UTAH, ū′tä or ū′ta̤ (named from the Ute or Utah tribe of Indians). A Western State of the United States, called by the Mormon settlers Deseret, a word taken from the Book of Mormon and signifying ‘Industry.’ It lies between latitudes 37° and 42° north, and longitudes 109° 4′ and 114° 4′ west, and is bounded on the north by Idaho and Wyoming, on the east by Colorado, on the south by Arizona, and on the west by Nevada. Its shape is that of a rectangle 345 miles long from north to south, and 270 miles wide. The rectangle is indented in the northeast by a corner of Wyoming, but all the boundaries of the State are formed by lines of latitude and longitude. The State has an area of 84,970 square miles, including 2780 square miles of water. It ranks eighth in size among the States.
Topography. Utah is divided into two parts by the Wasatch Range, which enters it near the middle of the northern boundary and runs southward, gradually curving toward the southwestern corner. The range forms the eastern boundary of the Great Basin, to which the western part of the State belongs. The Wasatch is a lofty and rigged mountain mass broken by deep and picturesque gorges, and reaching at several points an elevation of over 12,000 feet. It sends out a number of spurs to the east, and along the northeastern boundary runs a cross range known as the Uintah Mountains, the loftiest range in the State, with four peaks over 13,000 feet high, among which is Gilbert Peak, the highest point in Utah, with an altitude of 13,687 feet. The eastern half of the State is a plateau with an average elevation of 6000 to 8000 feet. It is broken by a number of isolated mountain groups, such as the Henry, Abajo, and La Sal Mountains, from 11,000 to over 13,000 feet in altitude, and cut by the deep cañons of the Colorado and its branches. Western Utah consists of the level basin-floor lying at a nearly uniform altitude of 5000 feet, from which a number of short, parallel, north and south ranges rise from 2000 to 3000 feet above the intervening valleys.
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| COPYRIGHT, 1891 AND 1902, BY DODD, MEAD & COMPANY. |
AREA AND POPULATION OF UTAH BY COUNTIES.
| County | Map Index. |
County Seat. | Area in square miles. |
Population. | |
| 1890. | 1900. | ||||
| Beaver | A 2 | Beaver | 2,580 | 3,340 | 3,613 |
| Boxelder | A 1 | Brigham | 5,436 | 7,642 | 10,009 |
| Cache | A 1 | Logan | 1,181 | 15,509 | 18,139 |
| Carbon | B 2 | Price | 1,596 | ..... | 5,004 |
| Davis | A 1 | Farmington | 285 | 6,751 | 7,996 |
| Emery | B 2 | Castledale | 4,336 | 5,076 | 4,657 |
| Garfield | A 3 | Panguitch | 5,103 | 2,457 | 3,400 |
| Grand | C 2 | Moab | 3,759 | 541 | 1,149 |
| Iron | A 3 | Parowan | 3,284 | 2,683 | 3,546 |
| Juab | A 2 | Nephi | 3,300 | 5,582 | 10,082 |
| Kane | A 3 | Kanab | 4,368 | 1,685 | 1,811 |
| Millard | A 2 | Fillmore | 6,664 | 4,033 | 5,678 |
| Morgan | A 1 | Morgan | 599 | 1,780 | 2,045 |
| Pinte | A 2 | Junction | 744 | 2,842 | 1,954 |
| Rich | A 1 | Randolph | 1,050 | 1,527 | 1,946 |
| Salt Lake | A 1 | Salt Lake City | 768 | 58,457 | 77,725 |
| San Juan | B 3 | Monticello | 8,025 | 365 | 1,023 |
| Sanpete | B 2 | Manti | 1,561 | 13,146 | 16,313 |
| Sevier | B 2 | Richfield | 1,880 | 6,199 | 8,451 |
| Summit | B 1 | Coalville | 1,937 | 7,733 | 9,439 |
| Tooele | A 1 | Tooele | 6,901 | 3,700 | 7,361 |
| Uinta | C 2 | Vernal | 5,190 | 2,762 | 6,458 |
| Utah | B 1 | Provo City | 2,123 | 23,768 | 32,456 |
| Wasatch | B 1 | Heber | 4,147 | 3,595 | 4,736 |
| Washington | A 3 | Saint George | 2,457 | 4,009 | 4,612 |
| Wayne | B 2 | Loa | 2,372 | ..... | 1,907 |
| Weber | A 1 | Ogden | 544 | 22,723 | 25,239 |
Hydrography. Eastern Utah is drained wholly by the Colorado and its main headstream, the Green River. They receive from the slopes of the Wasatch and Uintah Ranges a large number of small streams, but these soon unite into a few branches which, together with the main river, flow in deep cañons far below the plateau floor. The extreme northwestern corner of the State sends its waters to the Snake River, but the entire remaining portion belongs to two of the closed drainage systems of the Great Basin, that of Sevier Lake, which receives the Sevier River, and that of the Great Salt Lake. The latter, the most prominent natural feature in the State, lies in its northwestern portion, and has a length of 80 miles and a width of from 18 to 48 miles. It receives from the south the outflow of Utah Lake through the Jordan River, and from the north that of Bear Lake through the Bear River.
