Big Cottonwood Canyon, Utah - 1847 to 2025: A History with Images
Title: Map created by Howard Stansbury and his team which was presented to the U.S. Congress in 1852. [1] This map is considered the first accurate representation of the area and is labeled with both English and Native American names. Big Cottonwood Creek is also titled We-en-de-quint Cr. The top image shows the entire map and the lower image shows BCC sitting just above Twin Peaks.
[1] Stansbury, Howard. Map of the Great Salt Lake and adjacent country in the territory of Utah: surveyed in 1849 and 1850 under the orders of Col. J.J. Abert. 1852. Paper mounted on cloth backing, sheet sectioned into 25 panels for folding. Library of Congress, Washington D.C. Geography and Map Division, https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gmd/g4342g.fi000134. Accessed February 16, 2025.
Introduction
Welcome to the Big Cottonwood Canyon (BCC) Historical Tour. As you journey into the canyon, you can hear the rush of the creek, smell the fresh fragrance of pine trees and behold the inspiring mountain peaks. Big Cottonwood Canyon offers these memorable experiences to you, but the canyon can also tell a story of the evolution and growth of Utah and the United States.
This tale began one billion years ago with glaciers and running water forming the canyon from quartzite, limestone and shale. [2] In modern history, people used the canyon in different ways: the native tribes of the Ute, Paiute, Goshute and Shoshone fished and hunted, pioneers logged and processed the trees, miners bore tunnels and excavated ore, and subsequent generations continue to use the canyon for hiking, climbing, camping and snow sports.
The name “Big Cottonwood Canyon” was used as early as 1848 [3] , one year after Mormon pioneers reached the Salt Lake Valley following their westward trek to locate a building site for their city. BCC is in the Uintah-Wasatch-Cache National Forest (“Wasatch” is a word from the Ute language) and lies north of Little Cottonwood Canyon. State Route (SR) 190, the Big Cottonwood Highway, winds up the canyon and continues into Guardsman Pass which gives cars access to Park City in the summer. The current canyon road ends at Brighton Ski Resort which sits at 8,775 feet above sea level (2,669 meters). Mt. Wolverine is the tallest peak in this canyon at 10,795 feet (3,290 meters). BCC is home to about 1,000 residents and is a watershed meaning that people rely on it for drinking water. For this reason, no dogs or livestock are allowed. BCC is Salt Lake City’s largest watershed serving about 300,000 residents. [4]
[2] Chan, Marjorie A. and Archer, Allen W. Geologic Guides to the Central Wasatch Front Canyons, Big Cottonwood Canyon. Utah Geologic Survey, (https://geology.utah.gov/popular/utah-landforms/virtual-tour-central-wasatch-front-canyons/). Accessed February 16, 2025.
[3] Keller, Charles L. The Lady in the Ore Bucket. Salt Lake City, The University of Utah Press, 2001, p.16.
[4] Watershed Management Plan. Salt Lake City Public Utilities, (https://www.slc.gov/utilities/watershed/watershedmanagementplan/). Accessed February 16, 2025.
The first three BCC historic sites are located before you reach today’s canyon “entrance” at the intersection of Big Cottonwood Canyon Road and Wasatch Blvd. These three sites are included because the pioneer entrance to the canyon started several miles west of today’s canyon entrance.
The sites for the entire canyon are listed geographically from the base of the canyon to the top.