The western half is mostly covered by theGreat Salt Lake Desert and includes the city ofWendover (the immediate neighbor ofWest Wendover, Nevada) andIbapah. Within the central section lies Skull Valley, between theCedar and theStansbury Mountains. It contains a few small towns as well as theDugway Proving Ground. The population centers are on the eastern edge in the Tooele Valley, between theStansbury andOquirrh Mountains. This area contains the cities ofTooele,Grantsville,Erda, andLake Point as well as the unincorporated community ofStansbury Park.Tooele Army Depot is located on the southern edge of the valley. The Stockton Bar geologic feature separates Tooele Valley and Rush Valley, in which the towns ofStockton,Vernon,Faust, andRush Valley are located. Additional small towns,Ophir andMercur, are located in two canyons on the south western side of the Oquirrh Mountains.
Tooele is home to one of the nine statewide regional campuses ofUtah State University (located in the city of Tooele).
Evidence of several indigenousNative American groups has been found in Tooele County, but only the westernShoshone-speakingGoshute tribe claim the desolate lands as their ancestral home. The Goshute's traditional territory includes most of modern Tooele County.
The Great Salt Lake Desert, which comprises much of the northern portion of the county, provided a major stumbling block for the ill-fated Donner-Reed Party in 1846. Its crusty sand slowed the group's wagons to such an extent that the groupspent six days crossing its 80-mile length, severely sapping the group's resources and leading to their eventual disaster.
In 1847,Mormon pioneers settled in the neighboringSalt Lake Valley. Initially, Tooele Valley was used as a major grazing ground for Mormon cattle owners from Salt Lake and Utah Valleys.[5]: 4 In 1849 the first white settlers established permanent roots in the Tooele Valley. Building asaw mill, the settlement was calledE.T. City after LDS leaderE.T. Benson. The territorial legislature first designated Tooele County—initially called "Tuilla"—on January31, 1850, with significantly different boundaries.[6] Its government was not organized at that time, and the area was attached to Salt Lake County for judicial and administrative purposes. It is speculated the name derives from aNative American chief, but controversy exists about whether such a chief lived. Alternate explanations hypothesize that the name comes from "tu-wanda", the Goshute word for "bear", or from "tule", aSpanish word ofAztec origins meaning "bulrush".
The Goshutes did not accept Mormon encroachment on their traditional homeland. The Mormons occupied the best camping sites near reliable springs, hunted in Goshute hunting grounds, and overgrazed the meadowland, leaving it unfit for sustaining the animals and plants used by the Goshutes. Mormons believed that Utah was a promised land given to them by God, and did not recognize any Goshute claim to the land.[5]: 5 Goshutes began confiscating Mormon cattle that trespassed onto their property.[7] In response, the Mormons ordered their armies to kill the Goshutes. In 1850, they ambushed a Goshute village, but the Goshutes were able to defend themselves without casualties. Later that year, a contingent of at least 50 men attacked the Goshute camp, killing nine and suffering no casualties. In 1851, GeneralDaniel H. Wells took 30 people prisoners. After they tried to escape, Wells executed them.[5]: 11–12 Similar attacks occurred throughout the 1850s with Goshutes typically being on the losing side.
By June10, 1851, the county government was organized. On that date the county attachment to Salt Lake County was terminated. By 1852,Grantsville, Batesville, andPine Canyon (later named Lincoln) were settled.
In 1855 the town of Richville was designatedcounty seat, but it soon became clear thatTooele was much larger. In 1861 the territorial legislature allowed the county to select a new seat, and Tooele was selected.
In 1859 Robert B. Jarvis, aU.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs representative, convinced some of thenomadic bands to congregate at afarm reservation called Deep Creek. The results looked promising, but Jarvis' resignation in 1860 led support to disappear and the farm to be abandoned. Jarvis' replacement, Benjamin Davies, noted the Goshutes had lost faith in the federal government, and recommended limiting further encroachments on Goshute land, but his suggestions were largely ignored.
Twenty-two overlandstagecoach outposts were built in Goshute territory, often on the sites of rare natural springs. Goshute attacks on mail outposts escalated in 1860, resulting in dozens of deaths in alternating waves of raids. At the outbreak of theAmerican Civil War, federal troops left the area leaving defense in the hands of theNauvoo Legion until GeneralPatrick E. Connor arrived inSalt Lake City fromCalifornia in 1862.
