UTAH - When discussing the origins of the Beehive State, history points directly to the arrival of the Mormon pioneers in the Salt Lake Valley. Salt Lake City, founded on July 24, 1847, is officially recognized as the oldest city in Utah and the first major permanent settlement in the Great Basin.
The Founding: July 24, 1847
The founding of Salt Lake City is one of the most well-documented events in Western history.
- "This is the Right Place": On July 24, 1847, Brigham Young, the leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, entered the valley. Looking out over the arid landscape, he famously declared it the place where his people would seek refuge and religious freedom.
- Immediate Action: Unlike typical boomtowns that grew chaotically, Salt Lake City was planned with military precision from day one. Within days of arrival, the pioneers had diverted water from City Creek for irrigation, planted crops, and begun laying out the city grid based on the "Plat of Zion."
Indigenous Roots
Long before the wagons rolled into the valley, the region was the domain of the Ute, Shoshone, and Goshute peoples. The name "Utah" itself is derived from the Ute tribe, meaning "people of the mountains." The Salt Lake Valley served as a neutral buffer zone and hunting ground for these tribes. The arrival of the pioneers permanently altered the ecological balance and displaced these indigenous groups, leading to conflicts like the Walker War in the 1850s.
A Technical Distinction: The Ogden Claim
While Salt Lake City is the oldest city founded by the Mormon pioneers, there is a strong historical argument that Ogden is technically the oldest continuous settlement of European origin.
- Fort Buenaventura (1846): A year before Brigham Young arrived, a trapper named Miles Goodyear established a trading post called Fort Buenaventura on the Weber River (in present-day Ogden). It was the first permanent Anglo settlement in the Great Basin.
- The Buyout: In November 1847, the Mormon settlers purchased the fort and the surrounding claim from Goodyear. While the physical structure of the fort predates Salt Lake City, the actual city of Ogden was not formally laid out and incorporated until 1851, slightly after Salt Lake City.
Salt Lake City is the oldest city in Utah, founded on July 24, 1847, by Brigham Young and Mormon pioneers seeking religious refuge. It was the first planned community in the region. However, the area of Ogden holds a claim to being the earliest settlement due to Miles Goodyear's Fort Buenaventura, established in 1846. Salt Lake City also holds the distinction of being the first to legally incorporate in January 1851.
Sources
- Utah Division of State History. "Salt Lake City: History."
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. "Pioneer History."
- Ogden City. "History of Ogden."
- Utah American Indian Digital Archive. "Tribal Histories."
- Encyclopedia of the Great Plains. "Salt Lake City."