Keywords

Environment, Environmental History, Salt Lake City, Utah, Sanitation History, Municipal Services, Public Health, Waterworks, Parks and Recreation

Abstract

Although visitors to Salt Lake City during its earliest years described the valley as a place of order and beauty, by the 1880s the city had become dirty, polluted, and unsanitary. This article details the efforts at improvement beginning in the 1880s, including the installation of water and sewer systems, public transportation, electricity, paved streets, and the beautification of parks and playgrounds.

Original Publication Citation

J. Michael Hunter, "A Time for Change: Improving Salt Lake City, 1890-1925," Pioneer, Autumn 2003, 18-24.