The History of Emigration Canyon: Gateway to Salt Lake Valley

This comprehensive and well-illustrated history of one of the more significant historical areas in Utah offers a case study of the development of a scenic, rural area near a major western metropolis. Emigration Canyon was the original route, opened by the Donner party, through the Wasatch Mountains into Salt Lake Valley. It subsequently was the route for pioneer settlers, overland wagon trains, freight and mail lines, and the pony express, and it remained an important transportation corridor even after the development of alternative roads. Subsequently, the canyon provided stone, timber, and grazing resources for the developing city below it; began to be homesteaded; provided a route for one of the Wasatch Range’s more interesting narrow gauge railroads; and became a resort community. Its history since the Great Depression has been one of gradual development as a Salt Lake City suburb. Because of its location in the mountains, it has attracted local city dwellers as visitors or residents, and because of its strategic position above the city, it has continued to capture the attention of government and politicians, as repeated contests over water, development, annexation, and zoning of the canyon have shown.