Utah,
A State of the
United States, the forty-fifth in admission, is bounded on the north by
Idaho and
Wyoming, east by
Wyoming and
Colorado, south by
Arizona, and west by
Nevada.
Area, 84,970 square miles, lying between long.
109° and 114° W., and north of lat. 37° N. Population, 1890, 207,905; 1900, 276,749.
Capital,
Salt Lake City.
Franciscan friars Silvestre
Velez de Escalante and
Francisco Atanasio Dominguez, looking for a route from
Santa Fe to
Monterey, Cal., reach
Utah and
Sevier lakes......September, 1776
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Great Salt Lake discovered by
James Bridger......1825
One hundred and twenty men, under
William H. Ashley, come to
Utah Lake from
St. Louis through
South Pass, and build Fort Ashley......1825
Jedediah S. Smith and fifteen trappers march from
Great Salt Lake to
Utah Lake, and thence to San Gabriel Mission, Cal., 1826; return to
Utah......1827
J. Bartleson and twenty-seven emigrants for
California proceed from
Soda Springs to Corrine and thence into
Nevada......August, 1841
Marcus Whitman and
A. L. Lovejoy, on their way from
Oregon to the
United States, pass through
Utah......1842
Col. John C. Fremont, with
Kit Carson and three others, explores
Great Salt Lake in a rubber boat......Sept. 8, 1843
Brigham Young and 142 Mormons, in search of a location for their new
Zion, arrive at the site of
Salt Lake City......July 21, 1847
Mormons to the number of 1,553, with 580 wagons, leave
Council Bluffs, July 4, and reach
Salt Lake......September, 1847
Utah included in the cession by
Mexico to the
United States by the treaty of
Guadalupe-Hidalgo......Feb. 2, 1848
James Brown purchases the tract where
Ogden now stands from
Miles M. Goodyear, who held it by Spanish grant as early as 1841......June 6, 1848
Provisional government for the
State of
Deseret, with capital at
Salt Lake City, formed by a convention which met at
Salt Lake City, March 4, and chose
Brigham Young governor, March 12. First General Assembly convenes......July 2, 1849
Perpetual Emigration Fund Company organized at
Salt Lake......Oct. 6, 1849
City of
Provo founded......1849
First number of the Deseret
News published at
Salt Lake City......June 15, 1850
City of
Ogden laid out......August, 1850
Territory of
Utah created by act of Congress......Sept. 9, 1850
Salt Lake City incorporated......January, 1851
Coal discovered on
Coal Creek at
Cedar City......May, 1851
Capt. J. W. Gunnison massacred by the Pah-Utes while exploring Lake Sevier, with five out of ten companions......Oct. 26, 1853
Armed Mormons compel
Associate-Judge W. W. Drummond, of the United States district court, who had become unpopular, to adjourn his court sine die......February, 1856
First “hand-cart” emigrants reach
Great Salt Lake on foot from
Iowa......Sept. 26, 1856
Judge Drummond resigns......March 30, 1857
Army of Utah, sent by
President Buchanan as a posse comitatus to sustain the governor, begins to assemble at
Fort Leavenworth......June, 1857
Nauvoo Legion, organized in 1840, is reorganized in
Utah......July, 1857
Alfred Cumming appointed governor of
Utah......July 11, 1857
Mountain Meadows massacre, about 30 miles southwest from
Cedar City;
Arkansas emigrants—thirty families—are fired upon by
Indians, Sept. 7; forming a corral, after a siege of four days they surrender to
John D. Lee, who promises protection, but all except seventeen children under seven years of age are massacred by Indians and Mormons......Sept. 11, 1857
Brigham Young by proclamation forbids armed forces to enter
Salt Lake City, directs the troops in the
Territory to repel such invasion, and declares martial law......Sept. 15, 1857
Mormons under
Maj. Lot Smith destroy on the
Green River and Big Sandy three or more supply-trains destined for the army of Utah......Oct. 5-6, 1857
Army of Utah, under
Col. Albert Sidney Johnston, is ordered to Fort Badger, and into winter-quarters at Camp Scott. 2 or 3 miles from Fort Badger and 115 from
Salt Lake City......November, 1857
Governor Cumming at Camp Scott proclaims the
Territory in rebellion......Nov. 27, 1857
