Midvale

Just like the wandering Ute bands before them, Utah's Pioneer settlers began with a dependence on the land and the landscape; thus, early pioneers were quick to recognize the richness inherent in the Salt Lake Valley.

Such was the beginning of Midvale City. The eastern part of the city forming agricultural neighborhoods, and the western areas forming a mining and milling settlement, each relying on the other for sustenance, protection, social interaction and commerce. The Union Fort area of Midvale City began as a center of agriculture.

The Old Town area of Midvale City began as a center of mining and industry. Pioneer families began arriving in 1851 to start the settlement, which blossomed in the 1870s as a result of mining in Bingham Canyon and the coming of the railroad. The area was then known as Bingham Junction, and was an important midpoint along the rail between mining in Little Cottonwood Canyon to the east and Bingham Canyon to the west. With the discovery of silver in Little Cottonwood Canyon and in Bingham Canyon, new people rushed to be a part of the growing business and industry located in the middle valley in Midvale City. Along with industry came the hotels, boarding houses, saloons, schools, and the people who made Midvale City's Old Town a center of the community.