Ivins History
From ancient canyon dwellers to the Santa Clara Bench settlers who named their town for Anthony W. Ivins in 1926.
Timeline
- 10,000+ years ago
People have probably used Snow Canyon for more than 10,000 years; artifacts show people there by 500 B.C.
Source: Utah State Parks ↗ - A.D. 200–1250
Ancestral Puebloans live in the area, farming along the Virgin and Santa Clara rivers and hunting and gathering in the canyon.
Source: Washington County Historical Society ↗ - A.D. 1200–mid-1800s
Southern Paiute people use the canyon for hunting and gathering, and make baskets, sandals and everyday items from its plants.
Source: Washington County Historical Society ↗ - 1776
The Domínguez-Escalante party is the first known European group to explore the area.
Source: Washington County Historical Society ↗ - 1854
Latter-day Saint pioneers establish a mission at nearby Santa Clara; St. George follows in 1861.
Source: Washington County Historical Society ↗ - 1881
The oldest axle-grease pioneer names still visible on the Pioneer Names Trail date to 1881.
Source: Washington County Historical Society ↗ - 1918
Men from Santa Clara finish a canal bringing Santa Clara River water to the “Santa Clara Bench.”
Source: Utah State Archives ↗ - 1922–1926
The first family moves to the bench in 1922; settlers, many descendants of Swiss immigrants, farm the newly watered land.
Source: Ivins Historical Society ↗ - November 1926
Anthony W. Ivins dedicates the settlers' new chapel, and the town takes his name. He gave $100 toward the chapel and promised a bell that still hangs in the old church's belfry. November 2026 marks the chapel's centennial.
Source: City of Ivins ↗ - August 5, 1935
Ivins is incorporated as a town.
Source: Utah State Archives ↗ - 1959
Washington County's 296-acre donation and the state's purchase of Joseph Blake's 898-acre ranch create Dixie State Park, later renamed Snow Canyon State Park; it opened to the public in 1962.
Source: Washington County Historical Society / Utah State Parks ↗ - Early 1980s
Slow growth picks up when Kayenta begins.
Source: City of Ivins General Plan history ↗ - August 11, 1998
Gov. Michael O. Leavitt proclaims Ivins a city of the third class, based on a 1996 estimate of 3,149 residents.
Source: State of Utah proclamation ↗ - 2020–2025
Population grows from 8,978 (2020 Census) to an estimated 11,546 (July 1, 2025).
Source: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts ↗
Turkey farming in early Ivins
Several families, including the Ences and Rebers, spent years raising turkeys in and around Ivins. Milo Ence and his sons kept young birds warm in a brooder house heated by a fire under the floor, and moved flocks between fields early in the morning. The family traded imperfect turkey eggs with McArthur Bakery for baked goods.
Source: Ivins Historical Society, City Newsletter Nov 2026 ↗Ivins Historical Society
Monthly meetings on the third Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. at Ivins City Hall. New in 2027: family-friendly Second Saturday events, 10–11 a.m. in the City Council Room, with stories, demonstrations and hands-on activities. Membership is $20 a year.
See history events Society websiteIvins in the News
Read how the newspapers covered it all, from the 1911 Santa Clara Bench canal plans and the 1926 chapel to Tuacahn and today: a searchable archive of news stories since 1909, each linked to the original page.
Heritage Days
Ivins Heritage Days is the city's annual September celebration; 2026 ran Sept 9–12.
Source: Ivins City: Heritage Days 2026 ↗