Climate. The climate is of the continental type, with sudden changes and great extremes in summer and winter, although the valleys, being well sheltered, have generally a mild and pleasant climate. The mean temperature for January is 27.9° at Salt Lake City, 24.1° at Snowville in the extreme north, and 35.8° at Saint George in the extreme southwest. For July the mean is 75.5° at Salt Lake City, 69.5° at Snowville, and 83.1° at Saint George. The lowest temperature ever observed at any of the regular stations is 34° below zero, and the highest 115°. The snowfall is light, but in the mountains the winters are very severe, and the summits are capped with perpetual snow. The rainfall throughout the State is insufficient for the needs of agriculture, and irrigation is everywhere necessary. The average precipitation for the State is 12 inches. The greatest amount falls in the north central portion, the average precipitation at Salt Lake City being 16.2 inches. Elsewhere it is less than 10 inches, falling to 6 inches in the southwest.
Soil and Vegetation. The soil of the valleys, where it docs not hold injurious amounts of alkaline deposits, usually contains the elements of fertility, which render it very productive when irrigated. It is at best a sedimentary loam composed of sand and clay, but in some places it is rocky or gravelly. Where not irrigated by artificial canals or natural watercourses the country is arid and treeless, covered with sagebrush on the plains, though the higher slopes are grassy. To the southwest of the Great Salt Lake lies the wide, arid plain known as the Great Salt Lake, or Great American, Desert. For details of the flora and for fauna, see paragraphs under Rocky Mountains.
Geology and Minerals. The surface formations of the State are somewhat complicated and irregular in their outcrops. Ancient crystalline rocks appear as the core of the Uintah Mountains in the northeast. They are flanked by narrow outcrops of Jurassic and Cretaceous strata, south of which there is a broad area of Eocene formation. The great plateau forming the southeastern quarter of the State is almost wholly of Jurassic and Cretaceous age. The Wasatch Mountains present in their northern half a narrow ridge of Carboniferous rocks protruding through the Cretaceous and Tertiary strata, but their southern half is formed mainly of great masses of igneous rocks. The isolated ranges of western Utah are of Carboniferous and older Paleozoic formation, yet the basin-floor surrounding them is overlaid by sediment from Lake Bonneville (q.v.) , a Pleistocene lake whose remnants still remain in the Great Salt and Sevier lakes. The mineral wealth of Utah includes extensive coal deposits on the eastern slope of the Wasatch and ledges of iron ore in the southwest. Gold is found chiefly in the Oquirrh Range south of the Great Salt Lake, while silver occurs in considerable quantities in connection with the lead and copper ores which are abundant in many of the mountain ranges. Other important minerals found in the State are manganese, deposited in the Triassic sandstone of the eastern plateau, gypsum, rock salt and borax, sulphur, pumice, and asphaltum.
