Editing Utah (section)

==History==
{{Main|History of Utah}}

===Pre-Columbian===
{{see also|Native Americans in Utah}}
[[File:California1838.jpg|thumb|Map showing Utah in 1838 when it was part of Mexico, ''Britannica'' 7th edition]]

Thousands of years before the arrival of Europeans, the [[Ancestral Puebloans]] and the [[Fremont culture|Fremont]] people lived in what is now known as Utah, some of which spoke languages of the [[Uto-Aztecan]] group. Ancestral Pueblo peoples built their homes through [[excavation (archaeology)|excavations]] in mountains, and the Fremont people built houses of straw before disappearing from the region around the 15th century.

Another group of Native Americans, the [[Navajo people|Navajo]], settled in the region around the 18th century. In the mid-18th century, other Uto-Aztecan tribes, including the [[Goshute]], the [[Southern Paiute|Paiute]], the [[Shoshone]], and the Ute people, also settled in the region. These five groups were present when the first European explorers arrived.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://historytogo.utah.gov/utah_chapters/american_indians/nativeamericansinutah.html|title=Native Americans in Utah|website=historytogo.utah.gov|access-date=July 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170625180359/http://historytogo.utah.gov/utah_chapters/american_indians/nativeamericansinutah.html|archive-date=June 25, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ilovehistory.utah.gov/people/first_peoples/tribes/|title=Utah's American Indians|website=ilovehistory.utah.gov|language=en|access-date=July 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170625190631/http://ilovehistory.utah.gov/people/first_peoples/tribes/|archive-date=June 25, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Spanish exploration (1540)===

{{Main|New Spain|The Californias#History|First Mexican Empire|Provisional Government of Mexico|First Mexican Republic|Centralist Republic of Mexico}}

The southern Utah region was explored by the Spanish in 1540, led by [[Francisco Vázquez de Coronado]] while looking for the legendary [[Seven Cities of Gold|Cíbola]]. A group led by two Catholic priests—sometimes called the [[Domínguez–Escalante expedition]]—left [[Santa Fe, New Mexico|Santa Fe]] in 1776, hoping to find a route to the coast of California. The expedition traveled as far north as [[Utah Lake]] and encountered the native residents. The Spanish made further explorations in the region but were not interested in colonizing the area because of its desert nature. In 1821, the year Mexico achieved its independence from Spain, the region became known as part of its territory of [[Alta California]].

European trappers and [[fur traders]] explored some areas of Utah in the early 19th century from Canada and the United States. The city of [[Provo, Utah]], was named for one [[Étienne Provost]], who visited the area in 1825. The city of [[Ogden, Utah]], was named after [[Peter Skene Ogden]], a Canadian explorer who traded furs in the Weber Valley.

In late 1824, [[Jim Bridger]] became the first known English-speaking person to sight the [[Great Salt Lake]]. Due to the high [[salinity]] of its waters, he thought he had found the Pacific Ocean; he subsequently learned this body of water was a giant [[salt lake]]. After the discovery of the lake, hundreds of American and Canadian traders and trappers established trading posts in the region. In the 1830s, thousands of migrants traveling from the Eastern United States to the American West began to make stops in the region of the Great Salt Lake, then known as Lake Youta.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Wheat |first=Carl I. |title=Mappig the American West 1540-1857 |url=https://www.americanantiquarian.org/node/11484 |journal=Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society |volume=64 |issue=1 |pages=110}}</ref>

===Latter Day Saint settlement (1847)===
{{Main|Mexican–American War|Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo|Mexican Cession}}

[[File:BrighamYoung1.jpg|thumb|upright|left|[[Brigham Young]] led the first [[Mormon pioneers]] to the Great Salt Lake.]]

