Salt Lake City, Utah – Legends of America
Okay, so picture this: Salt Lake City, Utah. It’s not just the state capital; it’s also the biggest city in Utah and the heart of Salt Lake County (which, by the way, is the most populated county in the whole state). Think of it as the cool kid on the block in the Salt Lake City Metropolitan Area, boasting over a million residents as of 2020.
Now, geographically, Salt Lake City’s got it going on. It’s nestled in the northeast corner of the Salt Lake Valley, hugged by the Great Salt Lake to the northwest, the towering Wasatch Range to the east, and the rugged Oquirrh Mountains to the west. Spanning over 110 square miles, it sits at a comfy 4,327 feet above sea level. The Jordan River meanders through the city, acting as a drainage for Utah Lake before emptying into the Great Salt Lake.
How it All Began: A Pioneer Story
Fast forward to July 24, 1847. This is when Salt Lake City was officially founded by Mormon pioneers, led by none other than Brigham Young. These folks were looking for a place where they could live their lives and practice their religion without being hassled, after facing persecution further east.
Before the Settlers: A Native American Legacy
But wait, there’s more to the story! Long before any Europeans showed up, Utah was home to various Native American groups. The Ancient Pueblo people (aka the Anasazi) were building impressive communities in Southern Utah way back from 1 AD to 1300 AD. Later on, the Navajo Indians moved into the area.
Even closer to the Mormon settlement, the Shoshone, Ute, and Paiute tribes had been chilling in the Salt Lake Valley for thousands of years. Fun fact: the state of Utah actually gets its name from the Ute tribe. The first Europeans to even glimpse the area were part of the Dominguez-Escalante Expedition in 1776, but they only made it as far north as Utah Valley (near Provo), which is about 60 miles south of Salt Lake City.
Then came Jim Bridger in 1824, becoming the first U.S. visitor to lay eyes on the Salt Lake area. And let’s not forget John C. Fremont, a U.S. Army officer who mapped out the Great Salt Lake and the Salt Lake Valley in the 1840s.
Oh, and a year before the Mormon pioneers arrived, the ill-fated Donner Party trekked through the Great Salt Lake Valley. They spent weeks battling tough terrain and thick brush, carving a road through the Wasatch Mountains and finally making it into the Salt Lake Valley through Emigration Canyon in August 1846.
The Mormon Arrival and Vision
After Joseph Smith’s death, Brigham Young took charge and led the Mormons westward. The first group of Mormon pioneers followed the same route as the Donner Party, arriving on July 24, 1847. Talk about a caravan! This group included 143 men, three women, two kids, 70 wagons, a boat, a cannon, 93 horses, 52 mules, 66 oxen, and 19 cows. Their mission? To create their own self-governing religious community.
Upon reaching the Salt Lake Valley, Brigham Young had his "aha!" moment, declaring, "It is enough. This is the right place. Drive on." Orson Pratt and Erastus Snow were the first to enter the valley, finding it completely empty of other settlements.
The Mormons were actually venturing outside U.S. borders into Mexican Territory, seeking a secluded spot to practice their religion without interference. They founded Great Salt Lake City, becoming the first people of European descent to settle permanently in what we now know as Utah.
Building a City from Scratch
On day one, the pioneers got to work, tilling the soil and planting crops. Within days, they were sketching out plans for Great Salt Lake City, named after the iconic salty lake.
Just four days after arriving, Brigham Young picked the spot for the Salt Lake Temple (though it would take years to build). The city’s layout was based on a grid pattern with ten-acre blocks, separated by wide streets – perfect for a team of oxen and a covered wagon to turn around. They also started building an irrigation system to keep everyone fed and watered.
Now, at the time, the valley was part of the Northwestern Shoshone territory, who had seasonal camps there. The U.S. considered the land public, and the Shoshone never officially gave up their claim to the land through a treaty.
A Troubled Start
The first settlers brought African slaves with them, making Utah the only place in the western United States to have African slavery. Three slaves, Green Flake, Hark Lay, and Oscar Crosby, came west with the first group of settlers in 1847. The settlers also began to purchase Indian slaves in the well-established Indian slave trade, as well as enslaving Indian prisoners of war.
