Salt Lake City, Utah

GLO Record of the Week for December 20, 2020

This week's Record of the Week brings us to the capital of Utah, Salt Lake City!

Below is a survey plat for Township 1 North, Range 1 West of the Salt Lake Principal Meridian. Salt Lake City can be seen in the southeast corner of the plat.

Survey Plat

Southeast Corner of the Township

As you could probably guess from the name of the meridian and the township and range numbers on the record above, the origin point for the Salt Lake meridian is within Salt Lake City. Specifically, the point sits at the southeast corner of Temple Square (Temple Block on the plat). The corner rests on Temple Square because the history of Salt Lake City is closely tied to that of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Mormon Founders

Salt Lake City was founded on July 24, 1847 by a group of Mormon pioneers led by Brigham Young. After the 1844 assassination of Joseph Smith, the founder of the church, Young was chosen leader of the Mormons and continued as president until his death in 1877.

Brigham Young

To escape further religious persecution, Young led a group of Mormons on a pilgrimage from Illinois to Utah, ultimately settling in the Salt Lake Valley. The Mormons were the first non-native group to settle there permanently.

To the right, an image of Salt Lake City in 1853.

Growth and Development of the City

Young ultimately directed the migration of 16,000 Mormons from Illinois to Utah. He also set up the Perpetual Emigrating Fund Company, which during the years 1852-1877 assisted approximately 80,000 converts to migrate to Utah from Great Britain, Scandinavia, and continental Europe.

Immigrants of various national origins brought their cultures, languages, and skills to the valley, building Salt Lake City into a cosmopolitan center.

The centerpiece of the city is the Salt Lake Temple. Construction on the temple began in 1853, but the capstone of this magnificent structure was not put into place until 1892. 

Pictured Left, The Salt Lake Temple

Into the 20th Century

Salt Lake City continues to grow larger and larger. It began to assume its present character in the early 1900s when the state capitol and many other historic buildings were constructed. Electric trolleys were installed as the primary public transportation until they were gradually replaced by buses in the 1930s. Eagle Gate, which marked the entrance to Brigham Young's estate, was reconstructed to allow traffic flow. City parks were established, sewer systems were built, streetlights were installed, and the streets were paved. Between 1900-1930, the city's population nearly tripled.

Olympic Cauldron Park in Salt Lake City

2002 Olympic Winter Games

In February 2002, Salt Lake City hosted the Winter Olympics. It was the largest city to ever host the winter games. Many venues are still in place and are available for public viewing. The 2002 Winter Olympics were the last Olympic games to be hosted in the United States. The next will be the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California.

We hope you enjoyed learning about Salt Lake City, Utah. Feel free to explore the city in the map below that features an overlay of our record.

Survey Plat

Southeast Corner of the Township

Olympic Cauldron Park in Salt Lake City

Brigham Young