Bluff is on US-163 midway between Mexican Hat and Blanding. The town was established on April 6, 1880, by the Hole-in-the-Rock expedition of the Mormon Church's San Juan Mission. William Hutchings of Beaver originally named the town Bluff City in reference to the prominent bluffs along the San Juan River. The word "City" was dropped to avoid confusion with Iowa's Council Bluffs, which was occasionally referred to as Bluff City. Bluff City was the first Anglo-Saxon settlement in San Juan County. Life was difficult during the early years, when it was half-humorously suggested that the town itself was one big bluff.

John W. Van Cott