Following the [[death of Joseph Smith]] in 1844, [[Brigham Young]], as president of the [[Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (LDS Church)|Quorum of the Twelve]], became the leader of the LDS Church in [[Nauvoo, Illinois]].<ref>[[Leonard J. Arrington]] and [[Davis Bitton]]: ''The Mormon Experience'', page 22. Vintage/Random House, 1979.</ref> To address the growing conflicts between his people and their neighbors, Young agreed with Illinois Governor [[Thomas Ford (politician)|Thomas Ford]] in October 1845 that the Mormons would leave by the following year.<ref>Richard N. Ostling and Joan K. Ostling: ''Mormon America'', page 38–39. HarperCollins, 2000.</ref>

Young and the first group of Mormon pioneers reached the [[Salt Lake Valley]] on July 24, 1847. Over the next 22 years, more than 70,000 pioneers crossed the plains and settled in Utah.<ref>William W. Slaughter and Michael Landon: ''Trail of Hope—The Story of the Mormon Trail''. [[Shadow Mountain Publishing|Shadow Mountain]], 1997.</ref> For the first few years, Brigham Young and the thousands of early settlers of Salt Lake City struggled to survive. The arid desert land was deemed desirable by the Mormons as a place where they could practice their religion without harassment.

Settlers buried thirty-six Native Americans in one grave after an outbreak of measles occurred during the winter of 1847.<ref name=Arave>{{cite news |last1=Arave |first1=Lynn |title=Tidbits of history — Unusual highlights of Salt Lake County |url=https://www.deseret.com/2007/1/5/19993469/tidbits-of-history-151-unusual-highlights-of-salt-lake-county#part-of-downtown-salt-lake-city-will-soon-be-redeveloped-by-the-lds-church-for-decades-the-salt-lake-temple-stood-out-as-the-areas-most-prominent-structure |access-date=May 6, 2020 |work=Deseret News |date=January 5, 2007}}</ref>

The first group of settlers brought three African slaves with them, making Utah the only place in the western United States to have African slavery.<ref>''Negro Slaves in Utah'' by Jack Beller, Utah Historical Quarterly, vol. 2, no. 4, 1929, pp. 124–126</ref> The three slaves, Green Flake, Hark Lay, and Oscar Crosby, came west with the first group of settlers in 1847.<ref>{{cite news |title=Slavery in Utah Involved Blacks, Whites, Indians, and Mexicans. |url=https://collections.lib.utah.edu/details?id=419212&q=Blacks+in+Utah+History+An+Unknown+Legacy |access-date=May 6, 2020 |work=The History Blazer |issue=April 1995 |publisher=Utah State Historical Society}}</ref>

Utah was a Mexican territory when the first pioneers arrived in 1847. Early in the [[Mexican–American War]] in late 1846, the United States had taken control of [[Capture of Santa Fe|New Mexico]] and California. The entire Southwest [[Mexican Cession|became U.S. territory]] upon the signing of the [[Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo]], February 2, 1848. The treaty was ratified by the [[United States Senate]] on March 11. Learning that California and New Mexico were applying for statehood, the settlers of the Utah area (originally having planned to petition for territorial status) applied for statehood with an ambitious plan for a [[State of Deseret]].

The Mormon settlements provided pioneers for other settlements in the West. Salt Lake City became the hub of a "far-flung commonwealth"<ref>Arrington and Bitton, p. 118</ref> of Mormon settlements. With new church converts coming from the East and around the world, Church leaders often assigned groups of church members as missionaries to establish other settlements throughout the West. They developed irrigation to support fairly large pioneer populations along Utah's Wasatch front (Salt Lake City, Bountiful and Weber Valley, and Provo and Utah Valley).<ref>[[William Clayton (Mormon)|William Clayton]], edited by George D. Smith: ''An Intimate Chronicle: The Journals of William Clayton'', p. 300. [[Signature Books]], 1991.</ref> Throughout the remainder of the 19th century, Mormon pioneers established hundreds of other settlements in Utah, [[Idaho]], [[Nevada]], [[Arizona]], [[Wyoming]], [[California]], [[Canada]], and [[Mexico]]—including in [[Las Vegas, Nevada]]; [[Franklin, Idaho]] (the first European settlement in Idaho); [[San Bernardino, California]]; [[Mesa, Arizona]]; [[Star Valley (Wyoming)|Star Valley, Wyoming]]; and [[Carson Valley, Nevada]].

