The History of the Hawaiian Settlement of Iosepa Utah

Asian American History 101

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 17! This is the next installment in our series on ethnic enclaves that have disappeared. Today we’re here to talk about The History of the Hawaiian Settlement of Iosepa, Utah. It was predominantly Hawaiian, but there were others from the Pacific Islands as well. Established in 1889 in Skull Valley, Utah, it was a place where Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders were able to gather in a safer, more supportive place that still kept them relatively close to Salt Lake City, Utah and the center of the Church of Latter Day Saints.

It’s hard to imagine going from the weather in Hawaii to the much harsher conditions of Skull Valley (especially in the summers and winters), but they did it… and they even thrived there for a time, growing the community from 46 to quite a few more. In this episode we share the challenges and triumphs of a community, and what eventually happened to them. To learn more about the area, you can check out the Iosepa Historical Association which is made of supporters and descendants of the original community.

In our recurring segment, we share what we’re reading. For Ted it was the award-winning book Troublemaker by John Cho. For Gen it was the award-winning book Jade City, part of the Green Bone Saga by Fonda Lee. Hear our thoughts on these two novels!

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Segments

• 00:25 Reflecting on WonderCon and Ted in California
• 04:08 The History of the Hawaiian Settlement of Iosepa Utah
• 20:20 Reading Troublemaker and Jade City