Utah Territory

Territory of the U.S. between 1850-1896

Territory of Utah

Organized incorporated territory of the United States
1850–1896

Territorial coat of arms (1876)

The Utah Territory upon its creation, with modern state boundaries shown for reference
Capital|

* Fillmore (1851–1856)
* Salt Lake City

Government|
• Type| Organized incorporated territory
Governor|

• 1851–58

| Brigham Young

• 1858–61

| Alfred Cumming

• 1875–80

| George W. Emery

• 1880–86

| Eli Houston Murray

• 1886–89

| Caleb Walton West

• 1889-1893

| Arthur Lloyd Thomas

• 1893–96

| Caleb Walton West
Legislature| Utah Territorial Assembly
History|

• State of Deseret

| 1849

• Utah Organic Act

| 9 September 1850

• Colorado Territory formed

| February 28, 1861

• Nevada Territory formed

| March 2, 1861

• Wyoming Territory formed

| July 25, 1868

• Statehood

| 4 January 1896

Preceded by | Succeeded by

|

|  | Alta California

|

| Santa Fe de Nuevo México
| Utah |

|

Nevada Territory |
Wyoming Territory |
Nevada |
Colorado Territory |

The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850,[1] until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah,[2] the 45th state. At its creation, the Territory of Utah included all of the present-day State of Utah, most of the current state of Nevada save for a portion of Southern Nevada (including the metro area of the city of Las Vegas), much of modern western Colorado, and the extreme southwest corner of present-day Wyoming.

## History

[edit]

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|

When the Mormon pioneers began moving westward across the Great Plains began settling the Salt Lake Valley around the Great Salt Lake in 1847, they relied on existing institutions within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in lieu of secular civil government.[3]

In September 1850, the Utah Territory was organized by an organic act of the United States Congress, approved by the newly succeeded 13th President Millard Fillmore, only two months after the former Vice President acceded to the higher office upon the sudden death in July 1850 of his predecessor Zachary Taylor. The bill was signed into law on the same day that the State of California was admitted to the Union as the 31st state. The organization of the Utah Territory marked the first time that the American Union had jumped across the North American continent to the opposite Pacific Ocean west coast.[clarification needed] The territory was made from land in the southern portion of the Mexican Cession, which was acquired by the United States from the Centralist Republic of Mexico following the latter's defeat in the Mexican–American War. The creation of the new Territory of Utah around the Great Basin and the Great Salt Lake was part of the political Compromise of 1850, which sought to preserve the balance of power between Southern slave states and free states in the North.

The creation of the Territory, with no mention at all of the divisive issue of slavery in the documents, was partially the result of a petition sent by the Mormon pioneers under the leadership of Brigham Young, the second church president. The petition had asked Congress to allow them to enter the Union as the State of Deseret, which had been organized the year before, with its capital as Salt Lake City and with proposed borders that encompassed the entire Great Basin and the watershed of the Colorado River, including all or part of nine current U.S. states in the southwest. The Mormon settlers had drafted a state constitution in 1849 and Deseret had become the de facto government in the Great Basin by the time of the creation of the subsequent federal Utah Territory.[4]

Following the organization of the Territory, Young was inaugurated as its first territorial Governor of Utah. The first territorial capital city and capitol building was located in the small town of Fillmore, Utah, from 1850 to 1856. The town of Fillmore was named for the new 13th president Millard Fillmore, who had signed the organic act incorporating the territory. A small local government was set up in Fillmore, including the Territorial Assembly. Young, however, remained mostly in his Beehive House residence in Salt Lake City, traveling to Fillmore until his death in 1877. The capital of the Utah Territory was relocated in 1856 to the major and largest town of Salt Lake City, which built a new territorial capitol building for the government and housed its assembly and governor's offices for the next four decades. Salt Lake City would continue as the new state capital after statehood in 1896. The Utah State Capitol building was later constructed there.