Connor acted ruthlessly toward the natives. He killed over 300 Shoshone in southernIdaho in 1863. Connor's men attacked Native American camps, sometimes indiscriminately, but through 1863 stage coach companies had lost 16 men and over 150horses to depredations. A peace treaty was signed in 1863 which included anannuity of goods andUS$1000 in compensation of killed game in exchange for an end to the hostilities, and use of routes through the natives' territories. The treaty did not cede Goshute control of land, but a follow-up agreement made in June 1865 did.
Minerals discovered in Tooele County led to a population boom.
General Connor, who wasanti-Mormon, also encouraged his troops to prospect for minerals. Connor believed thatmining would bring non-Mormons toUtah Territory. After his men discoveredgold,silver,lead, andzinc deposits in Tooele County in 1864 he was proven right. The Rush Valley Mining District was established by soldiers in the westernOquirrh Mountains and more than 100 claims were staked in the first year. Two new mining towns,Ophir andLewiston ballooned to over 6,000 people each in the 1870s, exceeding the population of Tooele and all the Mormon settlements in the area.
Tooele County as originally defined extended into present-dayNevada. The county's borders were adjusted in 1852, in 1854, in 1856, in 1861, and in 1862. WhenNevada Territory was created in 1862, the county's borders were impacted, and when the Territory became a state (1864), Tooele County was formally divested of all its Nevada area. Two more boundary adjustments were made in 1870 and 1880, after which it has retained its boundaries to the present.[4]
From 1874 to 1879, non-Mormon politicians from theLiberal Party of Utah gained control of Tooele County, the first time any non-Mormons had success in Utah politics. Whimsically, they called the county the Republic of Tooele.
The 1874 election marked the first success of theanti-Mormon Liberal Party, which was organized in 1870. The party viewed the large non-Mormon mining population in the county as a natural environment for electoral success and campaigned fiercely in Tooele's mining districts leading up to the June 1874 election. The non-Mormon appointedgovernor of Utah Territory,George L. Woods, campaigned for the Liberals in Tooele County.
The old Tooele County Courthouse was site of a political power struggle in 1874.
The incumbent MormonPeople's Party observed several Tooele polling places on election day and lodged complaints of fraud after the Liberal Party triumphed by about 300 votes out of 2,200. The People's Party alleged Liberal Party supporters had voted more than once, that many had not been residents for the required six months, and they were not taxpayers—according to territorial law, only taxpayers could vote in elections. The People's Party called attention to the 2,200 votes cast in the election although only 1,500 Tooele Countyproperty taxpayers were on record. Incumbents refused to yield control of the Tooele County recorder's office and the Tooele County Courthouse because of the alleged fraud.
Governor Woods dismissed the complaints and certified the Liberal victory. Third District Court Judge JamesB. McKean ruled that no evidence showing illegal activity had been presented. McKean construedpoll tax as within the meaning of being a taxpayer. Since no evidence was provided there were over 300carpetbaggers or repeat votes in the election, McKean sustained the tally and authorized deputyU.S. Marshals to install the Liberal candidates.
The recorder's office was seized when it was momentarily abandoned, but a contingent of People's Party supporters and incumbents held the county courthouse night and day. The marshals and Liberal Party candidates, outnumbered, attempted to negotiate with the armed and barricaded Mormons. Aware that a show of aggression could spark a battle, the parties were nonetheless unable to come to an agreement to hand over power.
McKean issued an even more strongly worded injunction, andBrigham Young advised his followers that they had an obligation to obey the federal courts. The county courthouse was abandoned, thus beginning about five years of Liberal Party rule. However, theUtah territorial legislature, which had the last say on the qualifications of its members, refused to seat the Liberal Party representative from Tooele County.
The Liberals won an unopposed 1876 election.
In 1876, the territorial legislature passed bills requiringvoter registration and requiringwomen's suffrage for local elections—women had been voting in territorial elections since 1870. The Liberal Party, typically supported by male miners casually interested in politics, opposed both measures. In 1878 the Liberal majority in Tooele County disappeared, and the People's Party regained control in 1879 after more than six months of Liberal procedural delays.