Mining. In 1901 the commercial value of the silver mined was $6,456,480—a decided gain over any preceding year. About two-thirds of this was obtained from lead ores, and the largest part of the remainder from copper ores. The value of the gold produced in 1901 was $3,090,200, which was also much larger than the output for any year excepting 1900. The gold is obtained from quartz mines. The production of lead for 1901, 49,870 short tons, was the largest output reached in any year, and over twice that for 1894. The State ranks third in this production. The output of coal has increased continuously in amount since 1890, being 1,322,614 short tons in 1901, or over three times the yield for the former year. From Carbon County is obtained 95 per cent. of the total product. The production of copper fluctuated about a low figure prior to 1898, in which year the output amounted to only 3,750,000 pounds. But there was a rapid increase following that year, the output in 1901 being 20,116,979 pounds. Increasing quantities are obtained from low-grade ores. The State ranks fifth in copper-mining. Salt is manufactured at Salt Lake, the yield in 1901 being 334,484 barrels, valued at $326,016. Limestone and sandstone, brick and tile, and Portland cement are products of some value.
Agriculture and Stock-Raising. Agriculture is the chief occupation. Utah was the first of the Rocky Mountain States to develop this industry, its success was dependent almost wholly upon irrigation, and it was the first State to demonstrate the possibilities of the irrigation system in the United States. The system has developed under conditions here not found elsewhere, and with much more satisfactory results to those who share its advantages. The planning and control of the system by the Mormon authorities made harmonious cooperation possible, and an economic distribution of the water without disputes over rights to its use. The land was divided into areas convenient for cultivation by a single household, so that there was a remarkable uniformity in the size of irrigated farms, and their average size was much less than for any other State. With the recent occupation of extensive unimproved areas, however, the average size of farms for the State has greatly increased. The average in 1860 was 30.2 acres, in 1880, 69.3 acres, and in 1900, 212.4 acres. The total farm area in 1900 (4,116,951 acres) was over three times that in 1890, and the improved area in 1900 (1,032,117 acres) was nearly twice that in 1890. In general, the northern counties have the largest farms. In 1900, 91.2 per cent. of the farms were owned by their operators.
The western half of the State belongs to the Great Basin, and nearly 90 per cent. of the irrigated land is within this basin. Salt Lake Valley in the north central part of the State contains a large part of the irrigated area. Almost the entire water supply is drawn from streams. Wells afford a very small amount. In 1899 there were 629,293 acres irrigated. Of the 686,374 acres of crops in that year, 537,588 acres were irrigated. Hay is the crop most extensively grown and also the most valuable crop, alfalfa being the principal variety. In 1899, 86.9 per cent. of the alfalfa was irrigated. Wheat and oats are the most widely grown cereals and both made large gains between 1890 and 1900. Of the area in oats 93 per cent. was irrigated, but only 57.4 per cent. of that in wheat. Much attention is given to vegetables, particularly potatoes and sugar-beets. The entire acreage of the latter and 94 per cent. of the former were irrigated. Prior to 1890 little attention was given to orchard fruits, but the conditions are favorable to them, and between 1890 and 1900 there was a great increase in every variety of fruit trees. In the latter year there were 715,778 apple trees, amounting to 40.1 per cent. of the total number of orchard trees. Weber and other northwest counties have the largest number of trees. Probably no State in the Union has a larger average yield per acre for all crops than has Utah.
The following table shows the acreage of the principal crops for the census years indicated:
| 1900 | 1890 | |
| Hay and forage | 388,043 | ......... |
| Wheat | 189,235 | 84,505 |
| Oats | 43,394 | 22,747 |
| Corn | 11,517 | 5,782 |
| Barley | 8,644 | 6,440 |
| Potatoes | 10,433 | ......... |
| Sugar beets | 7,546 | ......... |
The plateau region in the eastern half of the State and the valleys of the central region afford sufficient pasturage to support a considerable grazing industry. Every decade since 1850 shows an increase in the number of dairy cows and other cattle, horses, and sheep. Sheep-grazing seems to be assuming the most prominent place. The value of the wool product in 1899 was $2,599,638. The average weight of the fleece increased from 5.0 pounds in 1890 to 6.4 pounds in 1900. The following table shows the number of domestic animals on farms and ranges. In 1890 there were 78,047 head of cattle, 22,243 horses, and 922,730 sheep on ranges which are not included in this table.
