Utah - Landmarks and Points of Interest
- By Smithsonian.com
- Smithsonian.com, November 08, 2007, Subscribe
In 1847, the first party of Mormon emigrants, led by Brigham Young, reached the Salt Lake Valley. This story of the thousand-mile Mormon exodus from the midwest to Salt Lake has become well-known as a tale of remarkable hard work, faith, and dedication. Upon reaching Utah, these hardy men and women prospered through their wisdom and industriousness in a place once thought too dry and desertous to support modern civilization.
Fortunately, these pioneers left a rich heritage which gives tourists today insight into these admirable traits. Utah is full of Mormon historic and cultural sites which continue to fascinate and inspire visitors more than 150 years after Brigham Young declared "This is the place."
Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Adventures
Millions of years ago, dinosaurs rumbled across the landscape of what is now Utah. Thousands of remnants of this prehistoric era are carefully preserved and interpreted in sites, museums and quarries across the state, awaiting your discovery.
Dinosaur National Monument
The Quarry at Dinosaur National Monument is closed until further notice while repairs are made on the building structure. The quarry is the only place in the monument where the public can easily see dinosaur fossils embedded in rock.
The Quarry Visitor Center at Dinosaur National Monument, located 20 miles east of Vernal, near Jensen, offers Utah's most dramatic dinosaur display. It is a time capsule preserved in an ancient river sandbar. Here, the fossilized remains of over 2,000 bones have been exposed in a 200-foot-long wall, now enclosed as a permanent exhibit.
Beyond the Quarry, Dinosaur National Monument offers trails, tours and activities which highlight the area's unique geology, history, wildlife and rugged beauty. The Split Mountain and Green River Campgrounds are located near the Quarry Visitor Center.
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