The Great Salt Lake of Utah lends its name to Salt Lake City, the Utah capital which lies to the east. The city was settled on the Mexican-owned land in 1847 by a group of Mormons fleeing from persecution in the East. It is said that Brigham Young, President of the Church, led the contingent there after seeing the place in a vision and, upon arriving, proclaimed, "This is the right place." When Mexico ceded the land to the U.S. in 1848, the Mormons petitioned the government to create the vast state of Deseret (meaning "honeybee"), which would incorporate all of present day Utah and Nevada, as well as part of southern California. Congress rejected the petition and created the Utah Territory, installing Brigham Young as governor.

The U.S. Government was constantly at odds with the Mormon settlers over the issue of polygamy, and the issue came to a head in 1857, when President James Buchanan ordered Young to resign as governor. When Young refused, Buchanan responded by declaring the territory in a state of rebellion and sending in federal troops. The Utah War was fought until 1858, when Young finally surrendered the title of governor to federal appointee Alfred Cumming. Great Salt Lake City was named the new capital of the Utah Territory, and the arrival of the railroad ensured the city's rapid growth.