State of Utah, State of
Formed a part of the territory acquired from
Mexico in 1848.
It was settled in 1847 by Mormons, led thither by
Brigham Young.
They formed an independent government and called it the
State of
Deseret—the land of the honeybee—in March, 1849.
This was superseded by a territorial government, organized by act of Congress, Sept. 9, 1850, under the name of
Utah, the name of an Indian tribe.
It then contained over 220,000 square miles, embracing portions of what are now
Colorado,
Nevada, and
Wyoming.
In 1856, having a requisite number of in-
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On the shore of the Great Salt Lake. |
habitants, the legislature framed a constitution for the “State of
Deseret,” and application was afterwards frequently made for its admission into the
Union.
without success till 1896, when it was regularly admitted, with an area of 84,928 square miles.
The soil of the
State is largely impregnated with salts, which makes it practically unfit for cultivation.
There are, however, some portions which are cleared of alkali, and by means of irrigation there has grown up a considerable agricultural industry.
Manufacturing industries began early, owing to the distance and lack of communication with manufacturing centres, and now there are cotton-mills, tanneries, and machine-shops of different natures that thrive, and the beet-root sugar, industry is comparatively large.
In 1857 an incident occurred that illustrates the wildness of the
Territory less than fifty years ago. A party of emigrants going West were attacked by the Mormons and Indians at a place called
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Territorial seal of Utah. |
Mountain Meadow.
Many emigrants were killed, others defended themselves bravely.
Then two Mormons, named
Lee and
Haight, offered to help the emigrants eastward if they would follow their guidance.
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This being agreed to, the two Mormons led the men and women into an ambush and killed all but seventeen of them.
It was not till 1874 that it became known that the Mormons and not the Indians were responsible for this.
See
Mormons;
United States,
Utah, in this volume.