History of Utah Timeline

In 1846, a year before the arrival of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the ill-fated Donner Party crossed through the Salt Lake valley late in the season, deciding not to stay for winter but to continue on to California.

Three enslaved men, Green Flake, Hark Lay, and Oscar Crosby, came west with Brigham Young's first group of Mormon pioneers in 1847.

Shortly after the first company arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in 1847, the community of Bountiful was settled further to the north.

Brigham Young and an accompanying group of pioneers traveling westward across the Great Plains first centered the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847, beginning large-scale Mormon settlement of the region.

In 1848, settlers moved into lands purchased from trapper Miles Goodyear in present-day Ogden.

In 1849, the towns of Tooele and Provo were founded as Mormon settlement expanded beyond the Salt Lake Valley.

In 1855, missionary efforts aimed at western native cultures led to outposts at Fort Lemhi, Idaho; Las Vegas (in future Nevada); and Elk Mountain in east-central Utah.

Multiple instances of mass murder of Native American children, women, and men by White settlers included the Battle Creek massacre (1849), Provo River Massacre (1850), Nephi massacre (1853), and Circleville Massacre (1866). Hunting by settlers and grazing cattle severely impacted Indigenous peoples, making it increasingly difficult for tribes to gather sufficient food.

In 1850, the Utah Territory was created with the Compromise of 1850, and Fillmore (named after President Millard Fillmore) was designated the capital.

In 1850, 26 slaves were counted in Salt Lake County, reflecting the presence of slavery in early territorial Utah.

Fillmore, Utah, intended to be the capital of the new territory, was established in 1851. His report also encouraged settlement efforts in Iron County, near present-day Cedar City.

Slavery didn't become officially recognized until 1852, when the Act in Relation to Service and the Act for the relief of Indian Slaves and Prisoners were passed by the territorial legislature.

In 1856, Salt Lake City replaced Fillmore as the territorial capital of Utah.

In 1857, after news of a possible rebellion spread, President James Buchanan sent troops on the Utah expedition to quell growing unrest and replace Brigham Young as territorial governor with Alfred Cumming. The army camped through the bitter winter of 1857–58 near a burned-out Fort Bridger in Wyoming. Control of the territory was peacefully transferred, and Cumming entered an eerily vacant Salt Lake City in the spring of 1858.

Salt Lake City was the last link of the First Transcontinental Telegraph between Carson City, Nevada and Omaha, Nebraska, completed in October 1861.

Colonel Patrick Connor arrived with the 3rd Regiment of California Volunteers in 1862, bringing federal troops to the Utah Territory.

Slavery in Utah was repealed on June 19, 1862, when Congress prohibited slavery in all US territories.

Connor solved the 'Shoshone Indian problem' in Cache Valley, Utah, by luring the Shoshone into a midwinter confrontation on January 29, 1863.

Beginning in 1865, Utah's Black Hawk War developed into the deadliest conflict in the territory's history. Chief Antonga Black Hawk died in 1870, but fights continued until additional federal troops were sent in to suppress the Ghost Dance of 1872.

On May 10, 1869, the First Transcontinental Railroad was completed at Promontory Summit, north of the Great Salt Lake, connecting Utah to the rest of the nation.

Statehood was petitioned for in 1849–50 using the name Deseret. The petition was rejected by Congress, and Utah did not become a state until decades later.

The polygamous practices of the Mormons, which were made public in 1854, would be one of the major reasons Utah was denied statehood until almost 50 years after the Mormons had entered the area.

In 1870 the Utah Territory, controlled by Mormons, gave women the right to vote. In 1867–96, eastern activists promoted women's suffrage in Utah as an experiment and as a way to eliminate polygamy. However, in 1887 Congress disenfranchised Utah women with the Edmunds–Tucker Act.

In the 1890 Manifesto, the LDS Church leadership dropped its approval of polygamy citing divine revelation, clearing the way for statehood.

When Utah applied for statehood again in 1895, it was accepted. With the 1890 Manifesto clearing the way, Utah adopted a constitution restoring the right of women's suffrage.

Congress admitted Utah as a state with its constitution, and statehood was officially granted on January 4, 1896, following rejection of earlier petitions such as the State of Deseret.

Beginning in the early 20th century, with the establishment of national parks such as Bryce Canyon National Park and Zion National Park, Utah began to become known for its natural beauty.

Franklin Roosevelt had proposed opening a steel mill in Utah in 1936, but the idea was shelved after a couple of months before being revived during World War II.

Beginning in 1939 with the establishment of Alta Ski Area, Utah has become world-renowned for its skiing.

In April 1944, Geneva Steel shipped its first order, which consisted of over 600 tons of steel plate, contributing to the World War II effort.

During the late 20th century, the state grew quickly, becoming one of the fastest-growing states in the nation.

Salt Lake City won the bid for the 2002 Winter Olympics in 1995, which served as a great boost to Utah's economy.

The State of Utah passed the Utah Transfer of Public Lands Act in 2012 in an attempt to gain control over a substantial portion of federal land in the state, based on language in the Utah Enabling Act of 1894. The state intends a multi-step process of education, negotiation, legislation, and litigation to gain control over disputed lands after 2014.

During a debate at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025, conservative political activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated, drawing nationwide attention.

The state will again host the Olympic Games in 2034, returning the Winter Olympics to Salt Lake City for a second time.