Col. Thomas L. Kane arrives at
Salt Lake City as a peacemaker, with credentials from
President Buchanan......Feb. 25, 1858
Governor Cumming visits
Salt Lake City with
Colonel Kane, leaving Camp Scott......April 5, 1858
A constitution for the
State of
Deseret, formed by a people's convention at
Salt Lake City in March, 1856, is tabled in the United States Senate. April 20, 1858
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Proclamation by
President Buchanan offering amnesty to Mormons who submit to federal authority, issued April 6, is accepted by the
Mormon leaders......June 2, 1858
Van of the army of Utah finds
Salt Lake City deserted; 30,000 Mormons had moved southward......June 26, 1858
Governor Cumming resigns and leaves
Salt Lake City......May, 1861
Another convention meets, Jan. 20, finishes a constitution for the
State of
Deseret, Jan. 23, ratified by the people......March 3, 1862
Act of Congress passed to punish and prevent polygamy in the
Territories......July 1, 1862
Mormon apostates, known as Morrisites, indicted for armed resistance to law, when summoned to surrender by the sheriff resist for three days—June 13-16, 1862—until their leader,
Joseph Morris, and others are killed; tried before
Judge Kinney, seven are convicted of murder in the second degree......March, 1863
Gov. James Duane Doty dies......June 13, 1865
University of
Deseret at
Salt Lake City, chartered 1850, organized......March 8, 1869
Gov. J. Wilson Shaffer by proclamation forbids the review of the
Nauvoo Legion of 13,000 men......Sept. 15, 1870
Vernon H. Vaughan succeeds
Governor Shaffer, who dies......October, 1870
Zion's Co-operative Mercantile Institution incorporated......Dec. 1, 1870
Companies of the
Nauvoo Legion are dispersed by federal authority......July 4, 1871
Brigham Young, ordered to be tried for bigamy, escapes......1871
Brigham Young surrenders for trial; proceedings annulled by the Supreme Court......1872
Brigham Young resigns temporal power......April 10, 1873
Brigham Young again indicted for polygamy......October, 1874
Adjudged to support one of his wives while she sues for divorce, March; imprisoned in his own house for non-compliance, November; discharged......December, 1875
John D. Lee, convicted of murder in the first degree for the
Mountain Meadows massacre, Sept. 11, 1857, is shot on the site of it......March 23, 1877
Brigham Young dies......Aug. 29, 1877
School districts formed and a tax levied for school buildings......1880
Edmunds law against polygamy, amending law of 1862......March 22, 1882
Congress authorizes an industrial home at
Salt Lake City for women renouncing polygamy, and for their children......1886
Edmunds-
Tucker anti-polygamy law approved......March 3, 1887
Gentiles for the first time control a municipal election in
Salt Lake City......Feb. 10, 1890
New free-school law, a territorial bureau of statistics established, and 8 per cent made the legal rate of interest by legislature at session......Jan. 13–March 13, 1890
Mormon Church renounces polygamy at a general conference in
Salt Lake City......Oct. 6, 1890
New school law making public schools free......1890
Methodist University at
Ogden founded......1890
Territorial reform school destroyed by fire......June 24, 1891
First election under national party lines; Mormon Republican and Democratic votes about equal......Aug. 4, 1891
Irrigation convention at
Salt Lake City......Sept. 15, 1891
Cap-stone of temple in
Salt Lake City laid by
President Woodruff......April 6, 1892
Congress abolishes the Utah commission of five, under act of March 22, 1882, and transfers their duties to the governor,
chief-justice, and secretary of
Utah......July 14, 1892
President issues a proclamation of amnesty to Mormons liable to prosecution for polygamy......Jan. 4, 1893
New temple at
Salt Lake City, begun forty years before, dedicated; cost, $12,000,000......April 6, 1893
Trans-
Mississippi congress held in
Ogden......April 24, 1893
Act permitting
Utah to hold a constitutional convention and become a State, signed......July 17, 1893
