Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City was founded on July 24 1847 by 148 Mormons, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Led by Brigham Young they had gone into what was then wilderness in search of utopia where they could practice their religion free from the persecution that they had suffered in Illinois. When Young saw this valley close to the Great Salt Lake he said “This is the right place”. More Mormons followed and they soon began planning their city, then known as Great Salt Lake City. In 1850 the US set up the Utah Territory and the city became capital in 1855. Utah became a state in 1896 with Salt Lake City continuing as its capital.
Mormon Assembly Hall
The Salt Lake Temple is built on a 4 hectare (10 acre) plot known as Temple Square. Another building on Temple Square is the Assembly Hall, which is where Mormons go for their regular Sunday worship dressed in simple white clothing. Unlike the Temple, the Assembly Hall is open to the public and the Sunday services are open to all. In addition to holding regular services there, the meeting house is used for meetings and community events. Inside it is laid out much like a church, and it boasts a 3500 pipe organ.
Salt Lake Temple
In July 1847 Brigham Young determined the location of the first Mormon Temple in the new city. Construction of the Temple began in 1853. Built from locally quarried granite blocks it is 64 metres (210 feet) high and took 40 years to complete. Atop the central spire is a statue of the Mormon Angel Moroni covered in gold leaf. Mormon Temples are used for religious instruction and ceremonies rather than Sunday worship. They are not open to the public, but the the official web site of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints says that the Salt Lake Temple is divided into 170 rooms making the interior very different from that of a church or cathedral.
Utah State Capitol
Brigham Young wanted to create the US State of Deseret and in anticipation of statehood he planned for the capital to be at Fillmore. There he commenced construction of a building that was intended to become the State Capitol. The US Government did not grant statehood but instead set up the Utah Territory. Fillmore did not develop as expected, so from 1855 the government of the Territory met at various locations in Salt Lake City. When Utah eventually became a state in 1896 economic depression meant that it had to wait until 1912 before it could complete its State Capitol. Built in the style of the US Capitol in Washington DC the dome is 87 metres (286 feet) high and covered with Utah copper.
DLU051031
Click on Minimap to navigate
To move forwards or backwards through the Utah trail click the arrows above, or select your next destination on the Minimap.
View from the steps of the State Capitol
Salt Lake City is in a valley with the Wasatch Montains to the east, the Oquirrh Mountains to the west and the Great Salt Lake to the north. In many cities the lack of a visible horizon makes it difficult to get any real sense of their scale. The mountains each side of Salt Lake City provide such a sense of scale and as a result you have the impression that the city is more compact than indicated by the sprawl shown on a map. In this picture taken from the steps of the State Capitol, the Wasatch Mountains rise above the city suburbs.
© Mike Elsden 1981 - 2025
The contents of this page may not be reproduced in full or in part without permission
