Utah
Contents
|
|
|
|
|
State flag
|
UTAH,
one of the Mountain states of the U.S., bounded on the N by
Idaho, on the NE by Wyoming, on the E by Colorado, on the S by Arizona, and on the W by Nevada.
Utah entered the Union on Jan. 4, 1896, as the 45th state.
From the time of its early settlement until the mid-20th century,
Utah was known primarily for its agricultural and mining industries.
By the early 1990s, however, the state had developed a notably diversified
economy, with a wide range of manufactured products. Tourism has
also become a major element of the economy, and increasing numbers
of visitors are attracted by the state’s great scenic wonders.
Utah is named for the Ute Indians of the region. Its nickname is the
Beehive State.
| UTAH STATE FACTS |
| DATE OF STATEHOOD: |
January 4, 1896; 45th state |
| CAPITAL: |
Salt Lake City |
| MOTTO: |
Industry |
| NICKNAME: |
Beehive
State |
| STATE SONG: |
“Utah, We Love Thee” (words and music by Evan Stephens) |
| STATE TREE: |
Blue spruce |
| STATE FLOWER: |
Sego lily |
| STATE BIRD: |
Sea gull |
| POPULATION (2000 census): |
2,233,169; 34th among the states |
| AREA: |
219,902 sq km (84,904 sq mi); 13th largest state; includes 7086 sq km (2736 sq mi) of inland water |
| HIGHEST POINT: |
Kings Peak, 4123 m (13,528 ft) |
| LOWEST POINT: |
610 m (2000 ft), along Beaverdam Creek |
| ELECTORAL VOTES: |
5 |
| U.S. CONGRESS: |
2 senators; 3 representatives |
| GOVERNOR: |
Michael O. Leavitt (Rep.) Took office January 1993 |
Utah, with an area of 219,902 sq km (84,904 sq mi), is the
13th largest state in the U.S.; 60% of the land area is
owned by the federal government. The state is in the shape of a
rectangle lacking its upper right-hand corner; its extreme dimensions
are about 555 km (about 345 mi) from N to S and about 445 km (about
275 mi) from E to W. Elevations range from 610 m (2000 ft) along
Beaverdam Creek in the extreme SW to 4123 m (13,528 ft) atop Kings
Peak in the Uinta Mts. of the NE. The approximate mean elevation
is 1859 m (6100 ft).
The lofty mountain ranges that extend into Utah from the N and
E are a part of the larger Rocky Mts. region. The Wasatch Range
extends in a N-S direction and lies to the E of Great Salt Lake.
It is formed of a giant block of the earth’s crust thrust
upward above the desert floor. The other major range, the Uinta
Mts., is aligned in an E-W direction. Its landscape, which contains
spectacular vistas, was largely created by the action of ancient
glaciers. The Uintas have numerous clear lakes and swift-flowing
streams. To the S, the Colorado Plateau, an immense upland region,
stretches across about half the state. A rugged and largely desolate
area, it contains many scenic gorges that have been carved by rivers
in the plateau’s soft sedimentary rocks. Notable among
these are Bryce, Zion, and Gray canyons. The W third of the state
is occupied by the Great Basin, which is enclosed here by mountains
on the W, N, and E. It is an arid region of extensive flatlands
interspersed with small mountain ranges. These flatlands were once
the beds of large lakes and as a result now contain significant
salt deposits.
Most of E Utah drains to the Colorado R. Its two major
tributaries in
the state are the Green R., which has its headstreams in the Uinta
Mts., and the San Juan R. in the SE, which carries a large load
of silt. A small area in N Utah drains N to the Snake R. in Idaho.
The Great Basin, in the W, is an area of internal drainage; that
is, its waters do not reach the sea. Many streams rise in the Wasatch
Range and flow W into the Great Basin. These streams are the life-blood
of the state’s heavily populated heartland. Other streams,
such as the Sevier R., rise and end within the Great Basin. The
state’s two largest natural lakes, Great Salt Lake and
Utah Lake, are remnants of a much larger body of water, the ancient
Lake Bonneville, which at one time occupied much of Utah’s
Great Basin. The levels of these lakes rise and fall as the climate
fluctuates between wet and dry periods. Great Salt Lake, unlike
Utah Lake, is not drained by any river and is a saltwater lake.
