Utah History for Kids

Area: 2,014 square miles
Population (2000): 368,536
County Seat: Provo
Origin of County Name: after the Ute Indians
Principal Cities/Towns: Provo (105,166), Orem (84,324), American Fork (21,941), Springville (20,424), Pleasant Grove (23,468), Spanish Fork (20,246)
Economy: education, steel industry, light manufacturing, agriculture
Points of Interest: Fairfield Stagecoach Inn, historic downtown Provo, Brigham Young University (Monte L. Bean Life Sciences Museum, Museum of People and Culture, Harris Fine Arts Center), Utah Lake, Timpanogos Cave National Monument, Springville Museum of Art, Hutchings Museum of Natural History in Lehi, McCurdy Historical Doll Museum in Provo, Bridal Veil Falls, Heber Creeper steam train, Sundance ski resort

Brigham Young Academy (now BYU).

What is the land like?
The most striking geographical features of Utah County are the Wasatch Mountains along the eastern boundary and Utah Lake, the state's largest fresh-water lake, to the west. The high mountains, rising over 11,000 feet, receive heavy snowfall, which feeds the rivers and creeks that flow into the lake.

Utah Lake is a remnant of the prehistoric, huge Lake Bonneville. Though large in size, Utah Lake is very shallow--18 feet at its deepest point.

The grassy Utah Valley became farmlands after settlement. Now the farmlands are gradually being developed into subdivisions and commercial areas.

Prehistory
Utah County’s mountains, lake, streams, and valleys have sustained humans since at least 10,000 B.C. Utah Lake was once a rich fishery, and people lived and camped on its shores.

The lifeways and culture of humans developed over time. Archaeologists call the Ice Age prehistoric people PaleoIndians. The PaleoIndian culture was followed by the Desert Archaic culture. The next prehistoric culture is called the Fremont culture. Fremont Indians lived here until about A.D. 1500, farming corn, squash, and beans. They also fished, hunted, and gathered plant foods.

By 1800 three Indian groups used Utah Valley: Paiutes, who used the west side of Utah Lake; Shoshones, who sometimes traveled here from north; and the Utes, who were the main inhabitants of the area.

History
The Dominguez-Escalante expedition passed through Utah Valley in 1776. The Utes in the valley welcomed the padres and treated them kindly.

Fur trappers stopped at the lake in the 1820s. Etienne Provost was one of them—and Provo was named after him. John C. Fremont visited the area in 1844.

A party of Mormons explored the valley in 1847. In January 1849 Brigham Young sent a fishing party to catch fish for the hungry settlers in Salt Lake Valley. That same year, other settlers moved to Utah Valley. Provo was the first town they and established.

The Utes who lived in the valley resented the pioneers taking their land. Some violent conflicts arose, but no matter how hard they fought for their land, the Utes lost it. They were sent to a reservation in the arid Uintah Basin.

Economy
The settlers farmed, growing crops, fruit, and sugar beets. Orem was once full of orchards. Today, developers have taken out the orchards and built roads and buildings.

Utah County has fostered important industries. The Provo Woolen Mill became the state’s first large manufacturing plant in 1873.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s mines in American Fork Canyon and in the Tintic Mining District produced much wealth.

Geneva Steel, on the eastern shore of Utah Lake, was built during World War II. The government chose this location because they thought the steel plants might be destroyed by enemies of the U.S. Geneva Steel employed many people in the county for many years, but it recently shut down.

Brigham Young University, established in 1875 as the Brigham Young Academy, has grown to be a major university. BYU is an important influence on the nature of the county.

Stagecoach Inn, Fairfield, built in 1858, has been restored as a state park. Nearby Camp Floyd housed one of the largest concentrations of U.S. troops during 1858-59, sent by President James Buchanan to quell a supposed Mormon rebellion.