Daggett County, Utah: History
Daggett County was originally the north portion of Uintah County. Due to mountainous terrain that was then impassable, people in what is now Daggett County during the 19th and early 20th Centuries had to a travel a circuitous route covering hundreds of miles by stagecoach and rail to conduct business in Vernal, the county seat, a mere 50 miles (80 km) away by direct straight-line measurements.
In the fall 1917 election, Uintah county voters voted to establish a separate county on the northern slope of the Uinta Mountains. The act establishing the county was approved on January 7, 1918, naming Manila as the county seat.
The boundary between Daggett and Uintah counties was adjusted in 1919, with some territory being returned to Uintah. Daggett County boundaries have remained unchanged since 1919.