r/geography Geography Enthusiast 26d ago

Why aren't there any large cities in this area? Discussion

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u/PlatypusEquivalent 26d ago

SLC very much is a gateway to the mines. Arguably the largest mine in the world is located right outside the city.

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u/WormLivesMatter 26d ago

If it wasnt founded as a religious town first I think it would have defiantly found a place as a mining hub. Nowadays it’s both but it was founded not as a mining town at first.

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u/Happy-House-9453 26d ago

It was founded as a religious town

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u/JazzSharksFan54 26d ago

The ore deposit was discovered after they settled.

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u/Prior-Resist-6313 26d ago

It was discovered VERY shortly after the first settlers arrived, we have a famous quote about the bingham brothers bringing silver and copper down from the mtn ( I velieve they were geologists ) and brigham told them to basically quit worryi g about it and work on the canal, because without it they would all be dead.

P.S. Our canal system here is amazing, all dug by hand it waters the entire valley, even today.

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u/Justame13 26d ago

That mine didn’t take off until the early 20th Century after Utah was a state and SLC a decent sized agricultural and capital city.

Unlike the others which were settled for mining (Denver) or as pre-civil war forts or trading posts and then took off.

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u/offbrandcheerio 26d ago

The mines came after the religious settlers.