The Republic of Tooele era was characterized by subsequent politicians as one of excessive spending. The county was left with about $16,000 in debt, significantly more than it started with.[citation needed]
Mining continued to play an important part in Tooele County into the 20th century, but the county benefited from two major military bases located in the western portion of the county.Wendover Air Force Base, now closed, was the training base of theEnola Gay crew, which dropped the firstatomic weapon in 1945. TheTooele Army Depot, built in 1942, formerly housed the largest store ofchemical andbiological weapons, 45 percent of the nation's, in the United States, at theDeseret Chemical Depot. Starting August 1996, the store was reduced by destruction in a controversial weapons incinerator, at theTooele Chemical Agent Disposal Facility; the last such weapon was destroyed in January 2012.[8][9]
Since the 1980s, much of Tooele County's economic prospects have centered around privatehazardous waste disposal facilities. Between 1988 and 1993, hazardous waste landfills and incinerators have been installed atClive andAragonite.[10] This, coupled withuranium mine tailings fromSalt Lake County which were disposed in Tooele County in the 1980s, the presence of the Deseret Chemical Depot, and a high-polluting magnesium facility inRowley, have contributed to a general perception of Tooele County as a "sacrifice zone" for unwanted wastes.[10]
Tooele County lies on the west side of Utah. Its west border abuts the east border of the state ofNevada. Its northeast border abuts theGreat Salt Lake. Three significant mountain ranges run north–south through the county. Its east boundary line is delineated by the crestline of theOquirrh Mountains, which separate the Tooele Valley from the Salt Lake Valley. TheStansbury Mountains parallel the Oquirrhs in the eastern part of the county, and theCedar Mountains also run parallel to the other two through the east-central part of the county. There are also isolated prominences across the county, especially at its SW corner. The county terrain is largely arid and unused for agriculture unless irrigation water is available.[12] The county generally slopes to the north. Its highest elevation isDeseret Peak in the Stansburys, at 11,031 ft (3,362 m) ASL. The county has a total area of 7,286 square miles (18,870 km2), of which 6,941 square miles (17,980 km2) is land and 345 square miles (890 km2) (4.7%) is water.[13]
There were 36,687 (50.46%) males and 36,011 (49.54%) females, and the population distribution by age was 23,959 (33.0%) under the age of 18, 41,869 (57.6%) from 18 to 64, and 6,870 (9.5%) who were at least 65 years old. The median age was 31.4 years.
There were 22,087 households in Tooele County with an average size of 3.29 of which 17,531 (79.4%) were families and 4,556 (20.6%) were non-families. Among all families, 13,990 (63.3%) weremarried couples, 1,398 (6.3%) were male householders with no spouse, and 2,143 (9.7%) were female householders with no spouse. Among all non-families, 3,572 (16.2%) were a single person living alone and 984 (4.5%) were two or more people living together. 10,566 (47.8%) of all households had children under the age of 18. 17,970 (81.4%) of households wereowner-occupied while 4,117 (18.6%) wererenter-occupied.
The median income for a Tooele County household was $76,737 and the median family income was $83,730, with aper-capita income of $27,702. The median income for males that werefull-time employees was $57,579 and for females $40,845. 5.9% of the population and 4.7% of families were below thepoverty line.
Heavy industry and the resulting pollution of the air, soil, and groundwater has affected the region in several ways. The US Environmental Protection Agency has reported that Tooele-basedUS Magnesium discharges dangerous toxins and cancerous byproducts. In 2008, the federal government considered listing the area as aSuperfund site. Tooele County was listed in 1989 as having the worst air in Utah, according to federal agencies and environmental groups.[21] The Tooele County Health Department notes that the chemical output of the heavy industry can be particularly dangerous in the winter, because the region's climate and setting create winter inversions, suspending the toxins in the air, and posing "serious health concerns".[22]
Due to the history of toxic waste disposal in the area, Tooele County and Utah residents have opposed plans to dispose of nuclear waste in the county boundaries. A high level nuclear waste site proposed to be built at the Goshute Tribe Reservation in Skull Valley faced opposition until the plan slowly fizzled out.[23] Projects to dispose of depleted uranium at Energy Solution's Clive facility continue to cause controversy.[24]
From1932 through1968, Tooele County tended Democratic, selecting the Democratic nominee in every election save1956 (but being blue enough to vote forStevenson in1952). From1972 on, however, it has become powerfully Republican, voting Democratic only once in this period thus far, forBill Clinton in1996 (with a low plurality and by a narrow margin).
^abJ. Matthew Shumway and Richard H. Jackson, "Place Making, Hazardous Waste, and the Development of Tooele County, Utah".The Geographical Review, 98 (2008), pp. 433-455.
(1994)"Tooele County" article in theUtah History Encyclopedia. The article was written by Miriam B. Murphy and the Encyclopedia was published by the University of Utah Press. ISBN 9780874804256. Archived fromthe original on November 3, 2022, and retrieved on March 27, 2024.