The winter of 1847 was rough, with a measles outbreak wiping out many of the local Shoshone. Settlers buried 36 Native Americans in a single grave.
Early Governance and Growth
Initially, Brigham Young governed the territory and church through a High Council, which created the first city rules in 1848. Later, this was replaced by a city council and mayor. Pioneers worked out a communal crop-sharing system, storing everything in warehouses throughout the Salt Lake Valley.
That year, more immigrants arrived, and thousands more would follow in the coming years. Many of these pioneers were European converts to the church, bringing their culture, languages, and skills, helping to build Salt Lake City into a diverse hub.
Becoming Part of the U.S.
In 1848, a treaty ceded Mexico to the United States. The pioneers then formed the State of Deseret and asked for recognition in 1849. The California Gold Rush brought tons of people through the city, making Salt Lake a key trading spot for travelers heading west. They traded goods from the East for fresh supplies from local farmers, bringing prosperity to the area (though agriculture remained the main industry).
In 1850, the State of Deseret officially became Utah property and part of the United States. However, Congress initially rejected the settlers’ request for recognition. A few months later, on January 6, 1851, the city was formally organized as "The City of the Great Salt Lake."
Fillmore and the Territorial Capital
In 1851, Utah Governor Brigham Young chose Fillmore as the capital of Utah Territory, as it was located near the territory’s geographic center. Construction on the capitol building began in 1852.
That same year, the Utah territorial legislature passed two acts formally legalizing slavery in the territory.
The following year, construction began on the Salt Lake Temple in Temple Square, which would take 40 years to finish. The region was considered a possible route for the transcontinental railroad. However, Captain John W. Gunnison, who was surveying the area, was killed by Ute Indians in October 1853.
Conflicts and Change
After numerous conflicts between the surveyor and the territorial government, the first surveyor general left his post in 1857. His successors suggested that no more land be surveyed.
At that time, the Mormon practice of polygamy gained national attention. President James Buchanan responded by sending an army of 2,500 soldiers to investigate the LDS Church and install a non-LDS governor to replace Brigham Young. Brigham Young refused to step down as governor, President Buchanan declared the area in rebellion. In response, Brigham Young imposed martial law, sending the Utah militia to harass the soldiers in a conflict called the Utah War. The people of Great Salt Lake City joined a general movement southward.
When a division of the United States Army marched through Salt Lake City, they found it had been evacuated. "George “Beefsteak” Harrison, a cook with Johnston’s army, said that Salt Lake was still as a cemetery when they marched in. He saw only two people: a man riding a sorrel mule and an old lady who peeped out of a window blind at the troops."
Young eventually surrendered to federal control when the new territorial governor arrived in Salt Lake City on April 12, 1858. Most troops pulled out at the beginning of the Civil War.
Following the Utah War, lawlessness ensued when the army’s camp followers settled in the city. Gradually, a lucrative trade grew between the city and Camp Floyd, but the soldiery was always resented.
Pony Express and Telegraph
Great Salt Lake City became a Pony Express stop in 1860, connecting the city to Sacramento, California, and St. Joseph, Missouri.
In 1861, Brigham Young sent the first eastbound message to Cleveland, Ohio, after completing the Pacific Telegraph line to Great Salt Lake City.
Civil War and Railroads
During the Civil War, more troops arrived under Colonel Patrick Edward Connor in 1862 to secure the road to California. They settled in the Fort Douglas area east of the city. Connor, who was anti-LDS, viewed the people with disdain, calling them "a community of traitors, murderers, fanatics, and whores." He worked with non-LDS businesses and bank owners to dilute their influence and encouraged mining.
In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln authorized the construction of a transcontinental railroad, which the Union Pacific and Central Pacific Railroad companies launched the following year.
