Bluff was the first white settlement in San Juan County and its first county seat. It was founded on April 6, 1880, by the San Juan Mission, called by the L.D.S. Church to establish friendly relations with the Indians. After mission scouts found good farmland there in 1879, settlement was chosen at this location. Late in October, 250 colonists from several southwestern Utah communities began migrating by the Hole-in-the-Rock shortcut across the Colorado River, but the route proved almost impassable, and after nearly six months of strenuous effort the exhausted company reached the site. The turbulent river remained uncontrollable, and for 40 years hostile Indians and various white renegades threatened life and property, yet despite hardship and personal sacrifice, the missionaries remained steadfast until released by the church, making the San Juan Mission an unexcelled example of the highest type of pioneer endeavor.