Prominent settlements in Utah included [[St. George, Utah|St. George]], [[Logan, Utah|Logan]], and [[Manti, Utah|Manti]] (where settlers completed the LDS Church's first three [[Temple (LDS Church)|temples]] in Utah, each started after but finished many years before the larger and better-known temple built in Salt Lake City was completed in 1893), as well as Parowan, Cedar City, Bluff, Moab, Vernal, Fillmore (which served as the territorial capital between 1850 and 1856), Nephi, Levan, Spanish Fork, Springville, Provo Bench (now [[Orem]]), Pleasant Grove, American Fork, Lehi, Sandy, Murray, Jordan, Centerville, Farmington, Huntsville, Kaysville, Grantsville, Tooele, Roy, Brigham City, and many other smaller towns and settlements. Young had an expansionist view of the territory that he and the Mormon pioneers were settling, calling it Deseret—which according to the [[Book of Mormon]] was an ancient word for "honeybee". This is symbolized by the beehive on the Utah flag, and the state's motto, "Industry".<ref>Corporation of the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: "Church History in the Fullness of Times". 1989.</ref>

===Utah Territory (1850–1896)===

{{Main|Organic act#List of organic acts|Utah Territory|Admission to the Union|List of U.S. states by date of admission to the Union}}
[[File:Sketch of Salt Lake 1860.jpg|thumb|A sketch of Salt Lake City in 1860]]
[[File:Deseret Village.jpg|thumb|[[This Is the Place Heritage Park#Deseret Village|Deseret Village]] recreates Utah pioneer life for tourists.]]
[[File:East and West Shaking hands at the laying of last rail Union Pacific Railroad - Restoration.jpg|thumb|The [[Golden Spike]] where the [[First transcontinental railroad]] was completed in the U.S. on May 10, 1869, in [[Promontory, Utah]]]]

The Utah Territory was much smaller than the proposed state of Deseret, but it still contained all of the present states of Nevada and Utah as well as pieces of modern Wyoming and [[Colorado]].<ref>Michael S. Durham: ''Desert between the Mountains'', pages 162,163. University of Oklahoma Press, 1997.</ref> It was created with the [[Compromise of 1850]], and [[Fillmore, Utah|Fillmore]], named after President [[Millard Fillmore]], was designated the capital. The territory was given the name Utah after the Ute tribe of Native Americans. Salt Lake City replaced Fillmore as the territorial capital in 1856.

By 1850, there were around 100 black people in the territory, the majority of whom were slaves.<ref name=smith>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=idktzKdgb7YC|title=Dictionary of Afro-American Slavery|author=John David Smith|isbn=9780275957995|year=1997|publisher=Bloomsbury Academic }}</ref> In Salt Lake County, 26 slaves were counted.<ref name="Arave"/> In 1852, the territorial legislature passed the [[Act in Relation to Service]] and the [[Act for the relief of Indian Slaves and Prisoners]] formally legalizing slavery in the territory. Slavery was abolished in the territory during the Civil War.

In 1850, Salt Lake City sent out a force known as the [[Nauvoo Legion]] and engaged the [[Timpanogos]] in the [[Battle at Fort Utah]].<ref name=Farmer>{{cite book|last1=Farmer|first1=Jared|title=On Zion's Mount: Mormons, Indians, and the American Landscape|date=2008|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=9780674027671}}</ref>{{rp|71}}

Disputes between the Mormon inhabitants and the [[Government of the United States|U.S. government]] intensified due to the practice of [[plural marriage]], or [[polygamy]], among members of the LDS Church. The Mormons were still pushing for the establishment of a State of Deseret with the new borders of the Utah Territory. Most, if not all, of the members of the U.S. government opposed the polygamous practices of the Mormons.

Members of the LDS Church were viewed as un-American and rebellious when news of their polygamous practices spread. In 1857, particularly heinous accusations of abdication of government and general immorality were leveled by former associate justice William W. Drummond, among others. The detailed reports of life in Utah caused the administration of [[James Buchanan]] to send a secret military "expedition" to Utah. When the supposed rebellion should be quelled, [[Alfred Cumming (governor)|Alfred Cumming]] would take the place of Brigham Young as territorial governor. The resulting conflict is known as the [[Utah War]], nicknamed "Buchanan's Blunder" by the Mormon leaders.

