East Carbon Police Department
Est. 1973
East Carbon is a city in Carbon County, Utah. The population was 1,539 at the 2022 census. East Carbon was incorporated July 23, 1973, from the merger of two struggling mining towns, Dragerton and Columbia. On Jan. 1, 2014, the city merged with the neighboring city of Sunnyside.
East Carbon City had its beginnings in fall 1942, when the U.S. government, through the Defense Plant Corp., awarded a contract to the W.E. Ryberg-Strong-Grant Corp. of Springville, Utah, to develop the town at a planned cost of $5 million. It was originally named “Drager,” after W.L. Drager, chief engineer for the Defense Plant Corp., who was raised in Utah and later moved to Washington, D.C.
On Sept. 9, 1942, the Post Office moved into its new building. During the ceremonies, Postmistress Agnes Scow announced the U.S. Post Office Department would not allow the name of Drager. Its contention was that Drager was too similar to the name Draper, another Utah community, and would create confusion and delays in mail delivery. A selected group of citizens gathered in the school auditorium to discuss a new name from the proposals of Dragerville, Dragervale or Drager Town offered by the Post Office Department. Dragerton, a derivative of Drager Town, was selected.
In 1959, with the area near its peak population, the Carbon School District built a high school in the area. The school was placed on land within the Sunnyside city limits that bordered Dragerton. The land was donated by Kaiser Steel, a local mining company. In 1958, during an assembly at East Carbon Junior High School, a vote was taken to give the new high school a name and mascot. The name selected was East Carbon High School, and the mascot was a Viking. The school colors were blue, white and red.
When the town was incorporated in 1973 the name was officially changed to “East Carbon City,” matching the high school name.
In 2005, the high school was closed and demolished before the beginning of the new school year. Bruin Point Elementary School was built the following year and is the only school serving the area of East Carbon.