Howell

History

Howell lies in the Blue Creek Valley that stretches north-south between four mountain ranges, Promontory Mountains, south, North Promontory Mountains, west, West Hills, northeast, and Blue Spring Hills, southeast. The northeast Great Salt Lake lies to the south of Howell, and north of Howell finds Interstate 84, roughly the area known to locals as Blue Creek. Nomadic Shoshone Indians used the area to travel between the Great Salt Lake and areas to the north. Charles Crocker, a California developer and business man oversaw development of the First transcontinental railroad, which passed through Promontory, about south of Howell. The Golden Spike was driven near Promontory (at Lampo) in 1869. Crocker formed the Promontory Land and Livestock Company in this time period, which had land holdings that stretched from the Great Salt Lake north to Idaho, and west to Nevada. The area was used for cattle ranching, with headquarters in Promontory, Howell, and the Dilly Ranch. The company disbanded in 1909. In 1909 the newly created Promontory-Curlew Land Company purchased the Promontory Land and Livestock Company's Utah and Idaho land holdings. Howell is named after Utah Congressman Joseph Howell who was involved with the Promontory-Curlew Land Company. In 1910 Nephi Nessen purchased from the Promontory-Curlew Land Company, and established the first private and permanent residence in Howell. Nessen was born in Logan, Utah in 1867, the son of Danish immigrants and converts to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who crossed the plains from the east as part of a Handcart company. Other settler families included Andersen, Baxter, Cravens, Gunnell, Bailey, Carlsen, Douglas, Fonnesbeck, Rock, Wood, Allen, Barber, and Maughn. The Bar M Ranch was headquartered near what…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and (0.56%) is water. There is a weather station nearby at Thiokol Airport. Thiokol Airport/Howell's climate borders between being semi-arid and humid continental climate (Köppen BSk/Dfb), characterized by cold winters, warm-to-hot summers, and high diurnal temperature variation throughout the year.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Common Raven

  Corvus corax Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,095
• Hen Harrier

  Circus cyaneus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  828
• Horned Lark

  Eremophila alpestris (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  723
• Western Meadowlark

  Sturnella neglecta Audubon, 1844 · Aves
  698
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  630
• American Kestrel

  Falco sparverius Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  615
• Red-tailed Hawk

  Buteo jamaicensis (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  579
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  450

Most recent

• M 2.57 — 2026-07-11
  15 km W of Paris, Idaho
• M 2.59 — 2026-06-25
  12 km E of Millville, Utah
• M 2.51 — 2026-06-16
  25 km NNW of Snowville, Utah
• M 2.6 — 2026-06-15
  2 km ESE of Malad City, Idaho
• M 3.1 — 2026-05-28
  12 km SSW of Snowville, Utah
• M 2.94 — 2026-01-07
  17 km WSW of Garden, Utah