Utah’s largest artificial lake is Lake Powell formed on
the Colorado R. and some of its tributaries.
Because of latitude and elevation, temperatures in Utah are
extreme. Except in the higher mountain regions, summer temperatures
are high in the day but relatively low at night. Winters in most
areas, except the SW, are cold; the average annual temperature varies
from 0° C (32° F) in the Uinta Mts. of the NE
to 16.1° C (61° F) in the SW. The recorded temperature
has ranged from –56.1° C (–69° F)
in 1985 to 47.2° C (117° F), also in 1985. The
average length of the growing season is only 90 to 180 days in most
of the state, and freezing temperatures may occur during ten months
of the year.
Most of the state is dry; the overall average annual precipitation
is only 305 mm (12 in). Annual precipitation ranges from a low of
127 mm (5 in) in the Great Salt Lake Desert to more than 1016 mm
(more than 40 in) in the Wasatch Mts. Winter precipitation is mostly
in the form of cyclonic storms that originate over the Pacific Ocean;
they bring large amounts of rain and snow to the S and W slopes
of the mountains but leave the leeward slopes and valleys relatively
dry. Winter snows in Utah are particularly heavy in the Wasatch
Mts. Most rain in summer occurs as local thunderstorms, which drop
large quantities of rain on small areas, often creating flash floods.
| UTAH AVERAGE CLIMATE |
| |
Salt Lake City |
Milford |
| Average January temperature range |
–7.2° to 3.3° C |
19° to 38° F |
–10.6° to 3.3° C |
13° to 38° F |
| Average July temperature range |
16.1° to 33.9° C |
61° to 93° F |
13.3° to 33.9° C |
56° to 93° F |
| Average annual temperature |
10.6° C |
51° F |
9.4° C |
49° F |
| Average annual precipitation |
381 mm |
15 in |
203 mm |
8 in |
| Average annual snowfall |
1473 mm |
58 in |
1143 mm |
45 in |
| Mean number of days per year with appreciable precipitation |
87 |
64 |
| Average daily relative humidity |
44% |
38% |
| Mean number of clear days per year |
129 |
153 |
Because of its varied topography and climate, Utah has
a wide range
of plant and animal life. Botanists have recognized more than 4000
species of plants growing in the state. In the arid SW part of the
state are found the creosote bush, mesquite, yucca, and a variety
of cacti. The characteristic plant of much of the Great Basin is
sagebrush, which grows on fertile, alkali-free soil. Where salts
have collected in the soil, sage-brush gives way to various forms
of greasewood and saltbush. About 28% of Utah is forested,
although only about one-fifth of this land has commercial value.
Most of the forestland is in the mountains and plateaus of the N and E
part of the state, but no county is without forested land.
Piñon pines and junipers predominate on the lower slopes and give way
to fir, spruce, pine, and aspen at higher elevations.
Wildlife is abundant in Utah’s varied environments.
Mule deer, which live principally in forested areas, are the most
numerous of the larger mammals. Also found in the forests are antelope,
elk, bighorn sheep, and black bear. Near mountain streams are found
a diversity of furbearing animals such as weasel, muskrat, beaver,
badger, skunk, marten, and fox; these are preyed on by mountain
lion, bobcat, lynx, and coyote. Smaller animals such as rabbit,
prairie dog, and various lizards and snakes live in the desert.
Large numbers of migrating birds frequent the state. Ducks are the
most numerous game birds, and sea gulls, herons, and pelicans inhabit
the vicinity of Great Salt Lake. Trout, whitefish, bullhead, catfish, and bass are found in the state’s streams and lakes.
Coal, copper, gold, silver, lead, and zinc have
traditionally
been important mineral products of Utah. Today, petroleum, coal, and
copper are the most important minerals exploited in the state.
