By Kathryn Feltwell Salt Lake County is bordered on the east and west by mountains creating a valley. Part of the Great Salt Lake is included in the northern part of the county. When looking at Salt Lake County today, you might forget that only a couple hundred years ago the valley was empty of human structures and many trees. A few Shoshone and Ute Indians used the area for hunting. William H. Ashley trappers, around 1824, were the first white men to see the area. The area changed forever when in 1847 the Mormon pioneers came into the valley led by Brigham Young. Within days after their arrival these pioneers set up a city that they called the Great Salt Lake City that later became known as Salt Lake City. SALT LAKES BEGINNING DAYS LDS survivors who made it to SLC July 24, 1847 Salt Lake ValleyBrigham Young PROGRESSION OF SALT LAKE COUNTY Salt Lakes Beginning days Salt Lake City now FUN FACTS ABOUT SALT LAKE COUNTY Hosted Winter Olympics in 2002 Salt Lake is the Capital of Utah In 1869, the first transcontinental railroad was completed Mormon temple took 40 years to build View of Salt Lake from the sky: Salt Lake City, Utah Night view from airplane - YouTubeSalt Lake City, Utah Night view from airplane - YouTube THINGS TO DO IN SALT LAKE COUNTY Children's Museum of Utah Pioneer Memorial Museum Utah State Capitol Building Great Salt Lake State Park Utah Museum of Fine Arts Hill Aerospace Museum Utah Museum of Natural History Utah State Historical Society Fort Douglas Military Museum Social Hall Heritage Museum Trolley Square Temple Square Beehive House Brighton Ski Resort Liberty Park Joseph Smith Memorial Building Alta Ski Area Eccles Dinosaur Park Mormon Tabernacle Choir Park City Historic Main Street Thanksgiving Point Gardens Museum of Church History and Art Websites to Visit to find what you can do in Utah County: ke.htmlhttp://ilovehistory.utah.gov/place/counties/salt_la ke.html(Fun Facts for Kids)