During his governorship, Young exerted considerable power over the territory. For example, in 1873, the territorial legislature granted Young the exclusive right to manufacture and distill whiskey.[5]

Mormon governance in the territory was regarded as controversial by much of the rest of the nation, partly fed by continuing lurid newspaper depictions of polygamous marriages practiced by the settlers. Polygamy had been part of the cause of their preceding flight from Nauvoo, Illinois, when they had been persecuted and forcibly removed from their settlements in several eastern states.

Although the Mormons were now the majority in the Great Salt Lake basin, the western area of the new territory soon began to attract many non-Mormon settlers, especially after the 1858 discovery of silver at the famous Comstock Lode ore deposits in the Virginia City area, east of the Sierra Nevada mountain ranges and Lake Tahoe. Only three years later, on the eve of the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861, and partly as a result of this, with its importance of the recovered silver bullion for Federal Treasury coffers plus huge growth in population with the influx of prospecting miners (and assorted supporting commercial business interests) and with the subsequent intensive deep shaft industrial mining and drilling, the new Nevada Territory was then created out of the western part of the previous Utah Territory of a decade before.[incomprehensible] Ten years after the first mineral findings along the American River in California, non-Mormons also entered the territory from the east during the Pikes Peak Gold Rush, resulting in the discovery of gold at Breckenridge in the Utah Territory in 1859. In 1861, additional legislative action was taken by Congress and the new 16th president Abraham Lincoln to transfer a large portion of the eastern territory to the newly created adjacent Colorado Territory.[4]

### Women's suffrage

[edit]

In 1869, the territory's legislature, the Territorial Assembly, approved and ratified women's suffrage.[6] On 12 February, 1870, Utah Territory extended the right to vote to free white women who were US citizens, aged 21 or older.[clarification needed] Utah held municipal elections and a territorial election before Wyoming did. Hence, women in Utah cast ballots before women in Wyoming. Schoolteacher Seraph Young Ford was the first woman to vote under a women’s equal suffrage law in the USA, casting her ballot in the Salt Lake City municipal election on 14 February 1870.[7]

### Admission to the Union

[edit]

46 years after the organization of the territory, it was admitted to the Union as the 45th State of Utah in 1896. Utah had remained a territory for much longer than the neighboring territories of Nevada and Colorado: Nevada had been admitted to the Union in 1864 in the midst of the ongoing American Civil War, only three years after its territorial formation, and Colorado had been admitted in 1876 during the American Centennial celebration year, fifteen years after first becoming a territory.[citation needed]

The evolution of the shrinking boundaries of the federal Utah Territory from its creation by Congress in 1850 to 1896, when 45th statehood was granted

## Coat of arms

[edit]

The Utah state coat of arms appears on the state seal and state flag. The beehive was chosen as the emblem for the provisional State of Deseret in 1848 and represents the state's industrious and hard-working inhabitants, and the virtues of thrift and perseverance. The sego lilies on either side symbolize peace.[8][9]

## Territory flag

[edit]

The first flag to represent the Territory flew in 1851 and consist of 13 red and white stripes, a blue canton with 13 stars and eagle that was positioned above a large 5 pointed star.[10] The flag was briefly preserved in the Smithsonian Institution, but its location is now unknown. A second flag, raised in 1854, similarly contained "...stars, stripes, eagle, and beehive." The flag was raised up a flag pole on temple block to celebrate Pioneer day.[11] On July 4th of the following year, at the Governor's mansion, they "...unfurled the territorial flag."[12] In 1856, during the Pioneer day celebrations in Provo, the city flew many territorial flags across its streets.[13]

* Territory flag from 1851

* Reconstruction of the Territory flag that flew on temple block in 1854

## Population

[edit]

Historical populationYear| Pop.| ±%

|
|

1850| 11,380| —
1860| 40,273| +253.9%
1870| 86,336| +114.4%
1880| 146,608| +69.8%
1890| 210,779| +43.8%
Source: 1850–1890[14]

In 1850, nine churches with regular services in the Utah Territory were unclassified by historian Edwin Gaustad in his Historical Atlas of Religion in America (1962), but were likely LDS churches.[15][16] In the 1890 United States census, 25 counties in the Utah Territory reported the following population counts (after seven reported the following counts in the 1850 United States census):[14]