In September 1857, about 120 American settlers of the Baker–Fancher wagon train, en route to California from Arkansas, were murdered by [[Utah Territorial Militia]] and some [[Southern Paiute|Paiute]] Native Americans in the [[Mountain Meadows massacre]].<ref>{{cite news |last= Ravitz |first= Jessica |url= http://www.sltrib.com/ci_6862682 |title= LDS Church Apologizes for Mountain Meadows Massacre |newspaper= The Salt Lake Tribune |date= September 11, 2007 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20141104171210/http://www.sltrib.com/ci_6862682 |archive-date= November 4, 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Before troops led by [[Albert Sidney Johnston]] entered the territory, Brigham Young ordered all residents of Salt Lake City to evacuate southward to [[Utah Valley]] and sent out the Nauvoo Legion to delay the government's advance. Although wagons and supplies were burned, eventually the troops arrived in 1858, and Young surrendered official control to Cumming, although most subsequent commentators claim that Young retained true power in the territory. A steady stream of governors appointed by the president quit the position, often citing the traditions of their supposed territorial government. By agreement with Young, Johnston established [[Camp Floyd]], {{convert|40|mi|km|-1}} away from Salt Lake City to the southwest.

Salt Lake City was the last link of the [[First Transcontinental Telegraph]], completed in October 1861. Brigham Young was among the first to send a message, along with [[Abraham Lincoln]] and other officials.

Because of the [[American Civil War]], federal troops were pulled out of Utah Territory in 1861. This was a boon to the local economy as the army sold everything in camp for pennies on the dollar before marching back east to join the war. The territory was then left in LDS hands until [[Patrick Edward Connor|Patrick E. Connor]] arrived with a regiment of California volunteers in 1862. Connor established [[Fort Douglas (Utah)|Fort Douglas]] just {{convert|3|mi|km}} east of Salt Lake City and encouraged his people to discover mineral deposits to bring more non-Mormons into the territory. Minerals were discovered in [[Tooele County, Utah|Tooele County]] and miners began to flock to the territory.

Beginning in 1865, [[Utah's Black Hawk War]] developed into the deadliest conflict in the territory's history. Chief [[Antonga Black Hawk]] died in 1870, but fights continued to break out until additional federal troops were sent in to suppress the [[Ghost Dance]] of 1872. The war is unique among [[Indian Wars]] because it was a three-way conflict, with mounted Timpanogos [[Ute Tribe|Utes]] led by Antonga Black Hawk fighting federal and LDS authorities.

On May 10, 1869, the [[First transcontinental railroad]] was completed at [[Promontory Summit]], north of the Great Salt Lake.<ref name="WDL">{{cite web |url = http://www.wdl.org/en/item/11371/ |title = Ceremony at "Wedding of the Rails", May 10, 1869 at Promontory Point, Utah |website = [[World Digital Library]] |date = May 10, 1869 |access-date = July 20, 2013 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131018052635/http://www.wdl.org/en/item/11371/ |archive-date = October 18, 2013 |url-status = live }}</ref> The railroad brought increasing numbers of people into the territory and several influential businesspeople made fortunes there.

During the 1870s and 1880s laws were passed to punish polygamists due, in part, to stories from Utah. Notably, [[Ann Eliza Young]]—tenth wife to divorce Brigham Young, women's advocate, national lecturer, and author of ''Wife No.{{nbsp}}19 or My Life of Bondage''—and Fanny Stenhouse, author of ''Tell It All: My Life in Mormonism'', testified to the happiness of the very early Church members before polygamy. They independently published their books in 1875. These books and the lectures of Ann Eliza Young have been credited with the United States Congress's passage of anti-polygamy laws by newspapers throughout the United States, as recorded in "The Ann Eliza Young Vindicator", a pamphlet which detailed Ms. Young's travels and warm reception throughout her lecture tour.

T. B. H. Stenhouse, former Utah Mormon polygamist, a Mormon missionary for thirteen years, and a Salt Lake City newspaper owner, finally left Utah and wrote ''The Rocky Mountain Saints''. His book gives a witnessed account of life in Utah, both the good and the bad. He finally left Utah and Mormonism after financial ruin occurred when Brigham Young sent Stenhouse to relocate to Ogden, Utah, according to Stenhouse, to take over his thriving pro-Mormon ''Salt Lake Telegraph'' newspaper. In addition to these testimonies, ''The Confessions of John D. Lee'', written by John D. Lee—alleged "Scapegoat" for the [[Mountain Meadow Massacre]]—also came out in 1877. The corroborative testimonies coming out of Utah from Mormons and former Mormons influenced Congress and the people of the United States.

In the [[1890 Manifesto]], the LDS Church banned polygamy. When Utah [[Utah Constitutional Convention of 1895|applied for statehood again]], it was accepted. One of the conditions for granting Utah statehood was that a ban on polygamy be written into the state constitution. This was a condition required of other western states that were admitted into the Union later. Statehood was officially granted on January 4, 1896.

