Tag Archive: salt lake city

Historic Benson Grist Mill – Winter – Tooele, Utah

Historic Benson Grist Mill - Winter - Tooele, Utah

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In 1854, on the orders of Mormon Church President Brigham Young, LDS apostle Ezra Taft Benson arrived in Tooele Valley to construct a gristmill that would serve new settlers to the area.

Located next to a spring-fed pond, the Benson Gristmill was made of rock and wood by skilled pioneer artisans over 150 years ago. From 1854, until the 1940’s the mill produced milled wheat and corn.

From 1854 to the 1940’s, the Benson Mill processed wheat and corn by the ton. The milling equipment can be seen inside the mill during the tour.

For more than 40’s after its closure, the mill stood idle. Then in 1983 a group of volunteers began restoration of the structure seen today.

The Tooele Valley sits directly west of Salt Lake City, along the I-80 Interstate corridor that stretches toward Wendover and the Nevada Border.

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Snow – Aspen – Pine – Winter Fog – Wasatch Mountains

Snow - Aspen - Pine - Winter Fog - Wasatch Mountains

A dusting of snow covers a forest of aspen and pine in Big Cottonwood Canyon, a canyon in the Wasatch Mountains, that is accessible in the summer and winter months from the Salt Lake Valley in northern Utah.

The Wasatch is a 250 mile long north-south mountain range in northern Utah, that is begins south of Mt. Nebo, the ranges highest point 11,928 feet (3,636 m), at the southern end of Utah Valley and ends near the Bear River close to the Utah/Idaho border. Its known for world class hiking, and what Utahan’s have called the greatest snow on Earth, during the ski season.

Geologically, the Wasatch are considered part of the larger Rocky Mountain range that features most prominently in Colorado to the East.

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Kennecott Oquirrh Mountains Reflection – Utah

Kennecott Oquirrh Mountains Reflection – Utah

The Oquirrh Mountains are located in northern Utah, stretching from the southeastern edge of the Great Salt Lake southwards to the Utah Valley. They are situated between they sit on the western edge of the Salt Lake Valley, and the northern corner of Utah Valley.

The highest peak in the range is Desolation Peak, which rises to an elevation of about 11,052 feet (3,364 meters)

As can be visibly seen in the photograph, the Oquirrh Mountains have a rich mining history, particularly for copper. The Bingham Canyon Mine, also known as the Kennecott Copper Mine, is one of the largest open-pit copper mines in the world. Mining in the area began in the late 19th century and continues to be a significant economic activity in the region.

Kennecott Oquirrh Mountains Reflection - Utah

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