Rio Virgin County, Utah Genealogy

United States Utah  Rio Virgin County

Rio Virgin County, Utah Territory (or Rio Virgen) was a former county in Utah Territory, Arizona Territory, and Nevada Territory from 1869 to 1872. It was created mostly outside of Utah territory to serve the residents of Mesquite, St. Thomas and Bunkerville which Utah wanted to keep within its influence.


 * The US federal government moved the western boundary of Utah territory east, done on 18 January 1867, and gave that land to Nevada.
 * Utah opposed this loss of land by trying several legal initatives. One of these was creating Rio Virgin county on 18 February 1869.
 * The US federal government surveyed the land, which showed Rio Virgin County was mostly in present-day Nevada, with a little bit in Arizona and Utah.
 * When all legal recourse had been exhasted, Utah accepted the change and discontinued Rio Virgin County on 16 February 1872.
 * The tiny bit of this county actually in Utah was restored to Washington County.

Records for Rio Virgin County, Utah Territory may be found in the following counties due to transfer, creation, or re-recording:


 * Clark County, Nevada
 * Lincoln County, Nevada
 * Mohave County, Arizona (before 18 February 1871 Pah-Ute County, Arizona)
 * Washington County, Utah

For records of Rio Virgin County see also:


 * Utah State Archives may have a few records from the Utah Territory's Rio Virgin County courts and deeds.