52-504: The Tooele Transcript-Bulletin is a weekly newspaper serving Tooele County, Utah and environs. The paper, originally called the Tooele Transcript , was purchased by James Dunn, a Scottish farmer and poet, in 1898 for $ 20. It has remained in the hands of the Dunn family for several generations since. In 1923, the paper acquired the rival The Tooele Bulletin , and began publishing under
104-474: A graduate or professional degree . 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-based US Magnesium discharges dangerous toxins and cancerous byproducts. In 2008, the US Government considered listing the area as a Superfund site. Tooele County was listed in 1989 as having
156-538: A mill site in the north end of the Tooele Valley, to serve the communities being proposed for that area. By 1851 a sawmill was operating at the site, and in 1854 the Lee brothers were hired to build a grist mill. In 1854 the area was called "Richville", and served as the area's first county seat ( Tooele City was named the county seat in 1861). The mill itself was named the "E.T. Benson Flour Mill". In 1860 Brigham Young purchased
208-448: 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 were owner-occupied while 4,117 (18.6%) were renter-occupied . The median income for a Tooele County household was $ 76,737 and the median family income was $ 83,730, with a per-capita income of $ 27,702. The median income for males that were full-time employees
260-505: Is a county in the U.S. state of Utah . As of the 2020 United States Census , the population was 72,698. Its county seat and largest city is Tooele . The county was created in 1850 and organized the following year. Tooele County is part of the Salt Lake City , UT Metropolitan Statistical Area . A 2008 CNNMoney.com article identified Tooele as the U.S. county experiencing the greatest job growth since 2000. The western half
312-500: Is a restoration-replica museum located in Tooele County, Utah in the western United States, which allows visitors to see the inner workings of a latter-nineteenth-century pioneer gristmill . It has four other historic (nineteenth-century) buildings which have been moved onto the site, as well as four ancillary structures, including an open-air pavilion. It covers 6.98 acres (2.82 hectare) along State Highway 138 , 0.8 mile southwest of
364-538: Is available. The county generally slopes to the north. Its highest elevation is Deseret 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 km ), of which 6,941 square miles (17,980 km ) is land and 345 square miles (890 km ) (4.7%) is water. Covering vast amounts of the Great Salt Lake desert west of Salt Lake Valley , Tooele County
416-590: Is home to the Bonneville Salt Flats , traversed by Interstate 80 and the Wendover Cut-off , the former routing of the Victory Highway . Tooele County lies on the west side of Utah. Its west border abuts the east border of the state of Nevada . Its northeast border abuts the Great Salt Lake . Three significant mountain ranges run north–south through the county. Its east boundary line is delineated by
468-741: Is mostly covered by the Great Salt Lake Desert and includes the city of Wendover (the immediate neighbor of West Wendover, Nevada ) and Ibapah . Within the central section lies Skull Valley, between the Cedar and the Stansbury Mountains . It contains a few small towns as well as the Dugway Proving Ground . The population centers are on the eastern edge in the Tooele Valley, between the Stansbury and Oquirrh Mountains. This area contains
520-621: Is the second largest county in Utah and among the driest. The Skull Valley Indian Reservation lies in Skull Valley , between the Cedar and Stansbury mountain ranges. According to the 2020 United States census and 2020 American Community Survey , there were 72,698 people in Tooele County with a population density of 10.3 people per square mile (4.0/km ). Among non- Hispanic or Latino people,
572-652: The American Civil War , federal troops left the area leaving defense in the hands of the Nauvoo Legion until General Patrick E. Connor arrived in Salt Lake City from California in 1862. Connor acted ruthlessly toward the natives. He killed over 300 Shoshone in Southern Idaho in 1863. Connor's men attacked Native American camps, sometimes indiscriminately, but through 1863 stage coach companies had lost 16 men and over 150 horses to depredations. A peace treaty
SECTION 10
#1732851821978624-779: The Deseret Chemical Depot . Starting August 1996, the store was reduced by destruction in a controversial weapons incinerator, at the Tooele Chemical Agent Disposal Facility ; the last such weapon was destroyed in January 2012. Since the 1980s, much of Tooele County's economic prospects have centered around private hazardous waste disposal facilities. Between 1988 and 1993, hazardous waste landfills and incinerators have been installed at Clive and Aragonite . This, coupled with uranium mine tailings from Salt Lake County which were disposed in Tooele County in
676-736: The Transcript-Bulletin name. The paper has won awards for editorial excellence over the years, and was named the best non-daily newspaper in Utah by the Society of Professional Journalists Utah Headliners in 2007, 2009 and 2010. The newspaper's parent company, Transcript Bulletin Publishing , is a printing, publishing and design enterprise serving clients across the USA. Tooele County, Utah Tooele County ( / t uː ˈ w ɪ l ə / too- WIL -ə )
728-581: The Utah 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 requiring voter registration and requiring women'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
780-404: The 1850s with Goshutes typically being on the losing side. By June 10, 1851, the county government was organized. On that date the county attachment to Salt Lake County was terminated. By 1852, Grantsville , Batesville, and Pine Canyon (later named Lincoln) were settled. In 1855 the town of Richville was designated county seat , but it soon became clear that Tooele was much larger. In 1861
