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History of Utah

Utah, situated in the Western United States, was first inhabited by the Mormon settlers. The Mormon Settlement first established in the area when a band of Mormon pioneers arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847. Over 70,000 Mormon pioneers crossed the plains and nestled in Utah over the next 22 years, and eventually, Salt Lake City became the haven of a “far-flung commonwealth” of Mormon settlements. Mormons regarded the barren desert land of Utah as a place where they could peacefully practice their religion without any sort of disturbance. The main Mormon settlements established on Utah’s Wasatch front included the Salt Lake City, Weber Valley, Provo, and Utah Valley. Other main settlements established by the Mormon pioneers called by Brigham Young included Manti, St. George, Logan, Cedar City, Parowan, Fillmore, Jordan, Murray, Grantsville, Brigham City, etc.

However, when the Mormons first arrived in the area, Utah was already a developed Mexican territory. As per the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, signed on February 2, 1848, soon after the Mexican-American War, the land was made a territory of the United States. This treaty was endorsed by the US Senate on March 10, 1848. The Utah Territory was officially established in 1850, with the ‘Compromise of 1850’. Fillmore was declared its capital in the same year and was replaced by the Salt Lake City in 1856. The most significant event in the state’s history was the ‘Utah War’, which resulted from the disputes between the US Government and the Mormon inhabitants over the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' practice of polygamy. In the Mountain Meadows Massacre in 1857, over 120 Arkansas immigrants were killed by Mormon settlers in southern Utah.

The American Civil War forced the federal troops to move out of the Utah Territory. Utah continued to be in hands of LDS until Patrick E. Connor invaded the territory with a regiment of California volunteers in 1862. Utah’s Black Hawk War, which began in 1865, was the deadliest conflict in the history of the territory. The Ghost dance of 1872 was finally suppressed by the federal troops. Other two major events that took place in Utah in the 19th century included the completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad at Promontory Summit on May 10, 1869; and the proscription of polygamy by the LDS Church in 1890. Utah was finally added to the Union on January 4, 1896. With the establishment of the Bryce Canyon National Park, Zion National Park, and numerous ski resorts in the 20th century, Utah became a popular tourist destination in the country. Known for its picturesque landscape and scenic natural beauty, Utah developed rapidly during the late 20th century.