Utah's Most Historic Towns

Utah's history is uniquely shaped by the Mormon Pioneer settlement (beginning 1847), the mining era, the transcontinental railroad, and the complex interactions with the Navajo, Ute, Paiute, and Goshute Nations.

Salt Lake City (Temple Square Historic District)
The pioneer city built by Brigham Young and the Mormon settlers who arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847. Temple Square — a 10-acre complex at the center of the city containing the Salt Lake Temple (completed 1893, 40 years of construction), the Tabernacle (home of the famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir), and multiple visitor centers — is the most visited tourist site in Utah. The Beehive House (Brigham Young's personal residence) and the Lion House (his official residence) are adjacent. Salt Lake City's grid street system, designed by Young with wide streets to allow wagons to turn around, is still the framework of the city.

Park City
A silver mining boom town from the 1870s, Park City's historic Main Street (lined with Victorian commercial buildings from the mining era) survived the bust years and has been transformed into Utah's premier ski resort town. The Utah Olympic Park (built for the 2002 Winter Olympics) has preserved the bobsled and luge facilities for public training and tours. The Sundance Film Festival — the most important independent film festival in the US — takes over the city each January.

Moab
A uranium and potash mining town that became the outdoor adventure capital of the American Southwest. Moab's history as a trading post for the Navajo Nation, a uranium boom town (1950s), and then a recreation hub gives it a layered character. The Scott M. Matheson Wetlands Preserve (a Nature Conservancy property on the Colorado River at the edge of town) is one of the finest riparian habitats in the canyon country.

Bluff
One of Utah's oldest Anglo settlements (1880) — established by the Hole-in-the-Rock pioneers who made an extraordinary journey through the canyon country. Bluff's red-rock setting in the San Juan Valley, the ruins of the 1880s homesteads, and the proximity to Bears Ears National Monument make it a significant historic and outdoor destination.