DAVIS COUNTY—There are places in Utah that have names that make perfect sense. Salt Lake City, for example, is no mystery due to the enormous Salt Lake that sits nearby, but then there are other places, like Tooele, Duschene, and others that cause even longtime residents to scratch their heads. So, what about Davis County?

For decades, even centuries, Davis County was traditionally a crossroads for nomadic Native Americans. Evidence of the Fremont people, and much later, the Ute, Paiute, Shoshone, and Goshute peoples have all been found or were recorded in the region, but none made a permanent home.

Then, in 1847, the first permanent European-American settlers made their way west. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, refugees from the city of Nauvoo, Illinois, made their way west, with the vanguard company arriving in July of that same year. While primary settlements were made in and around what would become Salt Lake City, more would soon follow.

Over the next few months and years, Brigham Young, then President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, would assign church membership to go and settle in different areas of the territory. These new settlements and towns would range from modern-day Canada in the North to Mexico in the South, and many places in between.  

Naturally, the territory immediately to the north of Salt Lake City would be scouted out for settlement, and though others technically settled in the area before him, a man named Daniel C. Davis would be one of the first, and most permanent settlers, putting down roots in 1849 in present-day Farmington. 

Born in New York State, Davis was only 45 when he settled down in Farmington, but he’d already played a significant role in getting other refugees to the Utah territory. When they were fleeing Nauvoo, Illinois, the refugees needed to cross the Mississippi River into Iowa, and Davis was appointed master of the ferry that carried them across.

Later, Davis would be appointed a company commander in the famous “Mormon Battalion” during the Mexican-American war. Along the arduous trek, Davis would bring with him his wife Susan, and his son, Daniel Jr., who would become the youngest member of the party, being only 6 years old at the time. 

Unfortunately, Daniel C. Davis wouldn’t be able to enjoy his new home long, as he was called back east to settle his late father’s estate. Davis wouldn’t make it, however, falling ill, and passing away in Nebraska, near Fort Kearny. His legacy, however, continues to influence Davis County today, in more than just his name.

Many of the refugees that Daniel Davis helped in both crossing the Mississippi River, as well as the plains of the Western United States were among those that settled in Davis County, turning it into a burgeoning agricultural community in the 19th and 20th centuries, and the hub of commerce that it is today.