The View

Ensign Peak gave Brigham Young's 1847 exploring party a broad view of the Salt Lake Valley, cradled between the Oquirrh Mountains on the west and the Wasatch Range on the east. The valley was covered with tall grass, sagebrush, and desert flowers but had few trees. A river later named the Jordan ran the length of the valley and emptied into the Great Salt Lake, and a number of mountain streams flowed into it. Below their vantage point, efforts were already underway to cultivate the land, and from there the group began laying plans for the city. Beyond the State Capitol Building, State Street stretches long and straight into the distance, the Salt Lake Temple once dominated the landscape before tall buildings practically surrounded it, and the small communities that once dotted the valley have grown until their boundaries are often hard to distinguish.

Salt Lake City, Utah · United States