In July 1862, Colonel P.E. Connor and his regiment were sent to the Utah Territory to protect overland routes and address concerns of a Mormon uprising. Efforts by Brigham Young to remove federal troops failed. In 1863, rumors circulated that Connor’s soldiers might capture Young. A telescope was placed on the Beehive House to monitor Camp Douglas, and Young’s militia often gathered for protection. Some of Connor’s troops also discovered valuable gold and silver in the Wasatch Mountains that year.
Ute Black Hawk War
The Ute Black Hawk War, Utah’s last major Indian conflict, broke out in 1865. More than 50 Mormon settlers were slain, and immense quantities of livestock were lost, while many of the southern settlements for a time were abandoned. The Ute finally quieted, most of the tribe not having participated in the war, and mainly were settled on a reservation in the Uintah Basin.
The End of "Great" and the Transcontinental Railroad
In 1868, the word "Great" was dropped from the city’s name. Around the same time, Brigham Young founded Zion’s Cooperative Mercantile Institution (ZCMI) to reduce dependency on outside goods. By then, the transcontinental railroad was gaining momentum.
On May 10, 1869, the transcontinental railroad was completed at Promontory Summit, about 80 miles northwest of Salt Lake City. Brigham Young began the construction of the Utah Central Railroad, connecting Salt Lake City with Ogden.
Polygamy and Social Changes
By 1870, Salt Lake had been linked to the Utah Central Rail Road. People began to pour into Salt Lake, seeking opportunities in mining and other industries. Ethnic Chinese established a flourishing Chinatown in Salt Lake City nicknamed "Plum Alley," which housed around 1,800 Chinese during the early 20th century.
The struggle over polygamy intensified after 1870. A pivotal debate between Reverend J.P. Newman and Mormon leader Orson Pratt in the Tabernacle drew significant national attention, highlighting a growing intolerance for polygamy.
Brigham Young died in Salt Lake City on August 29, 1877. His death occurred just as political battles, initiated in 1870 by the formation of a non-Mormon Liberal Party, took on more heat. However, the Liberals could not carry the city until 1890, when the "manifesto" disavowing polygamy in the Church ended the warfare in the city and Territory over that issue.
By the 1870s, Commercial Street in downtown Salt Lake City was the center of the red-light district. At its height, the district employed approximately 300 courtesans.
The Edmunds Act and the End of Polygamy
The Edmunds Act of 1882 and the Edmunds-Tucker Act of 1887 significantly impacted the LDS Church by targeting polygamy. Many prominent LDS Church members were denied the right to vote or hold office. Polygamists were detained in a Federal prison just outside Salt Lake City.
In September 1890, Wilford Woodruff, the new president, published in the Deseret News a manifesto advising all members of the Church to abstain from polygamy.
Statehood and the 20th Century
The church began its eventual abandonment of polygamy in 1890, releasing “The Manifesto,” which officially suggested members obey the law of the land. This paved the way for statehood in 1896, when Salt Lake City became the capital.
On January 4, 1896, President Cleveland proclaimed Utah the 45th State of the Union, and Salt Lake City became the state capital. That year, Utah became the third state to extend the right to vote to women.
Salt Lake began to assume its present character in the early 1900s when the state capitol and many other historic buildings were constructed.
The city adopted a nonpartisan city council in 1911. As LDS/non-LDS tensions eased, people began to work together for the common good, improving roads, utilities, and public healthcare.
The Great Depression brought construction to a standstill. At its peak, the unemployment rate reached 61,500 people, about 36%.
Salt Lake’s economy was boosted during World War II due to the influx of defense industries to the Wasatch Front.
Modern Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City was selected in 1995 to host the 2002 Winter Olympics. Despite the controversies, the games were heralded as a financial success.
Light rail transit returned to the city when UTA’s TRAX opened in 1999.
In the early 2010s, the LDS Church purchased the Crossroads and ZCMI malls and rebuilt them into the City Creek Center.
On July 24, 2024, the International Olympic Committee formally chose Salt Lake City to host the 2034 Olympic Winter Games.
Two major cross-country freeways, I-15 and I-80, now intersect in the city. The city also has a belt route, I-215.