1890
Rank  | County  | 1850
Population  | 1890
Population

|
|
|

1  | Salt Lake | 6,157  | 58,457
2  | Utah | 2,026  | 23,768
3  | Weber | 1,186  | 22,723
4  | Cache | –  | 15,509
5  | Sanpete | 365  | 13,146
6  | Summit | –  | 7,733
7  | Box Elder | –  | 7,642
8  | Davis | 1,134  | 6,751
9  | Sevier | –  | 6,199
10  | Juab | –  | 5,582
11  | Emery | –  | 5,076
12  | Millard | –  | 4,033
13  | Washington | –  | 4,009
14  | Tooele | 152  | 3,700
15  | Wasatch | –  | 3,595
16  | Beaver | –  | 3,340
17  | Piute | –  | 2,842
18  | Uintah | –  | 2,762
19  | Iron | 360  | 2,683
20  | Garfield | –  | 2,457
21  | Morgan | –  | 1,780
22  | Kane | –  | 1,685
23  | Rich | –  | 1,527
24  | Grand | –  | 541
25  | San Juan | –  | 365
| Indian reservations | 4,645  | –
| Utah Territory  | 11,380  | 210,779

## See also

[edit]

* Utah portal
* Colorado portal
* United States portal
* History portal

* Historic regions of the United States
* History of Utah
* Territorial evolution of the United States

## References

[edit]

1. ^ 9 Stat. 453
2. ^ "Utah". World Statesmen. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
3. ^ Stewart, D. Michael (1994), "The Legal History of Utah", Utah History Encyclopedia, University of Utah Press, ISBN 9780874804256, archived from the original on November 3, 2022, retrieved June 20, 2024
4. ^ a b Alford, Kenneth L. (2017). Utah and the American Civil War: The Written Record. University of Oklahoma Press. p. 801\. ISBN 978-0-8061-5916-4.
5. ^ Vance, Del (2008). Beer in the Beehive (2 ed.). Salt Lake City: Dream Garden Press. p. 32.
6. ^ Lemay, Kate Clarke; Goodier, Susan; Tetrault, Lisa; Jones, Martha (2019). Votes for Women: A Portrait of Persistence. Princeton University Press. p. 270\. ISBN 9780691191171.
7. ^ better_admin (February 9, 2018). "Gaining, Losing, and Winning Back the Vote: The Story of Utah Women's Suffrage". Utah Women's History - Better Days. Retrieved June 9, 2025.
8. ^ Utah State Coat of Arms State Symbols USA.
9. ^ Utah State Emblem: Beehive eReferenceDesk.
10. ^ "Deseret News | 1976-07-01 | Page 64". newspapers.lib.utah.edu. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
11. ^ "Deseret News | 1854-07-27 | Page 3 | The Twenty Fourth". newspapers.lib.utah.edu. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
12. ^ "Deseret News | 1855-07-18 | Page 2 | Fourth of July, 1855". newspapers.lib.utah.edu. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
13. ^ "Deseret News | 1856-08-06 | Page 2 | Twenty Fourth of July Celebrations". newspapers.lib.utah.edu. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
14. ^ a b Forstall, Richard L. (ed.). Population of the States and Counties of the United States: 1790–1990 (PDF) (Report). United States Census Bureau. pp. 162–163. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
15. ^ Selcer, Richard F. (2006). Balkin, Richard (ed.). Civil War America: 1850 to 1875. New York: Facts on File. p. 143\. ISBN 978-0816038671.
16. ^ Gaustad, Edwin (1962). Historical Atlas of Religion in America. New York: Harper & Row.

## Further reading

[edit]

* (1994) "Coins and Currency" article in the Utah History Encyclopedia. The article was written by Leonard J. Arrington and the Encyclopedia was published by the University of Utah Press. ISBN 9780874804256. Archived from the original on March 21, 2024, and retrieved on April 12, 2024.
* (2017) Unpopular Sovereignty: Mormons and the Federal Management of Early Utah Territory by Brent M. Rogers, University of Nebraska Press.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Utah Territory.

