Salt Lake County, Utah Utah Territory after traveling what settlers later called Emigration Canyon. Brigham Young, their leader, declared "This is the place" after seeing the valley. Compared to eastern regions, it seemed arid and unpromising to some of the migrants. Settlers used extensive irrigation to develop agriculture and the flourishing, self-sufficient city, known then as Great Salt Lake City. Thousands of Mormons joined them in the next several decades. The county was officially organized on January 31, 1850, with slightly more than 11,000 residents recorded. Mormon settlements were scattered across the valley and beyond. They relocated the territorial capital to Great Salt Lake
East Bench, Salt Lake City East Bench, Salt Lake City East Bench in Salt Lake City, Utah is a relatively affluent and primarily residential neighborhood of Salt Lake City that lies at the base of the Wasatch Range and extends west to approximately 1500 East. Foothill is the northern part of this area, divided by Interstate 80, and takes its name from the area's major traffic artery of Foothill Drive (State Route 186), which runs parallel to the base of the mountains and connects Interstate 80 with the University of Utah and downtown Salt Lake City. The East Bench is bordered on the north by