who would, no doubt, be happy to remove to a valley where the water is abundant and the soil good. We would like to have at least fifty families locate in Castle Valley this fall, but if some of the brethren cannot take their families this year, it would be well to go themselves, secure their locations and commence work. In making your selection, choose good, energetic God fearing young men, whether single or with families, and others who can be spared without interfering with the interests of the settlements in which they now reside, such ones as will be a strength to the new settlement and an aid to its growth in all that we, as Latter-day Saints, desire to see increase upon the earth.
From 1847 to 1877 Brigham Young had issued similar calls to almost 400 towns and villages. However, Castle Valley was a little different then previous calls as it was the first major Mormon settlement established in a area that had been surveyed for homesteading.
There were those that had anticipated Brigham Young’s call. In May 1877 J. W. Seely Jr. staked a homestead claim on choice river-bottom land on the Cottonwood Creek. The following June a group of men were sent by Sanpete Stake officials to investigate possible sites for settlements in Castle Valley.
On September 22, 1877 during a Priesthood meeting held in Mount Pleasant, seventy-five men from various wards in Sanpete Stake were called to settle Castle Valley. This called was not really accepted by the majority. Only a few of the men named were willing to move. One of those stalwart individuals was Orange Seely. He had recently been installed as bishop of the Mount Pleasant North Ward but was now designated as bishop of the region east of the Wasatch Plateau. He was very familiar with Castle Valley and a strong advocate of colonization of the land. Orange had been in charge of the Mount Pleasant and Fairview United Order livestock herd. Orange Seely’s younger brother Justus, John S. Jorgensen, Aaron Oman, August Nielsen, Jacob Jensen, Tim Fullmer, and two Utes called Aub and Piggy wintered sheep and cattle in Castle Valley and it was this group that carved out the first road through the canyon in order to bring their supply wagons in. About midway between the present site of Orangeville and Castle Dale the group built a large dugout to house the dozen or so herders. The Seely brothers again brought the herds to Castle Valley for the winter of 1876-1877.
A colonizing party led by Orange Seely left from Mount Pleasant on October 20, 1877. This group of men only included John S. Jorgensen, Erastus Curtis and his sons William B. And Erastus Jr., Niels Peter Miller, Jasper Petersen, James H. Wilcox, George Bruno, Joseph Burnett and Chris Peel. They arrived at the herders dugout on November 2nd. About a month later, Fred Anderson and Andrew Jensen, join the group. Other settlers began arriving and selecting homesteads along the Cottonwood River. That winter only seven men remained in Castle Valley.
In the spring of 1878 Sylvester Wilson arrived and took up a homestead on the creek about five miles east of the present Castle Dale. The Wilson’s built their log cabin with “frontage” on the Spanish Trail route called the Star Mail Route. Sylvester Wilson and his neighbors applied for a mail station and named it Wilsonville. It was the first post office in Castle Valley. The settlers upstream had to travel the five or six miles to Wilsonville to get their mail which was quite a nuisance. A petition was formulated by a committee and sent to the Post Office Dept in Washington, DC asking for a mail station to be known as Castle Vale.
On June 1, 1879, the Post Office department granted them a post office, but the name was inadvertently spelled Castle Dale instead of Castle Vale. The petitioners decided to leave the name as Castle Dale.
At a conference in August 1880, visiting LDS church General Authorities recommended that the name of upper Castle Dale be changed to Orangeville to void confusion. A vote was taken by the congregation and accepted. It was also in this year that Castle Dale was designated as the county seat.
The next few years the community of Castle Dale saw much development. Homes and schools were built and businesses established. The first brick home was erected in 1889. At first there was no water on the Castle Dale townsite. All water for household use had to be hauled in barrels from the creek. Every home had a barrel in the front yard. Electricity would not be available until January 4, 1904.
The first school in Castle Dale townsite was a log schoolhouse. Students sat on benches made from log slates. By 1898 there were many Castle Dale citizens that felt that the town needed a town government. One was established in March of 1900.
With the creation of a town board, tasks that had previously been managed through the LDS bishop and priesthood were now being handled by the board of trustees. However, for the next twenty years there was not a clear division between church and state.
On April 12, 1920, a petition was granted for Castle Dale to become a 3rd Class City. The governing body was then changed from a town board with a president to a city council with a mayor. The city population was 700 individuals.
The majority of the Castle Dale residents engaged in farming in the early years but soon several small coal mines were opened and mining exploration developed around the area. Businesses and a variety of services soon sprang up as well as medical and other professional services.
Castle Dale experienced some difficult economic times from 1920-1945 but the people were able to continue with modernization in housing, education, transportation and civic improvements.
The years between 1945-1970 saw a decline in the population because of a deteriorating local economy. However, the citizens did not allow their community to wither away even though it was necessary for most of the young residents to move away to earn a living.
A new revitalization began on June 20, 1963 when the ground was broken for the Joe’s Valley Dam approximately 10 miles away. It provided a lasting benefit of a far more dependable water supply and much needed jobs. In addition, it provided the area with recreational facilities.
During the 1970's the building of two nearby coal fired steam generated power plants brought dramatic changes to the city. The demand for coal from the surrounding vast coal reserves increased dramatically. The need for experienced construction workers, coal miners and truck drivers became in great demand. The once high-unemployment, low income area suddenly offered an abundant area of high-paying jobs. Castle Dale City has become a more industrial rural way of life with a population of approximately 1,600 residents.
Castle Dale is home to the Emery County High School. It has consistently ranked among the best in the state among schools of comparable enrollment and has won numerous regional and state honors in all fields of study and sports.
The infrastructure of Castle Dale includes a modern up-to-date water and sewer system, curb, gutter and sidewalks, quality roads, curb to curb, public buildings, and both natural history and pioneer museums. Recreation facilities include a new year-around aquatic center, an equestrian center and rodeo grounds in addition to the ball fields and picnic areas.
At present, agriculture is reported to be about 3 percent. The nearby coal reserves, Hunter Power Plant, tourism, Emery High School and being the county seat of Emery County is what brings prosperity to Castle Dale.
The nearby mountains and San Rafael Swell provides a vast opportunity for biking, 4-wheel recreational activities as well as for hunting, camping, hiking and rock climbing. Boating and fishing is available just a short distance away.
Castle Dale is a community that provides a environment for quality country family living at its best.