* Utah in 1851, with the text of the 1850 Act of Congress to Establish the Territory of Utah, Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum
* Utah's Role in the Transcontinental Railroad, Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum
* Utah State History Archived April 20, 2021, at the Wayback Machine Utah Office of Tourism Official Website
* Henry Sommer, Watercolors and Pencil Drawings Related to the Utah Expedition. Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.

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State of Utah

Salt Lake City (capital)

Topics|

* Outline
* Climate change
* Congressional districts
* Earthquakes
* Flag
* Geography
* Government
* Governors
* Healthcare
* People

Society|

* Abortion
* Culture
* Crime
* Demographics
* Economy
* Education
* Gun laws
* Homelessness
* LGBT rights
* Politics

Regions|

* Cache Valley
* Colorado Plateau
* Dixie
* Great Basin
* Great Salt Lake Desert
* Mojave Desert
* Monument Valley
* San Rafael Swell
* Uinta Basin
* Uinta Mountains
* Wasatch Back
* Wasatch Front
* Wasatch Range

Largest cities|

* American Fork
* Bountiful
* Cedar City
* Clearfield
* Cottonwood Heights
* Draper
* Holladay
* Kaysville
* Layton
* Lehi
* Logan
* Midvale
* Millcreek
* Murray
* Ogden
* Orem
* Pleasant Grove
* Provo
* Riverton
* Roy
* St. George
* Salt Lake City
* Sandy
* South Jordan
* South Salt Lake
* Spanish Fork
* Springville
* Taylorsville
* Tooele
* West Jordan
* West Valley City

Counties|

* Beaver
* Box Elder
* Cache
* Carbon
* Daggett
* Davis
* Duchesne
* Emery
* Garfield
* Grand
* Iron
* Juab
* Kane
* Millard
* Morgan
* Piute
* Rich
* Salt Lake
* San Juan
* Sanpete
* Sevier
* Summit
* Tooele
* Uintah
* Utah
* Wasatch
* Washington
* Wayne
* Weber

Important sites|

| National monuments|

* Bears Ears National Monument
* Cedar Breaks National Monument
* Dinosaur National Monument
* Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument
* Hovenweep National Monument
* Natural Bridges National Monument
* Rainbow Bridge National Monument
* Timpanogos Cave National Monument

|

National parks|

* Arches National Park
* Bryce Canyon National Park
* Canyonlands National Park
* Capitol Reef National Park
* Zion National Park

National recreation areas|

* Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area
* Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

Ski resorts|

* Alta Ski Area
* Beaver Mountain
* Brian Head Ski Resort
* Brighton Ski Resort
* Cherry Peak Resort
* Deer Valley
* Park City Mountain Resort
* Powder Mountain
* Snowbasin
* Snowbird Ski Resort
* Solitude Mountain Resort
* Sundance Resort
* Wolf Mountain

Other|

* Bonneville Salt Flats
* Golden Spike National Historical Park
* Great Salt Lake
* Lagoon (amusement park)
* Temple Square
* Evermore Park

History|

* African American
* Black Hawk War (1865–1872)
* Mormon Trail
* Mormon settlement techniques of the Salt Lake Valley
* Runaway Officials of 1851
* Salt Lake City
* Slavery
* State of Deseret
* Territorial evolution
* Tintic War
* Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
* Utah Territory
* Utah Territory in the American Civil War
* Utah War
* Wakara's War
* World War II
* Women's suffrage
* 2002 Winter Olympics

Flora and fauna|

* Fauna
* Arachnids
* Birds
* Butterflies and moths
* Mammals
* Mollusks
* Flora
* Colorado Plateau and Canyonlands region
* Wasatch and Uinta montane forests
* Rocky Mountain Floristic Region
* Pando
* Jardine Juniper

Culture|

* America's Freedom Festival at Provo
* Mormon foodways
* Pioneer Day
* Utah...This Is the Place
* Utah Shakespeare Festival
* State fair
* Symbols
* Moab Jeep Safari

Utah portal

39°50′N 113°30′W﻿ / ﻿39.833°N 113.500°W﻿ / 39.833; -113.500
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