Independence

The town of Independence was established in 1905 when the Uintah & Ouray Reservation was opened to homesteaders. It was named for the Independence Townsite & Development Company and was located on Dry Creek near the junction of the Duchesne River. Settlers for a time tried to ranching and farming on this marshy and alkaline area but gave up after just a few years. Since there was still land open to homestead, many of the farmers left to find land more favorable to farming. By 1912 most of Independence was deserted.