History of Tooele
About 30,000 people reside in
our community and we are prepared to meet the challenges of the
21st Century. Tooele City, a Utah community, is nestled at the
foothills of the Oquirrh Mountains. It is located about 35 miles
southwest of Salt Lake City. Even though the origin of the name
"Tooele" has been disputed for decades, everyone agrees
that we have a rich, colorful history. Four significant eras capsulize
the rich history of Tooele City:
Goshute
About 100 Goshute Indians lived in Tooele Valley when Capt. Howard
Stansbury surveyed the region for the U.S. Army in 1853. The Goshutes
- who were said to "have no friends and few enemies"
- lived primarily off of berries, seeds, jack rabbits, deer and
insects. Their homes were of cedar, brushes, caves or dugouts,
and their clothing was made of rabbit or deer hides.
Pioneer
On Sept. 4, 1849, three Mormon pioneer families settled on a small
stream south of present Tooele City. A few months later four men
obtained timber rights from Small Canyon (today's Middle Canyon)
and Big Canyon (Settlement Canyon). Tooele City Corporation was
formed in 1853. -----Tooele was primarily an agricultural community
and grew to a population of about 1,200 at the turn of the century.
Many of the prominent families who settled Tooele have descendants
living in the area. Like their ancestors, these families play
an integral role in building our community.
Mining
Tooele transformed into an industrialized city during the first
half of this century and the population increased to 5,000 people
by 1930. The transformation was boosted by the construction of
railroads and the opening of the International Smelting and Refining
Company, east of Tooele. The Tooele Valley Railroad, a seven mile
line, ran from the smelter west to the Union Pacific Railroad
main line. In the eastern section of Tooele, "Newtown"
was built for many of the 1,000 smelter workers. Families from
the Balkans, Italy, Greece, and Asia Minor lived in this area
and formed their own community. Newtown included its own school,
church, culture and numerous languages.