832-691: The 1980s, the presence of the Deseret Chemical Depot, and a high-polluting magnesium facility in Rowley , have contributed to a general perception of Tooele County as a " sacrifice zone " for unwanted wastes. News coverage for the county is provided by the Tooele Transcript-Bulletin newspaper. On September 8, 2004, the Genesis spacecraft crashed into the desert floor of the Dugway Proving Ground in Tooele County. The county's western portion
884-588: The 2,200 votes cast in the election although only 1,500 Tooele County property 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 James B. McKean ruled that no evidence showing illegal activity had been presented. McKean construed poll tax as within
936-527: 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 the Enola Gay crew, which dropped the first atomic weapon in 1945. The Tooele Army Depot , built in 1942, formerly housed the largest store of chemical and biological weapons , 45 percent of the nation's, in the United States, at
988-844: The Democratic nominee in every election save 1956 (but being blue enough to vote for Stevenson in 1952 ). From 1972 on, however, it has become powerfully Republican, voting Democratic only once in this period thus far, for Bill Clinton in 1996 (with a low plurality and by a narrow margin). All parts of Tooele County are in the Tooele School District . Tooele is home to one of the nine statewide regional campuses of Utah State University. 40°27′N 113°11′W / 40.45°N 113.18°W / 40.45; -113.18 Benson Grist Mill 40°38′58″N 112°17′48″W / 40.649387°N 112.296753°W / 40.649387; -112.296753 Benson Grist Mill
1040-514: 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 overland stagecoach 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
1092-461: 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 debt, significantly more than it started with. Mining continued to play an important part in Tooele County into
SECTION 20
#17328518219781144-551: The Liberals in Tooele County. The incumbent Mormon People'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
1196-480: 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, General Daniel H. Wells took 30 people prisoners. After they tried to escape, Wells executed them. Similar attacks occurred throughout
1248-488: 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%) were married 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
1300-574: 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. Projects to dispose of depleted uranium at Energy Solution's Clive facility continue to cause controversy. From 1932 through 1968 , Tooele County tended Democratic, selecting
1352-429: 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. Judge McKean issued an even more strongly worded injunction, and Brigham 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,
1404-405: 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. Goshutes began confiscating Mormon cattle that trespassed onto their property. In response,
1456-426: The cities of Tooele , Grantsville , Erda , and Lake Point as well as the unincorporated community of Stansbury 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 of Stockton , Vernon , Faust , and Rush Valley are located. Additional small towns, Ophir and Mercur , are located in two canyons on
1508-588: The county the Republic of Tooele. The 1874 election marked the first success of the anti-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 appointed governor of Utah Territory , George L. Woods , campaigned for
1560-686: The crestline of the Oquirrh Mountains , which separate the Tooele Valley from the Salt Lake Valley. The Stansbury Mountains parallel the Oquirrhs in the eastern part of the county, and the Cedar 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
1612-441: The elements and allowing unfettered access. It was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1972. In 1983 a Stansbury Park resident, John "Jack" Smith, formed a committee to acquire and restore the historic mill. The committee succeeded in getting the mill property deeded to Tooele County, and in causing the county to create a governmental unit to oversee the mill's restoration and operation. Restoration of
Tooele Transcript-Bulletin - Misplaced Pages Continue
1664-509: The intersection of the Road with State Highway 36 (known as Mills Junction). The museum is owned and operated by a division of Tooele County . History of Tooele County, published by Tooele County Daughters of Utah Pioneers in 1961, states: "A gristmill was built in 1854 at Lake Point, Utah , then known as Twin Springs Creek. Thomas Lee was hired by the church corporation to erect the mill. It
1716-489: The meaning of being a taxpayer. Since no evidence was provided there were over 300 carpetbaggers or repeat votes in the election, McKean sustained the tally and authorized deputy U.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
1768-503: The mill (in the name of the church), when Benson moved to the Cache Valley , some 100 miles north of the grist mill. By 1862 the mill was named "Young and Rowberry's". John Rowberry lived in the mill area, and had been called as bishop of the local congregation in the area, which was known as either "Milltown" or "Richville" (both names appear on documents of the era). In 1922 a former Grantsville, Utah resident, J. Reuben Clark (who
1820-484: The mill and construction or repair of the other facilities and structures at the site were largely completed by volunteer effort, with financial assistance from the county. By the late 1980s visitors were being accepted to tour the site. A pioneer-era-style building has been erected east of the mill, to serve as a site office. A similar building was erected northwest of the mill to serve as a Country Store, selling artifacts and mementos. The Bolinder Blacksmith Shop, which
1872-414: 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 group spent 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 neighboring Salt Lake Valley . Initially, Tooele Valley
