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Tooele County


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Tooele County Facts:

County Website: Tooele County
Area: 7,286 square miles
Population: 72,259 (in 2019)
County Seat: Tooele City
Origin of County Name: probably from tule, a Spanish word of Aztec origin, meaning bulrush, a marsh plant
Cities/Towns: Erda, Grantsville, Lake Point, Lincoln, Rush Valley, Stansbury Park, Stockton, Tooele, Vernon, Wendover
Economy: defense, transportation, communications, trade, services
Points of Interest: Bonneville Speedway, Deseret Peak Wilderness Area, Grantsville First Ward Meetinghouse, Great Salt Lake, Iosepa Cemetery, Old Pony Express and Stage Route, Ophir Town Hall,

 

About Tooele County:

Tooele County is the second largest county in the state.   While most of the western part of the county is now owned by the federal government, there are several cities in the eastern part of the county that have roots as far back as the late 1800's.  Before towns were established, the Goshute Indians considered this area to be their ancestral homeland.  In the late 1850's the U.S. government sent 3,500 troops to Fairfield, Utah to build Camp Floyd which began a year-long struggle known as the Utah War.  In the 1860's the Pony Express trail had many stops in what is now Tooele County, including Simpson Springs. Towns were established during the county's history for mining, many of which are now ghost towns.  Gristmills were also built which helped the county economically.   Later, in the 1940's, the Wendover Airfield Base and the Dugway Proving Ground were built to help with preparations for World War II.  Dugway is still in use today.

Today, Tooele County has many thriving communities including Tooele City and Stansbury Park.  Each city has residents who commute to Salt Lake City every day for work.  One of the largest employers in the area is the Tooele Army Depot that has been involved in incinerating weapons since 1943 when the base was established.   In the northern part of the county, the Bonneville Salt Flats, remnants of ancient Lake Bonneville, are famous for the amount of flat land and the speeds vehicles are able to reach at the Bonneville Speedway. With all the variety of things to do and see in Tooele County a person can see why the county is so important to Utah.

 

Resources:

More information for Tooele County can be found at the following sites:

 

Gallery:


Benson Grist Mill located in Stansbury Park, Utah.
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 Erda, Utah overlooking the Great Salt Lake and Stansbury Island.
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The Bonneville Salt Flats.
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Bonneville Salt Flats near Wendover, Utah.
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The Bonneville Salt Flats.
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The Bonneville Salt Flats are a 30,000 acre expanse of hard, white salt crust on the western edge of the Great Salt Lake basin in Utah.
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Tooele City Hall in Tooele, Utah.
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The Tooele County Courthouse and City Hall, a historic building in Tooele, Utah.
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The Reddick Hotel - Ophir LDS Meetinghouse, a historic building in Ophir, Utah.
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The Lawrence Brothers and Company Store, a historic building in Ophir, Utah.
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The Grantsville First Ward Meetinghouse, a historic meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grantsville, Utah.
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The Grantsville School and Meetinghouse, a historic building in Grantsville, Utah, now houses the Donner-Reed Pioneer Museum, dedicated to the Donner Party.
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Pony Express Historical Marker, Tooele, Utah.
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The Pony Express Trail.
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