The settlement is located near the Deep Creek Mountains. The site was originally established in 1859 by Mormon missionaries sent to teach the local Native Americans farming methods. A Pony Express station operated here in 1860 and 1861, and the town was on an early alignment of the Lincoln Highway. A post office operated here from 1883 to 1980. Ibapah is currently inhabited mostly by Goshute people, with scattered farmlands and a trading post belonging to more recent settlers. The community is the headquarters of the Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation, a federally recognized tribe.
Originally named Deep Creek for a creek of the same name in the area, the name was later changed to Ibapah, an anglicized form of the Goshute word Ai-bim-pa or Ai'bĭm-pa which means "White Clay Water".[3][4]
The town is isolated and is usually reached by going out of Utah into Nevada and back into Utah.
Climate
The climate is typical of that of a high elevation Great Basin location, being semi-arid and featuring, in consequence, large differences in temperature between day and night.
Climate data for Ibapah, Utah, 1991–2020 normals, 1903–2020 extremes: 5279ft (1609m)