Coal deposits are found in the Colorado Plateau, and tar sands and
oil shale may eventually become important. A major drawback in the
exploitation of Utah’s mineral resources, however, has
been the inaccessibility of much of its reserves.
According to the 2000 census, Utah had 2,233,169
inhabitants,
an increase of 29.6% over 1990. The average population
density in 2000 was 27.2 people per sq mi of land area. The major
area of population concentration was in the N part of the state.
Whites made up 89.2% of the population and blacks 0.8%. Additional
population groups included 29,684 American Indians, mostly members
of the Navajo, Ute, Gosiute, or Shoshoni groups; 37,108 Asians; and
15,145 Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders. (These figures
do not include the 2.1% of the population who reported
more than one race.) A total of 201,559 persons, or 9.0%,
reported being of Hispanic background. The state’s largest
cities were Salt Lake City, the capital; West Valley City; Provo;
Sandy; and Orem.
According to the 1990 census, about 69% of the people
of Utah were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, with headquarters in Salt Lake City. Other religious groups
included Roman Catholics (6%), Methodists (1.2%),
Lutherans (1.2%), and Presbyterians (1%). In 1990
about 87% of all people in Utah lived in areas defined
as urban, and the rest dwelled in rural areas.
| POPULATION OF UTAH SINCE 1850 |
| Year of Census |
Population |
Classified As Urban |
| 1850 |
11,000 |
0% |
| 1860 |
40,000 |
21% |
| 1880 |
144,000 |
23% |
| 1900 |
277,000 |
38% |
| 1920 |
449,000 |
48% |
| 1940 |
550,000 |
56% |
| 1960 |
891,000 |
75% |
| 1970 |
1,059,000 |
80% |
| 1980 |
1,461,000 |
84% |
| 1990 |
1,722,850 |
87% |
| 2000 |
2,233,169 |
-- |
| POPULATION OF TEN LARGEST CITIES IN UTAH |
| |
2000 Census |
1990 Census |
| Salt Lake City |
181,743 |
159,963 |
| West Valley City |
108,896 |
86,976 |
| Provo |
105,166 |
86,835 |
| Sandy |
88,418 |
75,058 |
| Orem |
84,324 |
67,561 |
| Ogden |
77,226 |
63,909 |
| West Jordan |
68,336 |
42,892 |
| Layton |
58,474 |
41,784 |
| Taylorsville |
57,439 |
52,351 |
| St. George |
49,663 |
28,572 |
Utah has a comprehensive statewide educational system. Most
of the state’s cultural facilities are in Salt Lake City.
The first school in Utah was established by Mormon immigrants
in Salt Lake Valley in 1847. The modern educational system dates
from an act of the 1895 legislative assembly, which empowered city
councils to establish, support, and regulate common schools. In
the late 1980s Utah had 718 public elementary and secondary schools
with a combined enrollment of about 322,900 elementary pupils and
114,600 secondary students. About 10,900 students attended private
schools. In the same period Utah had 14 institutions of higher education
with a combined enrollment of about 114,800 students. Among the
most notable of these schools were the University of Utah, Utah
Technical College at Salt Lake City (1948), and Westminster College
(1875), all in Salt Lake City; Brigham Young University (1875) and
Utah Technical College at Provo (1941), in Provo; Utah State University
(1888), in Logan; Weber State College (1889), in Ogden; and Southern
Utah State College (1897), in Cedar City.
As the center of cultural activities in Utah, Salt Lake City
is the home of the Utah Symphony Orchestra, the Utah Opera Company,
Ballet West, Hansen Planetarium, Hogle Zoological Garden, and the
International Peace Gardens. Among the museums located in the city
are the Salt Lake Art Center, exhibiting works by regional artists;
Utah State Historical Society; the University of Utah’s Utah
Museum of Natural History and Utah Museum of Fine Arts; the Pioneer
Memorial Museum; and the Museum of Church History and Art. Also
of note in the state are the Springville Museum of Art, in Springville, and
museums of fine arts, archaeology and ethnology, and natural sciences,
in Provo.
