Salt Lake County History
Before Brigham Young and his followers stepped foot in the area that is now known as Salt Lake County, the Salt Lake Valley was an important meeting place for many different Indigenous tribes. The Shoshone, Navajo, Ute, Paiute, and Goshute Tribes all visited the area, and even before those more modern distinctions, the area was the ancestral lands of the ancient Fremont People whose pictographs found around the Great Salt Lake area are said to be stories of life before the flood, according to Navajo mythology.

By the mid-1800s however, life in the Valley would be forever changed when Brigham Young, leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) declared, “This is the place,” and directed all of his followers to settle the region. They came in droves.

Other non-LDS settlers came too, seeking fortunes from the opportunities that this rich mining area offered.

Over time, the region was extensively irrigated and grew into the self-sufficient valley that it is today. Growing from small outpost to major metropolis in less than 150 years.

Salt Lake County’s Salty Namesake
Salt Lake County is named for the Great Salt Lake whose shores lap the northwestern section of the county. The lake is one of the most interesting bodies of water in the United States, sometimes referred to as America’s Dead Sea, although upon closer look you’ll see that the lake is more alive than ever.

Brine shrimp, migratory birds, and once, an accidental flamingo, Pink Floyd, call the Great Salt Lake home. This prehistoric lake, a leftover from the ancient Lake Bonneville that once covered much of western Utah, is the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere.

The lake has a fluctuating salinity of between 5-27%, and for comparison, the saltiness of the ocean is sound 3.5%. Only the Dead Sea is saltier than the Great Salt Lake at 33.7% salinity.