Acting-Gov. Charles C. Richards issues a proclamation, ordering an election of delegates to the constitutional convention......Aug. 1, 1894
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President Grover Cleveland issues a proclamation granting pardon and restoring civil rights to all persons who were disfranchised by the anti-polygamy laws, excepting those who had not complied with the proclamation issued by
President Harrison in January, 1893......Sept. 27, 1894
At the general election in
Utah the Republicans elect
Frank J. Cannon delegate to Congress, also sixty of 107 delegates to the constitutional convention......Nov. 6, 1894
The board of education inaugurates compulsory education in
Salt Lake City......Jan. 10, 1895
Utah's seventh constitutional convention convenes in
Salt Lake City......March 4, 1895
The constitutional convention (the seventh) adopts the woman-suffrage clause......April 5, 1895
After adopting the constitution, the convention adjourns, after a session of sixty-six days,
sine die......May 8, 1895
The Republicans elect
Congressman Clarence E. Alien, a majority of the legislature, and the entire State ticket......Nov. 5, 1895
President Grover Cleveland signs the proclamation admitting
Utah into the
Union......Jan. 4, 1896
The State officers are installed.
George M. Cannon, president of the Senate, and
Presley Denney, speaker of the lower House......Jan. 6, 1896
The pioneer jubilee festivities.
The pioneer monument is dedicated and surviving pioneers are decorated with golden badges......July 20, 1897
The fiftieth anniversary of the entrance of the pioneers into Great Salt Lake Valley is celebrated......July 24, 1897
The two batteries (A and B) of
Utah's volunteer artillery are mustered into service at
Fort Douglas......May 9, 1898
A troop of volunteer cavalry, subsequently known as Troop I of the 2d United States Cavalry, is organized in
Salt Lake City, with
John Q. Cannon captain......May 15, 1898
Willard Young, son of
President Brigham Young, is appointed by
President McKinley colonel of the 2d Regiment of United States volunteer engineers......May 31, 1898
The
Utah batteries (A and B) sail for
Manila, Philippines......June 15, 1898
A company of
Utah United States volunteer engineers leave
Salt Lake City for
San Francisco en route to the
Philippine Islands......July 10, 1898
Battery C (
Utah volunteers) is organized and sworn into
United States service......July 14, 1898
Memorial services are held in honor of the
American sailors who lost their lives by the explosion of the
Maine......July 24, 1898
President Wilford Woodruff, of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, dies......Sept. 2, 1898
Lorenzo Snow chosen president of the Mormon Church......Sept. 13, 1898
The legislature adjourns sine die without electing a
United States Senator......March 9, 1899
The
Utah volunteers return from the
Philippine Islands......Aug. 19, 1899
Congressman B. H. Roberts, of
Utah, by a vote of 280 to 50, is excluded from the House of Representatives......Jan. 25, 1900
The Mothers' Congress held at
Salt Lake City......April, 1900
A terrific explosion in the mines at
Scofield, Utah, does much damage to life and property......May 1, 1900
Monument to the pioneers of
Utah unveiled......July 25, 1900
Salt Lake City library receives $100,000 for grounds and building from
John Q. Packard......1900
The legislature passes an anti-compulsory vaccination bill over the governor's veto......Feb. 21, 1901
George Q. Cannon, first counsellor to
President Lorenzo Snow, and prominent in the history of the
State, dies......April 12, 1901
Memorial services are held at
Salt Lake City in honor of
President McKinley......Sept. 19, 1901
President Lorenzo Snow, of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, dies......Oct. 10, 1901
The first presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is reorganized, with
Joseph F. Smith as president, and
John R. Winder, first, and
Anthon H. Lund, second counsellor......Oct. 17, 1901
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Vermont