Many of Utah’s historical sites concern the state’s
Indians, Mormon settlers, and natural wonders. Temple Square in
Salt Lake City includes the Mormon Temple and the Tabernacle; Beehive
House, built in 1855 in Salt Lake City, was the home of Brigham
Young; Newspaper Rock State Park contains ancient Indian petroglyphs
and pictographs; and Hovenweep National Monument, in the extreme
SE, is one of the several areas in the state that contain ancient
Indian cliff dwellings. Golden Spike National Historic Site
commemorates
the completion (1869) of the first transcontinental railroad in
the U.S.
Utah’s national forests and parks, mountains, lakes, and rivers offer ample opportunities for camping, hunting, fishing,
horseback riding, hiking, and winter sports. Utah has several major
ski areas, including Sundance Ski Area, in Provo; Alta Ski Area,
in Alta; Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort, in Snowbird; and Powder
Mountain Ski Area, in Eden. Popular recreational areas include Bryce
Canyon National Park, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, and
Zion National Park.
The state’s professional sports team is the Utah
Jazz (basketball), in Salt Lake City.
In the early 1990s Utah had 40 AM and 45 FM
radiobroadcasting stations and 11 television stations. The state’s
first radio station,
KZN in Salt Lake City, began broadcasting in 1922. KTVT in Salt
Lake City, Utah’s first commercial television station,
began operation in 1948. The Deseret News, the
state’s first newspaper, was initially published in Salt
Lake City in 1850. In the early 1990s Utah had six daily newspapers
with a combined daily circulation of about 285,300. Influential
dailies included the Salt Lake Tribune and the Deseret
News, in Salt Lake City, and the Standard-Examiner,
in Ogden.
Utah is governed under its original constitution, adopted
in 1895 and put into effect in 1896, as amended. An amendment to
the constitution may be proposed by the legislature or by constitutional
convention. To become effective, an amendment must be approved by
persons voting in a general election.
The chief executive of Utah is a governor, who is popularly
elected to a 4-year term and who may be reelected any number of
times. The same regulations apply to the lieutenant governor-secretary
of state, who succeeds the governor should the latter die, resign,
or be removed from office. Other elected officials include the attorney
general, treasurer, and auditor.
The bicameral Utah legislature is made up of a senate and
a house of representatives. The 29 members of the senate are elected
to 4-year terms, and the 75 members of the house are elected to
2-year terms.
Utah’s highest tribunal, the supreme court, consists
of five justices; seven judges serve on the court of appeals. Members
of both the supreme court and the court of appeals are initially appointed
by the governor for 3 years and then run for retention to a 10-year
term. The 29 district court judges are elected to 6-year terms after
the initial 3-year period.
In the early 1990s Utah had 29 counties and 44 incorporated areas
with 5000 or more inhabitants. All counties were governed by a three-member
board of county commissioners. Other elected county officers included
an attorney, assessor, auditor, sheriff, clerk, recorder, surveyor, and treasurer.
Utah elects two senators and three representatives to the U.S.
Congress. The state has five electoral votes in presidential elections.
In recent decades, Utah has been a bastion of political
and
cultural conservatism. Since the early 1950s, Utah has generally
cast its electoral votes for the Republican presidential nominee.
In the early 2000s Republicans controlled the governorship, the state
legislature, and both of Utah’s seats in the U.S. Senate. Orrin Hatch
(1934– ) has represented Utah in the U.S. Senate since 1977 and has
chaired the Judiciary Committee since 1995; he ran unsuccessfully for
the 2000 Republican presidential nomination.
