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A Brief Description Ancient peoples lived in the caves and mountains here for eons, many along the shores of Lake Bonneville. Remnants of the massive lake now comprise the (salty) Great Salt Lake and the (freshwater) Utah Lake.
Utah is named after the Ute Indians, and that tribe, as well as the Goshute, Navajo, Paiute, and Shoshone hunted, fished and farmed this prolific land long before the first Europeans ventured in.
In the late 18th century the Dominguez -Escalante expedition (two Franciscan priests) from Santa Fe, New Mexico, passed through, looking for a new route to California. By the early 1800's, mountainmen (trappers) had explored most of this land and were trading with the wide-eyed, but suspicious local Indians.
Following Mexico's successful War of Independence from Spain in 1821, the Utah region came under Mexican control, Regardless, Jedediah Smith, one of the great explorers of the day, discovered routes through the rugged mountains that allowed thousands of pioneers to travel west to California by wagon train.
John C. Fremont, another famed explorer of the time, continually researched and mapped this land. In 1846, Brigham Young and other Mormon leaders brought their people west, arriving in the Salt Lake Valley in 1847, thus changing the face and history of Utah forever.
During the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), both America and Mexico fought for control of Texas. When that war ended, (by agreement) the fast-growing U.S. took possession of Texas, and eventually California, Nevada, smaller parts of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming, and of course, Utah.
The Mormons responded by forming their own government and proposed the State of Deseret in 1849. The U.S. Congress did not admit Deseret to the Union, but rather created the Utah Territory in 1850.
Typical in the American West, Native Americans were being squeezed out of their long-held lands and they fought back aggressively. Hundreds of settlers and Ute Indians were killed, and the fighting continued until 1868 when the Indians were moved to reservations.
The Mormons worked hard to succeed, and their population increased; needed supplies arrived from the east by overland freight; the Pony Express brought both mail and news; the telegraph brought instant communication, and then came the railroad.
There was one nagging problem as the Mormon's attitude on polygamy did not sit well in America; polygamists were arrested; church leaders went into hiding; the government seized their property, and Utah was denied statehood until polygamy ended in 1890.
Moving toward statehood the Mormons ended their business monopolies; political parties were established; a constitutional convention was held in 1895, and on January 4, 1896, Utah became the 45th state.
The state grew quickly and when other ethnic groups moved in to work the cattle ranches, farms and mines, the percentage of Mormon population started to decline. Copper mining began in 1906 and floods of immigrants changed the state's demographics even more; new cities emerged; electricity and telephones spread across the land, and new highways and roads were built.
In the 1930's, America's Great Depression severely affected Utah, and unemployment was widespread. World War II jumped-started the economy, as war-related industries brought new jobs and prosperity.
Aggressive growth continued well into the late 20th century, especially in the high tech sector. When announced in 1996 that Salt Lake City would host the 2002 Winter Olympics, the construction and hospitality industries boomed; Utah was now firmly located on the map of the world, and the world took note.
In this place of stunning, almost unbelievable topography, it's no surprise that tourism is a major economic factor. From its world-class ski resorts, national parks and monuments, and family recreational areas, Utah is today one of the most impressive convention and vacation destinations on the planet.
Learn much more about Utah here!
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Famous Natives UTAH FAMOUS NATIVES - here! Fast Facts UTAH FAST FACTS - here! Flag and Symbols UTAH FLAG AND SYMBOLS - here! Landforms UTAH LANDFORMS - here! Land Statistics UTAH LAND STATISTICS - here! Latitude and Longitude UTAH LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE - here! Links UTAH LINKS - here! Maps UTAH MAPS - (a large selection) here! Time TIME IN UTAH - here! Timeline of History UTAH TIMELINE - here! Travel Information UTAH TRAVEL - here! Weather UTAH WEATHER - here!  
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