| ANIMALS | 1900 | 1890 |
| Dairy cows | 65,905 | 45,982 |
| Other cattle | 277,785 | 154,284 |
| Horses | 115,884 | 65,057 |
| Mules and asses | 3,004 | 1,554 |
| Sheep | 2,553,134 | 1,014,176 |
| Swine | 65,732 | 27,046 |
Manufactures. This industry is confined principally to production for the local market. However, there has latterly been a decided growth in the industry, the value of products (including custom work and repairing) having increased from $8,911,047 in 1890 to $21,156,183 in 1900. In the latter year there were 6615 persons engaged in the industry, and the capital invested was $14,650,948. The most important branch is the smelting and refining of lead ore. The flour and grist mill products in 1900 were valued at $1,829,840, the beet-sugar products at $1,037,355, and the butter and cheese at $713,889. Salt, malt liquors, and boots and shoes are other products of some importance. The value of products of railroad construction and repair shops in 1900 was estimated at $1,306,591. A large number of the industries are centred in Salt Lake City, the value of products for that place in 1900 being $6,109,409.
Transportation and Communication. The Union Pacific was the first railway to enter Utah, and since its advent in 1869 the development of the State has been very rapid. The total railway mileage in 1876 was 500; in 1894, 1347; and in 1902, 1875. The most important railway lines are the Rio Grande Western and the Oregon Short Line, extending north and south through the central part of the State, and the Union Pacific, passing through the northern portion. There are no navigable streams.
Banks. The history of banking in Utah is very uneventful. Private bankers became active toward 1860, and from 1860 to 1870 some banks were organized under the Territorial law. The first national bank was established in 1872 with Brigham Young as its president. Like all the economic activities of the Mormons, the banks were controlled by the Church authorities, and the high development of mutual confidence which characterizes the members of this faith has saved the banks from crises. Even during the hard times of 1893 the banks of Utah all remained solvent. State banks are more numerous and do a much larger business than the national banks. Savings banks have existed since 1873.
The condition of the banks in 1902 is shown in the following table:
| National banks |
State banks | |
| Number | 12 | 29 |
| Capital | $1,680,000 | $2,780,000 |
| Surplus | 430,000 | 5,851,000 |
| Cash, etc. | 1,303,000 | 4,220,000 |
| Deposits | 8,188,000 | 26,513,000 |
| Loans | 4,356,000 | 23,805,000 |
Government. The Constitution of Utah was adopted by a vote of the people in 1895. An amendment may be proposed in either House, and upon receiving the approval of two-thirds of the members elected to each House, it is submitted to the people, and if a majority of the electors voting thereon approve, it becomes a part of the Constitution. In a similar manner a constitutional convention may be called, but the changes proposed by the convention must be submitted to the people for approval. The suffrage and also the right to hold office are granted to women as well as men. Voters must he citizens twenty-one years of age and have resided in the State one year, in the county four months, and in the precinct sixty days. The Constitution admits of laws requiring of voters a property qualification in order to vote special taxes or create indebtedness. All general elections, except for municipal and school officers, are held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Utah sends one member to the National House of Representatives. The capital is Salt Lake City.
Legislative. The Legislature meets in biennial sessions, limited to sixty days, except in cases of impeachment. Members receive not more than $4 per day, and mileage limited to ten cents a mile. Representatives are elected for two years and Senators for four years. The latter can never exceed thirty in number, and the former must never be less than twice nor more than three times the number of Senators. The Lower House impeaches and the Senate tries all cases of impeachment.
Executive. The Governor, Secretary, Auditor, Treasurer, Attorney-General, and Superintendent of Public Instruction are elected for four years. The Secretary of State and president pro tempore are in the line of succession to the Governorship in ease of vacancy, and serve until a new Governor can be elected at the next general election. The pardoning power, unless otherwise provided for by law, rests with a board consisting of the Governor, justices of the Supreme Court, and the Attorney-General. The Governor may call extra sessions of the Legislature, and exercises a veto which may be overruled by a two-thirds vote of the members elected to each House.
Judicial. The Supreme Court consists of three elected judges, but after 1905 the number may be increased to five, who shall serve six years. The State is divided into seven judicial districts (subject to change), in each of which from one to three district judges are elected for four years. Other courts inferior to the Supreme Court may be established by law.
