in 1954, near crossover by Poison Springs Wash Road in Hanksville, Utah The town was settled in 1882 and known for a time for the name given to the surrounding area,
Graves Valley. It took the name of Hanksville in 1885, after Ebenezer Hanks, an early settler. It was incorporated in 1999. The
Rural Electrification Administration brought electricity to the community in 1960. Today agriculture, mining, and tourism are the main drivers to the local economy. Tourism is particularly important with people coming for recreation at
Lake Powell,
Capitol Reef National Park, the
Henry Mountains, the
San Rafael Swell,
Goblin Valley State Park,
Factory Butte, and the solitude of the surrounding deserts and slot canyons. Hanksville was a supply post for
Butch Cassidy and the
Wild Bunch, who would hide out at
Robbers Roost in the desert southeast of town. During the
uranium mining frenzy following
World War II, Hanksville became a supply center for the prospectors and miners scouring the deserts of the
Colorado Plateau. Many abandoned mines can be found in the deserts surrounding the town. ==Demographics==