When the first Mormon pioneers arrived at the site of Salt
Lake City in 1847, they began work on an irrigation system that
would enable them to produce enough crops to survive the following
winter. This pattern of self-sufficient agriculture dominated the
economy until the beginning of the 20th century. At that time mining, particularly
of copper, increased in scale, and with the construction of larger
irrigation projects, more commercial crops were raised. Since World
War II, when several defense industries were established, manufacturing
has grown rapidly in importance. Today, Utah has one of the most
diversified economies of the Mountain states, with the service and
government sectors also playing a major role.
| UTAH STATE ECONOMY (early 1990s) |
| STATE BUDGET |
| General revenue |
$3.5 billion |
| General expenditure |
$3.5 billion |
| Accumulated debt |
$1.8 billion |
 |
| STATE AND LOCAL TAXES, PER CAPITA |
$1582 |
| PERSONAL INCOME, PER CAPITA |
$11,029 |
| POPULATION BELOW POVERTY LEVEL |
11.4% |
| ASSETS, INSURED COMMERCIAL BANKS (57) |
$12.0 billion |
|
| LABOR FORCE (CIVILIAN NONFARM) |
691,000 |
| Employed in services |
24% |
| Employed in wholesale and retail trade |
24% |
| Employed in government |
21% |
| Employed in manufacturing |
15% |
|
| MAJOR INDUSTRIES |
% CONTRIBUTED TO GSP* |
| Commercial, financial, and professional services |
48% |
| Manufacturing and construction |
20% |
| Government |
16% |
| Transportation, communications, and public utilities |
12% |
| Agriculture, forestry, and fisheries |
2% |
| Mining |
2% |
* Gross State Product = total value of goods and services produced in a year.
Sources: U.S. government publications |
| PRINCIPAL PRODUCTS OF UTAH (early 1990s) |
|
Quantity Produced |
Value |
| FARM PRODUCTS |
|
$821 million |
|
| CROPS |
|
$245 million |
| Hay |
1.9 million metric tons |
$176 million |
| Barley |
185,000 metric tons |
$20 million |
| Wheat |
195,000 metric tons |
$20 million |
|
| LIVESTOCK AND LIVESTOCK PRODUCTS |
|
$576 million |
| Cattle |
155,000 metric tons |
$293 million |
| Milk |
563,000 metric tons |
$168 million |
| Turkeys |
41,000 metric tons |
$47 million |
| Eggs |
456 million |
$24 million |
| Sheep, lambs |
16,000 metric tons |
$16 million |
|
| MINERALS |
|
$2.4 billion |
| Petroleum |
28.4 million barrels |
$529 million |
| Coal |
18.2 million metric tons |
$431 million |
| Natural gas |
3.4 billion cu m |
$190 million |
|
| |
|
Annual Payroll |
| MANUFACTURING |
|
$2.5 billion |
| Transportation equipment |
|
$612 million |
| Industrial machinery and equipment |
|
$273 million |
| Instruments and related products |
|
$211 million |
| Food and kindred products |
|
$187 million |
| Electronic equipment |
|
$173 million |
| Primary metals |
|
$168 million |
| Fabricated metal products |
|
$168 million |
| Printing and publishing |
|
$165 million |
|
| OTHER |
|
$11.2 billion |
| Government |
|
$3.5 billion |
| Services |
|
$2.9 billion |
| Retail trade |
|
$1.3 billion |
| Transportation, communications, and public utilities |
|
$1.1 billion |
| Wholesale trade |
|
$842 million |
| Finance,insurance, and real estate |
|
$648 million |
| Construction |
|
$583 million |
| Sources: U.S. government publications |
Farming accounts for 1.4% of the annual gross state
product. The state has some 13,300 farms, which average 344 ha (850
acres) in size. About 22% of Utah’s land area
is in farms, but less than 3% is cropland. Crops account
for about 30% of the value of Utah’s agricultural
output. Most crop farms are concentrated in a narrow strip extending
roughly 160 km (about 100 mi) N and S of Salt Lake City at the base
of the Wasatch Range, the melting snows of which provide irrigation
water for the valleys below. Three-fifths of the cropland is devoted
to wheat and hay. A large area of mountainside terraces is occupied
by fruit orchards. To the N in Cache Valley, unirrigated grain is
grown.
Livestock and livestock products account for about 70% of
the state’s annual agricultural output. Dairy farming is
important in the irrigated valleys W and N of Salt Lake City. Beef
cattle graze wherever adequate grass and water exist. Sheep are
raised in less-favored environments, particularly the desert basins
of the W. The raising of poultry is also significant.
