Woodruff was settled in 1875 by a group of Mormon pioneers led by Wilford Woodruff. I don't think they realized they were setting up shop in what is probably the coldest inhabitable place in Utah but they probably found out soon enough. In February 1899, Woodruff set the record low temperature for Utah at -50°F, a record that still stands. The town sees an average 57 frost-free days per year, which makes agricultural pursuits kinda hard but that's what most folks in Woodruff still do for a living.

Wilford Woodruff is credited with being one of the first professional fly fishermen in Utah.

The main road through Woodruff is State Route 16. State Route 39 goes west out of Woodruff and up into the Wasatch Mountains, leading past places like Powder Mountain Ski Area and Wolf Mountain Ski Resort to Huntsville but the road is closed by heavy snowfall from November into April every year.