1924-405: The racial makeup was 58,199 (80.1%) White , 436 (0.6%) African American , 445 (0.6%) Native American , 511 (0.7%) Asian , 637 (0.9%) Pacific Islander , 282 (0.4%) from other races , and 2,666 (3.7%) from two or more races . 9,522 (13.1%) people were Hispanic or Latino. 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
1976-555: The site in 1939. In 1970 the Clark family sold the area containing the mill to Terracor Corporation, as part of its planning to develop a planned community ( Stansbury Park , named for the Stansbury Mountain Range along the west side of the valley). However, the corporation had no immediate plan for the mill itself, and it lay unused and neglected for another 25 years. By the 1980s the mill was in serious disrepair, largely open to
2028-559: The south western side of the Oquirrh Mountains. Tooele is home to one of the nine statewide regional campuses of Utah State University (located in the city of Tooele). Evidence of several indigenous Native American groups has been found in Tooele County, but only the western Shoshone -speaking Goshute 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
2080-467: The sum of $ 3,333.33 for all claim to the gristmill known as Bensons Mill located on Twin Springs. Consisting of an adobe dwelling house, sheep sheds, cattle and sheep corrals, pig pens, hen house and all other out houses; also water rights.' "This mill (the original building still exists) was noted for its honesty and integrity. A favorite expression of the early settlers, when the safety of their possessions
2132-476: The territorial legislature allowed the county to select a new seat, and Tooele was selected. In 1859 Robert B. Jarvis, a U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs representative, convinced some of the nomadic bands to congregate at a farm 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
Tooele Transcript-Bulletin - Misplaced Pages Continue
2184-401: The worst air in Utah, according to Federal agencies and environmental groups. 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". Due to the history of toxic waste disposal in
2236-430: Was $ 57,579 and for females $ 40,845. 5.9% of the population and 4.7% of families were below the poverty line . In terms of education attainment, out of the 40,623 people in Tooele County 25 years or older, 3,224 (7.9%) had not completed high school , 12,971 (31.9%) had a high school diploma or equivalency, 15,055 (37.1%) had some college or associate degree , 6,091 (15.0%) had a bachelor's degree , and 3,282 (8.1%) had
2288-563: Was built in nearby Grantsville, Utah nearly a century ago, was moved onto the Mill site in 1987. Its interior has been preserved to show the blacksmithing trade environment. The Forsyth Pioneer Cabin, which was erected in 1872, west of Adobe Rock, was built by Andrew Barker Forsyth for his bride, Emily Elizabeth Moss. Andrew had come to Tooele County in 1866 with his father, who managed the nearby Grantsville Woolen Mill (the walls of which are still standing and visible from Highway 36). The Forsyth Cabin
2340-583: 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. From 1874 to 1879, non-Mormon politicians from the Liberal Party of Utah gained control of Tooele County, the first time any non-Mormons had success in Utah politics. Whimsically, they called
2392-558: Was in question was, 'As safe as flour in the lower mill!' "The mill changed hands many times during the next few years after serving the people for many useful years; it was abandoned in the early 1900s." In 1850, Brigham Young , President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), authorized Ezra T. Benson , a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles , to develop
2444-481: Was living in Salt Lake City, where he practiced law), purchased the mill property. By that time its wood waterwheel and its millstones had been replaced by a metal turbine and imported "grain breakers". The mill continued to operate until 1938 to grind flour for area residents, but after that it was used intermittently for a few years to grind meal for animals. The last mill operator was Oscar C. Jones, who departed
2496-525: Was located near the Saw Mill and Tannery. Among members of the corporation were John Rowberry, Ezra T. Benson and Benjamin Crosland. Rowberry moved his family from Tooele to the mill location where he supervised the mill. E.T.Benson acquired sole ownership of the mill from the corporation as is attested by the following bill of sale copied from the records of the county. 'June 23, 1866, E.T. Benson to Brigham Young
2548-524: 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 a Native 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 ", a Spanish word of Aztec origins meaning " bulrush ". The Goshutes did not accept Mormon encroachment on their traditional homeland. The Mormons occupied
2600-571: Was proven right. The Rush Valley Mining District was established by soldiers in the western Oquirrh Mountains and more than 100 claims were staked in the first year. Two new mining towns, Ophir and Lewiston ballooned to over 6000 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-day Nevada . The county's borders were adjusted in 1852, in 1854, in 1856, in 1861, and in 1862. When Nevada Territory
2652-561: Was signed in 1863 which included an annuity of goods and US$ 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. General Connor, who was anti-Mormon , also encouraged his troops to prospect for minerals. Connor believed that mining would bring non-Mormons to Utah Territory . After his men discovered gold , silver , lead , and zinc deposits in Tooele County in 1864 he
SECTION 50
#17328518219782704-445: Was used as a major grazing ground for Mormon cattle owners from Salt Lake and Utah Valleys. In 1849 the first white settlers established permanent roots in the Tooele Valley. Building a saw mill , the settlement was called E.T. City after LDS leader E.T. Benson . The territorial legislature first designated Tooele County—initially called "Tuilla"—on January 31, 1850, with significantly different boundaries. Its government
#977022