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.