===20th century to present===

[[File:Children reading 1940.jpg|thumb|Children reading in [[Santa Clara, Utah]], in 1940]]

Beginning in the early 20th century, with the establishment of such national parks as [[Bryce Canyon National Park]] and [[Zion National Park]], Utah became known for its natural beauty. Southern Utah became a popular filming spot for arid, rugged scenes featured in the popular mid-century western film genre. From such films, most US residents recognize such natural landmarks as [[Delicate Arch]] and "the Mittens" of [[Monument Valley]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mountainproject.com/v/monument-valley/105964237|title=Rock Climbing Monument Valley in Northern Arizona|website=Mountain Project|access-date=November 7, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151029035231/http://www.mountainproject.com/v/monument-valley/105964237|archive-date=October 29, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> During the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, with the construction of the [[Interstate highway]] system, accessibility to the southern scenic areas was made easier.

Since the establishment of [[Alta Ski Area]] in 1939 and the subsequent [[Development of Skiing in Utah|development of several ski resorts]] in the state's mountains, Utah's skiing has become world-renowned. The dry, powdery snow of the [[Wasatch Range]] is considered some of the best skiing in the world (the state license plate once claimed "the Greatest Snow on Earth").<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20090210021223/http://www.skinet.com/travel/2008-09/ski-magazines-top-30-resorts-2008-09 SKI Magazine's Top 30 Resorts for 2008–09]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/ski/2008-10-20-outside-best-ski-resorts_N.htm |title='Outside' magazine ranks the top ski resorts |website=USA Today |date=October 17, 2008 |access-date=July 31, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100526174205/http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/ski/2008-10-20-outside-best-ski-resorts_N.htm |archive-date=May 26, 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref> Salt Lake City won the bid for the [[2002 Winter Olympic Games]], and this served as a great boost to the economy. The ski resorts have increased in popularity, and many of the Olympic venues built along the [[Wasatch Front]] continue to be used for sporting events. Preparation for the Olympics spurred the development of the light-rail system in the [[Salt Lake Valley]], known as [[UTA TRAX|TRAX]], and the reconstruction of the freeway system around the city.

In 1957, Utah created the Utah State Parks Commission with four parks. Today, [[Utah State Parks]] manages 43 parks and several undeveloped areas totaling over {{convert|95000|acre|km2}} of land and more than {{convert|1000000|acre|km2}} of water. Utah's state parks are scattered throughout Utah, from [[Bear Lake State Park (Utah)|Bear Lake State Park]] at the Utah/Idaho border to [[Edge of the Cedars State Park]] Museum deep in the [[Four Corners]] region and everywhere in between. Utah State Parks is also home to the state's [[off highway vehicle]] office, state boating office, and the trails program.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://stateparks.utah.gov/about/|title=Official Utah State Parks website|publisher=Stateparks.utah.gov|access-date=November 7, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130407044150/http://www.stateparks.utah.gov/about|archive-date=April 7, 2013}}</ref>
[[File:Flag of the Utah Territory.svg|thumb|Flag of the Utah Territory]]
During the late 20th century, the state grew quickly. In the 1970s growth was phenomenal in the suburbs of the Wasatch Front. [[Sandy, Utah|Sandy]] was one of the fastest-growing cities in the country at that time. Today, many areas of Utah continue to see boom-time growth. Northern [[Davis County, Utah|Davis]], southern and western [[Salt Lake County, Utah|Salt Lake]], [[Summit County, Utah|Summit]], eastern [[Tooele County, Utah|Tooele]], [[Utah County, Utah|Utah]], [[Wasatch County, Utah|Wasatch]], and [[Washington County, Utah|Washington]] counties are all growing very quickly. Management of transportation and urbanization are major issues in politics, as development consumes agricultural land and wilderness areas and transportation is a major reason for poor [[air quality in Utah]].

On March 18, 2020, Utah [[2020 Salt Lake City earthquake|suffered a 5.7 magnitude earthquake]] originating {{cvt|3.7|mi|km}} northeast of Magna, near Salt Lake City.<ref name="ANSS">{{Cite anss|Magna|2020|https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/uu60363602/executive|access-date=March 18, 2020|mode=cs2}}</ref>

{{anchor|Geography}}