The mining industry accounts for 2% of the annual
gross state product in Utah. Copper is the most important metal
produced in the state. Almost all the copper is mined at Bingham Canyon,
SW of Salt Lake City, at one of the world’s largest open
pit mines. Enough precious metals are obtained as by-products here
to place Utah among the nation’s top producers of gold and silver. The expansion of coal production in the Colorado Plateau—and
of petroleum in the Uinta Basin and other, smaller, fields—adds
to the state’s mining diversity. Stone, sand and gravel,
cement, clays, fluorspar, gypsum, magnesium, mercury, molybdenum,
potash, and vanadium are also produced in commercial quantities.
Iron ore is mined near Cedar City in the SW, and uranium is found
in the SE. Salt and other minerals are obtained by evaporation methods
along the shores of Great Salt Lake.
Enterprises engaged in manufacturing account for about 16% of
the annual gross state product in Utah and employ some 103,000 workers.
Approximately 15% of the state’s nonfarm labor
force is employed in manufacturing, many in the processing of the
state’s mineral resources. The leading products include
industrial machinery, transportation equipment, precision instruments, processed
foods, and electronic goods. Copper ore is concentrated and smelted
in facilities N of Bingham Canyon, and a large steel mill, using
Utah iron ore, is situated on the shores of Utah Lake, N of Provo.
Flour mills and dairy and meat-packing plants are found near the
major farming districts. In the urbanized strip from Ogden to Salt
Lake City to Provo, however, are numerous factories that employ
the greater part of the state’s manufacturing workers.
Among the diversified manufactures produced here are machinery,
electronic equipment, and transportation equipment.
Each year 14 million out-of-state visitors produce more than $2.9
billion for the Utah economy. The state has a great diversity of
tourist attractions, including five national parks, six national
monuments, and nine national forests. A primary focus for visitors
is the historic Temple Square in Salt Lake City with its Mormon
Temple, Salt Lake Tabernacle, and visitor center. Ski areas are
located to the E of the city, and the Great Salt Lake Desert is
located to the W. The extraordinary scenery of S Utah includes the
canyons of Zion National Park and the delicate pinnacles and arches
of Bryce Canyon National Park, which together attract nearly 2 million
visitors annually. In addition, Utah maintains a system of some
44 state parks.
Utah has been a focus of national transportation links since
the first transcontinental railroad line was completed at Promontory
in 1869. Today the state has about 2285 km (about 1420 mi) of Class
I rail lines, with excellent E-W service and adequate N-S connections.
Utah has a network of some 69,595 km (about 43,245 mi) of federal,
state, and local roads, including 1514 km (941 mi) of interstate
highways. Most surfaced roads feed traffic in and out of the urban
strip extending from Ogden to Provo. Most of the air traffic is
concentrated at Salt Lake City International Airport. The state
has 84 airports and 28 heliports.
The electricity generating plants in Utah have a capacity
of about 4.8 million kw and produce some 32.3 billion kwh each year.
The state’s generating capacity has increased with the completion
of major hydroelectric plants at Flaming Gorge on the Green R. and
at Glen Canyon, as well as an expansion of coal-burning power capacity
in the state’s E plateau country. About 94% of
the state’s generating capacity is supplied by thermal
power plants, burning coal and natural gas; hydroelectric power
plants supply most of the remainder.
The Indian peoples who inhabited Utah before the coming of
white settlers included the Ute in the eastern part of the state,
the Gosiute in the northwest, the Southern Paiute in the southwest, and the Navajo in the southeast.
Although members of the expedition led by the Spanish explorer
Francisco de Coronado may have reached southern Utah as early as
1540, the first Europeans definitely known to have visited the area
were Spanish missionaries from Santa Fe, who traveled as far north
as Utah Lake in 1776. The region was claimed first by Spain and
later by Mexico. In the winter of 1824–25, James Bridger,
an American trapper, seeking to determine the course of the Bear
River, sighted the Great Salt Lake. Other trappers followed and
set up posts in the region. Later, immigrants to California and
Oregon passed through Utah.
