History of Salt Lake City

The capital city of Utah, USA, Salt Lake City is the most populated city of the state. Founded with the name Great Salt Lake City in 1847, it had a population of 180,651 in the year 2007. Brigham Young, a prophet who led the members of the Latter-day Saints known as Mormon pioneers, founded Salt Lake City. The Mormon pioneers who practiced polygamy, were persecuted by the US Government. It led to their migration from the Midwestern United States to Salt Lake City. The city has undergone many changes from the time it was established in 1847.

The History of Salt Lake City

Before the Mormon pioneers arrived in Salt Lake Valley, the Ute, Shoshone and Paiute tribes inhabited the region. Many explorers, though, had traversed the Utah region earlier, Jim Bridger was the first explorer from the USA to discover the Salt Lake area in 1825. When the Latter-day Saints arrived in the valley, the area surrounding the lake was still undisturbed and free of human intervention. The construction of the Salt Lake Temple was started under the directives of Brigham Young in 1853, which took 40 years for its completion. The construction of the Salt Lake Temple, an iconic building, was completed on 6th April, 1893.

The Utah War
The attempt to establish a new state, 'Deseret' was rebuffed by the US government and the state of Utah was formed in 1850. The federal government of USA was against the practice of polygamy that was followed by Mormon pioneers. Many other disputes between the government and the Latter-day Saints members finally culminated into the Utah War of 1857. The war lasted for about 3 months from the month of May through to July; it ended with the US army's march in the already evacuated city.

Mormons and Non-Mormons
With the completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad in 1869, the population of Salt Lake City increased a lot. With the increase in population, there was a rise in diversity too. Various ethnic groups settled in the city. A rift was created between those who supported the Mormons and the ones who opposed them. The Liberal Party which opposed the Mormons and the Mormon Church's People's Party were the political groups that dominated the politics of the region. The Edmunds Act of 1882, however, brought about a change in the region leading to the Mormon community and started the process of accommodating outsiders. The Edmunds Act was aimed at prohibiting the practice of polygamy. It was a moral victory for the federal government as well the non-Mormons. The Mormon Church's People's Party was dissolved followed by the dissolution of Liberal Party. Members of these two parties either entered the Democratic or the Republican party.

Salt Lake City has undergone a lot of changes after the 'liberalization' process as a result of Edmunds Act. The Great Depression affected the city to a great extent, but World War II brought a new lease of life for the city's war-related industries. Thereafter, the city has grown a lot in economic terms. Many different industries were established in Salt Lake City.

In spite of facing tremendous changes, conflicts and disputes, the city has retained its unique character. The fact that Salt Lake City has preserved its culture and not turned into a typical 'American' city, makes it special.