Local Government. The Legislature provides a uniform system of county government. Precinct and township organization, the incorporation, organization, and classification of cities and towns are established by general laws.
Finances. The finances are in a satisfactory condition. At the time of admission into the Union the State assumed the small debt of the Territory, amounting to $700,000, and additional bonds to the amount of $200,000 were issued. The debt remained at the same level, but the 5 per cent. bonds were refunded by 3½ per cent. and 3¼ per cent. obligations. The income of the State is derived mainly from a general property tax and sale of public lands. In 1902 the total receipts were $1,409,256, of which the property tax supplied 65 per cent. and the sale of public lands 27 per cent. The expenditures were $1,349,654, of which almost 50 per cent. were for school purposes. The cash in the treasury on January 1, 1903, was $565,259, more than half being in the school fund.
Militia. In 1900 there were 53.755 men of militia age. The organized militia, in 1901, numbered 526 men.
Population. The population by decades has been as follows: 1850, 11,380; 1860, 40,273; 1870, 86,786; 1880, 143,963; 1890, 207,905; 1900, 276,749. In 1900 the State ranked forty-third among the States of the Union. There were 3.4 inhabitants per square mile. The population is largely limited to the irrigated or mining districts. In 1900 there were 141,687 males and 135,062 females. The foreign born numbered 53,777; Indians, 2623; negroes, 672; Chinese, 572; and Japanese, 417. The English, Danes, and Swedes are the most numerous of the Europeans. Salt Lake City, the capital and largest city, had 53,531 inhabitants in 1900; Ogden, 16,313; Provo City, 6185; and Logan, 5451.
Religion. Utah is the centre of Mormonism. About three-fourths of its population is allied with the Mormon Church. (See Mormons.) In recent years many other denominations have entered the State, of which the Catholics and Methodists are numerically the strongest.
Education. The present public school system was introduced in 1890, superseding in large part the many sectarian institutions then in existence. The control of the public schools is in the hands of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, elected for four years, and a board of education. The expenditures for school purposes in 1902 aggregated nearly $1,460,000. In the census year 1900 the population of school age numbered 106,513, of which 64,925, or about 60 per cent., were in attendance. The illiterates at that date formed 3.1 per cent, of the population ten years of age and over. The report of the State Superintendent for 1902 showed a school attendance of 76,466. The leading institutions are the University of Utah (q.v.), at Salt Lake City; Brigham Young College, at Logan; and the Agricultural College of Utah, also at Logan. A State normal college is maintained in connection with the State University, and there is a branch normal school at Cedar City.
Charitable and Penal Institutions. There is an insane asylum at Provo City. A reform school is located at Ogden, and a penitentiary at Salt Lake City.
History. The first white explorers of Utah were Spaniards, sent by Coronado (q.v.), who reached the Colorado River in 1540. Two Franciscan friars seeking a direct route to the Pacific went from Santa Fe to Utah Lake in 1776. In the winter of 1824-25, James Bridger, a trapper, seeking to determine the course of the Bear River, discovered the Great Salt Lake. Other trappers followed in 1825-26, and established posts in the region. Later immigrants to Oregon and California passed through without halting. The real history begins when the Mormons (q.v.), despairing of peace in Missouri or Illinois, determined in 1846 to move west. The Mexican War was then in progress, and in June, 1846, while the emigrants were encamped at the site of Council Bluffs, Iowa, a Mormon battalion was raised for the conquest of California, which then included the whole southwestern part of the United States. The march of the Mormon people was slow and painful. On July 21, 1847, the advance guard reached the present site of Salt Lake City. Other bands rapidly followed, and by 1852 they numbered 15,000. The United States did not obtain possession of the territory until the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, in 1848, and did not immediately provide for its government. At first the Church officers were the rulers, but with the coming of non-Mormons in 1849 the State of Deseret was organized, a constitution adopted, and a delegate sent to the United States Congress asking admission. Congress refused to admit the State, but organized the Territory of Utah (September 9, 1850), with boundaries much more extended than at present, and Brigham Young (q.v.) was appointed Governor. He soon quarreled with the other Territorial officers sent out, and the General Assembly adopted the laws of the State of Deseret. In 1854 and again in 1856 admission to the Union was sought. There was constant wrangling, owing partly to the fact that many officers sent out were incompetent and partly because the authorities of the Church were determined to rule at any cost. In 1857 it was determined that Young should be superseded as Governor, and for this purpose it was considered necessary to make a display of military strength, as Young had defied the authority of the United States. A force under General Harney (afterwards succeeded by Colonel Albert Sidney Johnston) started from Fort Leavenworth. Though there was no fighting of consequence, the Mormons, by burning supply trains, disabling and stampeding teams, setting fire to the grass, etc., prevented the entrance of the troops into Salt Lake City until June, 1858. They found the city deserted and ready to be set on fire if necessary. For some years troops were kept in garrison here, but the attention of the general Government was occupied with the Civil War, and little was accomplished, though an act designed to break up polygamy was passed in 1862. Meanwhile the Perpetual Emigration Fund had been organized in 1849 and thousands of proselytes were brought from Europe. The incoming of non-Mormons was viewed with disfavor. See Mountain Meadows Massacre.