In 1846 the Mormons, who had been persecuted in Ohio, Missouri, and
Illinois for their religious beliefs, determined to move west into
what was then Mexico. The first group reached the present site of
Salt Lake City in July 1847. Other bands of Mormons followed, and
by 1852 the Mormons, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, numbered 15,000 in Utah. The U.S. did not obtain possession
of the region, which then belonged to Mexico, until the Treaty of
Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 ending the Mexican War, and did not immediately
provide for its government. At first the church officers exercised
governmental functions, but with the coming of non-Mormons in 1849
the people of the region established the state of Deseret, adopted
a constitution, and sent a delegate to the U.S. Congress to ask for
admission to the Union. In the same year the Mormons established
the Perpetual Emigration Fund, which was organized to bring thousands
of proselytes from Europe to Utah. Congress refused to admit the
state because the Mormon church permitted polygamy; but in 1850
Congress established the region as the territory of Utah, and Brigham
Young, who had led the first band to Salt Lake City, was appointed
governor of the territory.
Admission to the Union was sought in 1854 and 1856, but Congress
refused. In 1862 the U.S. government passed a law against polygamy.
Meanwhile, the arrival of non-Mormons to the territory was viewed
by the Mormons with disfavor, and in 1857 a party of non-Mormon immigrants
was attacked by a band of Mormons and Indians. The immigrants surrendered,
but all except 17 children were thereupon killed. The leader of
the Mormon group was executed for murder. In the same year a possible
rebellion was reported, and President James Buchanan
sent U.S. Army
troops to the territory. A confrontation was avoided, but resentment
among the Mormons flared anew when Congress cut the size of the
Utah Territory by more than half to form the territories of Nevada and
Colorado. U.S. military authorities encouraged immigration of
non-Mormons and subdued the Indians in a series of campaigns during
the 1860s. After the American Civil War, the opening of the
transcontinental
railroad in 1869 brought more non-Mormons to the territory. In 1882
Congress passed the Edwards Bill, disfranchising polygamists. Continued
agitation
for statehood brought no result. In 1887 Congress passed another
act against polygamy, abolishing the corporation of the Mormon church
and the Perpetual Emigration Fund. During this period the federal
government
had been having difficulty in enforcing its laws because of the
failure of Mormon juries to indict or convict. After it was held
constitutional for juries in Utah to consist entirely of non-Mormons,
prominent officials were convicted and sent to the penitentiary.
By 1890, 468 men had been convicted of polygamy, and President Wilford
Woodruff (1807–98) of the Mormon church issued a manifesto
declaring that the church no longer countenanced polygamy. His action
was approved by a general conference of the church. In 1893 amnesty
was declared by the federal government for all offenders who could
show that they had not broken the law since 1890. Congress passed
an enabling act in 1894, and the state was admitted to the Union
on Jan. 4, 1896. The state constitution prohibits polygamy.
Utah’s economy developed greatly in the first quarter
of the 20th century. By 1910, when the state’s population
passed 370,000, the success of the Latter-day Saints in reclaiming
their wasteland was dramatically evident. Extensive irrigation had
brought bumper crops to the Weber, Cache, San Pete, and Sevier valleys.
Cattle, sheep, chickens, and turkeys thrived in the Virgin River
“Dixie” region.
In 1906 new wealth came with the development of the world’s
largest open-pit copper mine at Bingham Canyon. Copper production and
the smelting industry grew rapidly, along with agriculture. Although
Utah’s unemployment rate in the depression of the 1930s
was one of the nation’s highest, the economy recovered
during World War II. After the war the federal government, which
owns about 60 percent of Utah’s land, expanded its military
installations, and by the late 1950s, Utah was playing a leading
role in missile production. The economy prospered further when uranium,
oil, and gas fields were discovered, but the state faced the dual
challenge of encouraging continued industrial expansion while working
to protect its environment. High-technology industries fueled the
state’s economic growth in the late 1980s and early ’90s.
In the 1990s, Utah, under the conservative influence of the
Mormon church, remained a stronghold of traditional values, where
belief in morality, discipline, and the family continued to be stressed.