Salt Lake City: Capital Between Mountains and Lake
From a hill above downtown Salt Lake City, the Utah State Capitol looks out over a valley framed by mountains. The building is an important part of Utah’s government, but it is only one part of the city around it. To the northwest lies another landmark with a similar name: the Great Salt Lake.
Salt Lake City is the capital, or main seat of government, of Utah. It is also a place where people live, work, attend school, and enjoy parks and other gathering places. Roads and neighborhoods spread across the Salt Lake Valley, with the steep Wasatch Mountains rising to the east. The city is not the same thing as the lake or the capitol building, even though their names are closely connected.
Long before Salt Lake City was founded, Indigenous peoples lived in and traveled through the region. In 1847, Mormon pioneers entered the valley and established a settlement that grew into the present-day city. When Utah became a state in 1896, Salt Lake City became the state capital.
- settlement:
- A place where people establish a community.
- minerals:
- Natural substances found in the earth and water.
- wetlands:
- Areas of land that are covered or soaked with water.
- habitat:
- A place where a plant or animal lives.
- migrating:
- Moving from one region to another, often at certain times of year.
- lakebed:
- The ground at the bottom of a lake.
- columns:
- Tall posts that support or decorate a building.
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1What is the main idea of the passage, and what two details support it?
- 2How are a capital and a capitol different?
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About this informational passage for Upper Elementary
“Salt Lake City: Capital Between Mountains and Lake” is a informational reading passage about Civic Geography, written for Upper Elementary. It takes about 3 minutes to read (491 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.