Salt Lake City History

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.

Polygamy remained an issue of considerable controversy in the area until 1890, when the Church of Latter Day Saints renounced it in their Manifesto. With the Mormons now on board, Utah was admitted to the Union in 1896 and Salt Lake City (the "Great" had been dropped some time in the previous decades) became the state capital.

Salt Lake City is a grand example of a planned city, meticulously designed and laid out by its Mormon founders. The center of the city's original design was Temple Square, a ten-acre complex that houses the Salt Lake Temple and Tabernacle, as well as the Salt Lake Assembly Hall. To the east is the snowcapped Wasatch Mountain Range, known for its many ski resorts. In fact, it was the area's excellent skiing conditions that earned Salt Lake City the honor of hosting the 2002 Winter Olympics.