After the Civil War, the opening of the transcontinental railroad in 1869 brought more ‘gentiles,’ and further efforts to enforce the laws were made by some officers, but with little success. The Mormon grand juries refused to indict and the other juries to convict. The death of Young in 1877 apparently made no difference in the condition of affairs. It was finally decided that the only way to break the power of the Church was to deprive its members of political power. The Edmunds Bill in 1882 disfranchised all polygamists, and abolished most of the offices in the Territory. Control was given to a commission of five men. Within two years 12,000 were disfranchised and the indignation was so great that troops were sent in 1885 in fear of an uprising. Continued agitation for Statehood brought no result, and meanwhile, after it had been held constitutional that juries might consist entirely of non-Mormons, prominent officials were convicted and sent to the penitentiary. A more stringent act was passed in 1887, the corporation of the Mormon Church, and the Perpetual Emigration Fund were abolished, and their property escheated. By 1890 468 men had been convicted of polygamy, and President Woodruff of the Mormon Church issued a manifesto declaring that the Church no longer countenanced polygamy, and his action was approved by a General Conference of the Church. This was followed in 1891 by the formation of political parties, on national lines, and in 1893 amnesty was declared to all offenders who could show that they had not broken the law since 1890. Congress passed an enabling act for Statehood in 1894, a constitution was formed on March 6, 1895, was adopted in November, and the State was admitted January 4, 1896. The Constitution forbids polygamy and allows woman's suffrage. Since admission it has been claimed that the people are going back to their old practices, and in 1900 Brigham H. Roberts was not allowed to take his seat in the United States House of Representatives, because of a charge of polygamy.
The State has voted in but two Presidential elections. The silver question was the sole issue in 1896, and the vote was cast for the Democratic Silver candidate. In 1900 by a small majority Republican electors were chosen.
| Governors of Utah | ||
| STATE OF DESERET | ||
| Brigham Young | 1849-51 | |
| TERRITORY OF UTAH | ||
| Brigham Young | 1851-57 | |
| Alfred Cumming | 1857-61 | |
| John W. Dawson | 1861 | |
| Frank Fuller (acting) | 1861-62 | |
| Stephen S. Harding | 1862-63 | |
| James Duane Doty | 1863-65 | |
| Charles Durkee | 1865-69 | |
| Edwin Higgins (acting) | 1869-70 | |
| S. A. Mann (acting) | 1870 | |
| J. Wilson Shaffer | 1870 | |
| Vernon H. Vaughan (acting) | 1870-71 | |
| George L. Woods | 1870-74 | |
| S. B. Axtell | 1874-75 | |
| George B. Emery | 1875-80 | |
| Eli H. Murray | 1880-86 | |
| Caleb W. West | 1886-89 | |
| Arthur L. Thomas | 1889-93 | |
| Caleb W. West | 1893-96 | |
| OF THE STATE | ||
| Heber M. Wells | Republican | 1896— |
Consult: Nichols, Mineral Resources of Utah (Pittsburg, 1873); Bancroft, History of the Pacific States (San Francisco, 1889); Jones, Utah (New York, 1902); and the works named in the bibliography under the article Mormons.