Place · United States
The history of American Fork
Assembled from 5 dug tiles · 58 sourced records · 1847–now · last reviewed 7 November 2026
American Fork, Utah, incorporated in 1850, grew from a Ute homeland into a city of farmland, parks and a single-spire temple. State-owned parcels passed to the city through the late twentieth century, while its cemetery holds both a congresswoman and a physicist who measured the electron.
These are the individual spots Strata has dug in American Fork — not a guide to the town, but a record of what happened on particular ground.
Digs in American Fork
The boy who measured the electron and came back to the wallA quarter mile from where you stand, Harvey Fletcher lies in the rock wall of the cemetery where his life began and ended.
1850–2025 State-owned ground in American Fork
You're standing on a 65-acre parcel of state land on the northeast edge of American Fork, carrying no building name on record. 550 East
1852–now Open county ground
You're standing on an open parcel in American Fork, Utah County, in the Section 12 survey grid. 1000 North
1849–2025 Land held by the city
You're standing on a 25-acre parcel American Fork City owns, just a few streets from downtown. 860 East
1847–2010 A single-spire Latter-day Saint temple
You're standing at the Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple grounds in American Fork, on 16.9 acres platted for the church in 2000. Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple
1850–2002
American Fork in layers
The amphitheater and wall of the Utah State Training School, located about 400 meters north, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Wikidata
1847-1860s
When Mormons expanded into Utah Lake Valley starting in 1847, they displaced Utes, drove away game, and took land without regard for Ute rights or sovereignty. Utah Division of State History
Ute camps in Utah Valley region near settlements
Winter 1849–1850: a measles outbreak spread from Mormon settler communities to nearby Ute camps, killing many Indigenous people and escalating tensions before the Fort Utah massacre. Wikipedia: Fort Utah
Battle Creek Canyon near Pleasant Grove, approximately 8 miles southeast
March 5, 1849: a Mormon militia group of 35 men killed Timpanogos Native Americans at Battle Creek Canyon. Contemporary accounts report 4 Native American men killed, though some sources cite higher numbers. Wikipedia: Battle Creek massacre; Intermountain Histories: The American Fork Wall
Fort Utah in Provo, approximately 10 miles south-southwest
August 1, 1849: Mormon settlers killed an elderly Timpanogos man known as Old Bishop at Fort Utah in Provo during escalating tensions between settlers and Timpanogos people. blackhawkproductions.com
1849-1873
Beginning in 1849 when Brigham Young ordered militia to eliminate the Timpanogos Nation, this conflict lasted until 1873 and encompassed the American Fork area. Black Hawk Productions (Utah Black Hawk War History Project)
1850
The city surrounding this ground was incorporated in 1850, two years after Mormon pioneers first settled the area. Wikidata
1850
The American Fork Cemetery was established in 1850 and remains an active burial ground for the community. FamilySearch
Utah Valley region, including American Fork area
January 31, 1850: Brigham Young issued a military order through General Daniel Wells instructing the Nauvoo Legion to 'exterminate' Timpanogos men in Utah Valley 'not to leave until every Indian was killed.' blackhawkproductions.com; Axios; mormonr.org
Provo River and Fort Utah in Provo, approximately 10 miles south-southwest
February 8–17, 1850: Mormon militia surrounded an encampment of Timpanogos families on the Provo River and laid siege for two days. Over 40 Timpanogos were taken as prisoners, and up to 100 were killed in the violence. Wikipedia: Battle at Fort Utah; Axios: The Fort Utah Massacre; blackhawkproductions.com
American Fork, Utah County
1850: American Fork was founded as a Mormon settlement in Utah Valley, initially called Lake City. The town quickly became a hub for agricultural and industrial development in the region. heritage record: American Fork
1850
Mormon pioneers settled American Fork in 1850 along American Fork Creek at the northern edge of Utah Lake, an area Utes had used seasonally for hunting and fishing. Utah History Encyclopedia
1852–1868
From about 1852 to 1868, the settlement's earliest dead were buried at a ground near here that the Daughters of Utah Pioneers later marked with a plaque listing names. Historical Marker Database: Pioneer Cemetery Historical Marker
300 North 100 East, American Fork (now a park)
A burial ground used for early settlers and pioneers, with a marker noting that some Native Americans were also buried there. Historical Marker Database (HMDB) / Daughters of Utah Pioneers marker (1948)
American Fork (formerly Lake City), enclosing the settlement
1853: After the Battle Creek massacre, Mormon militia leader Daniel H. Wells ordered American Fork settlers to construct a twelve-foot-tall wood and earthen wall surrounding the town for protection against further Native American resistance. Intermountain Histories: The American Fork Wall; Early History of American Fork (1993)
1853
General Daniel H. Wells ordered American Fork settlers to construct a fort surrounded by a protective wall as tensions with Native Americans escalated, with 85 families living within the fortification. Utah History to Go (Utah Division of State History)
1853-1854
Ute leader Wakara and his brother Arapeen launched a series of raids on Mormon settlements across central Utah after a settler killed a Ute man and wounded two others, resulting in over ten deaths. Utah Division of State History
American Fork, Utah
The church was constructed in 1879 and remains a historic structure in the town. Wikidata
1883
The Dunn-Binnall House & Farmstead, dating to 1883, still stands about 2 kilometers from here and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Wikidata
American Fork, Utah
The public high school was founded in 1902 to serve the community's educational needs. Wikipedia
American Fork, Utah
1902: American Fork High School was established, reflecting the town's growth and commitment to education in the early twentieth century. Wikipedia; heritage record
American Fork, Utah
The municipal building went up in 1903 to house city government. Wikidata
1937
The stone wall enclosing American Fork Cemetery, built in 1937, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Wikidata
American Fork, Utah
A historic wall surrounding the cemetery was constructed in 1937 and remains a landmark. Wikidata
Questions about American Fork
What is American Fork known for historically?
American Fork is known as the hometown of physicist Harvey Fletcher, who helped measure the electron's charge in the Millikan oil-drop experiment and later pioneered stereophonic sound at Bell Labs. He is buried, alongside Utah's first congresswoman Reva Beck Bosone, within the cemetery's 1937 rock wall.
What happened at American Fork in 1850?
American Fork incorporated as a city in 1850, and its cemetery was established the same year.
What happened at the temple site in American Fork?
The Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple, announced in October 1992, was built on 16.9 acres platted in 2000 that had once served as a church welfare farm. Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated the single-spire, 190-foot temple on October 13, 1996, after an open house drew nearly 680,000 visitors.
What is Art Dye Park and where did it come from?
Art Dye Park sits on a 65-acre parcel at 550 East that passed from the Utah State Department of Administrative Services to American Fork City in October 1997. It now hosts Fork Fest each June on three concert stages.
Who is buried in American Fork Cemetery?
The cemetery's rock wall, built in 1937, holds physicist Harvey Fletcher, who died in American Fork in 1981, and Reva Beck Bosone, Utah's first congresswoman, who died there in 1983.
What other land did the city acquire from the state?
Besides the Art Dye Park and temple grounds, American Fork City received a 25-acre parcel at 860 East from the state in 1997, with Questar Gas Company giving up its remaining claim there in 2010. A 56.6-acre parcel at 1000 North passed from the state to Utah County in October 2010, within a few miles of Timpanogos encampment sites attacked in 1849 and 1850.