UTAH, a State in the Western Divi sion of the North American Union; bounded by Wyoming, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, and Idaho; admitted to the Union, Jan. 4, 1896; number of counties, 27; capital, Salt Lake City; area 84,990 square miles; pop. (1890) 210,779; (1900) 276,749; (1910) 373,351; (1920) 449,396.
Topography.—The surface of Utah is similar to a basin surrounded by high mountains. The interior has an eleva tion of 4,000 feet above sea-level, and is crossed in a N. E. and S. W. direction by the Wasatch Mountains with an alti tude of 12,000 feet. E. of the Wasatch Mountains are the Uintah, near the Wy oming boundary, and W. are numerous detached hills, ridges, and isolated moun tains. Lofty plateaus occupy the S. E. The principal rivers are the Green and Grand, uniting in the S. E. to form the Colorado. Nearly all the others empty into the Great Salt Lake, or similar salt lakes with no outlets, which occur throughout the W. of the State. The Great Salt Lake is about 80 miles in length and has an average width of 40 miles; its waters are salty, and it has no communication with the ocean. It is connected with Utah Lake by the Jordan river. Sevier Lake, another large body, has no outlet, but receives the North Sevier river. Utah contains part of the great canon of the Colorado, and the Great American Desert, an extensive sandy and waterless plain W. of the Great Salt Lake.
Geology and Mineralogy.—The rocks are mostly primitive, of Archxan origin, and showing everywhere evidences of volcanic action. Limestone of carbonif erous deposit is found in many ridges. Granite, gneiss, jasper, syenite, por phyry, quartz, serpentine, gypsum, marble, calcareous spar, and sandstones occur in large quantities throughout the State. Iron ores, coal, gold, and silver, copper, zinc, salt, asphaltum, and borax form the principal mineral resources.
The production of gold in 1920 was 100,446 fine ounces, valued at $2,076,400. The silver production was 11,564,155 fine ounces, valued at $11,739,121. The pro duction of copper in 1919 was 146,178, 008 pounds, compared with a production in 1918 of 230,964,908. Utah ranked
fourth among the States in 1919 in the production of copper. The coal produc tion in 1919 was 4,570,000 tons, a de crease of 567,000 tons over the production of the year previous. Other important mineral products are manganese ores, gypsum, petroleum, sulphur, and zinc. Salt, obtained from the Great Salt Lake, is also an important mineral product.
Agriculture.—The soil is as a rule arid and sandy, and in many places so im pregnated with salt as to be entirely useless. Much, however, has been re claimed by irrigation and rendered profit ably productive. In the highland portion of the State rainfall is sufficient for cul tivation and the mountains and high val leys produce an abundance of fine grass, in consequence of which stock raising and dairy farming have been greatly developed. The acreage, value and pro duction of the principal crops, in 1919, were as follows: corn, 24,000 acres, pro duction 432,000 bushels, value $648,000; oats, 72,000 acres, production 2,448,000 bushels, value $2,390,000; barley, 20,000 acres, production 600,000 bushels, value $846,000; wheat, 304,000 acres, produc tion 3,682,000 bushels, value $7,732,000; hay, 453,000 acres, production 938,000 tons, value $20,542,000; potatoes, 17,000 acres, production 2.397,000 bushels, value $3,284,000.
Manufactures.—There were, in 1914, 1,109 manufacturing establishments in the State, employing 13,894 wage earn ers. The capital invested was $71,843, 000; the wages paid amounted to $10,852,000; the value of the materials used was $62,233,000; and the value of the finished product was $87,112,000. The principal manufactures were beet sugar, railroad cars, flour and grist, packed meat, printing and publishing, woolen goods, bread and other bakery products, foundry and machine shop products, preserved and canned fruits, malt liquors and leather goods. Salt Lake City is the principal manufactur ing center.