Howell lies in a valley that stretches south to the Great Salt Lake and north to what is now Interstate 84, roughly the area known to locals as Blue Creek. Nomadic Shoshone Indians used the area to travel between the Great Salt Lake and areas to the north. Charles Crocker, a California developer and business man oversaw development of the transcontinental railroad, which passed through Promontory, Utah, about 10 miles south of Howell. The Golden Spike was driven near Promontory (at Lampo) in 1869. Crocker formed the Promontory Land and Livestock Company in this time period, which had land holdings that stretched from the Great Salt Lake north to Idaho, and west to Nevada. The area was used for cattle ranching, with headquarters in Promontory, Howell, and the Dilly Ranch. The company disbanded in 1909. In 1909 the newly created Promontory-Curlew Land Company purchased the Promontory Land and Livestock Company's Utah and Idaho land holdings. Howell is named after Utah Congressman Joseph Howell who was involved with the Promontory-Curlew Land Company. In 1910 Nephi Nessen purchased 1,000 acres from the Promontory-Curlew Land Company, and established the first private and permanent residence in Howell. Nessen was born in Logan Utah in 1867, the son of DenmarkDanish immigrants and converts to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who crossed the plains from the east as part of a Handcart company. Other settler families included Baxter, Cravens, Gunnell, Bailey, Carlsen, Douglas, Fonnesbeck, Rock, Wood, Allen, Barber, and Maughn. The Bar M Ranch was headquartered near what is now the town center. A school was opened in 1910 in a Bar M Ranch building. In 1911 a new permanent school was opened. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howell%2C_Utah