Ancient Pueblo cultures, known as the
Anasazi and Fremont Indians, had an agricultural lifestyle
in southern Utah from about 1 A.D. to 1300. Utes and
Navajos lived across what is now Utah for centuries
before the arrival of explorers, mountain men, and pioneers.
While residents of the eastern United
States were declaring independence from England, Catholic
Spanish Explorers and Mexican traders drew maps and
kept journals documenting Utah's terrain, and the native
people, as well as plants and animals. In the 1820's
mountain men roamed northern Utah, taking advantage
of abundant fur trapping opportunities.
During 1847, members of the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) migrated
to the Salt Lake Valley seeking religious freedom.
This last century, people of varied
ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds have made
Utah their home - drawn by the state's beauty, and by
economic opportunities. Together, this diverse populace
made, and continues to make, great contributions to
Utah's quality of life.
