Show utah s shifting capitol from the th elies files ot of the wall utah writhes tres project every utahn Is familiar with the part played by filmore as the capitol city of utah during early territorial times and the old filmore statehouse is a well known landmark hut but how many know that the town of parowan carowan in southwestern utah was designed as tho the official capitol by the territorial legislature of 1858 great salt lake city where the first state of at zion was organized organised sed ted in utah served as the headquarters for mormon affairs from the date of first occupation in 1847 since the church was tas handling civil governmental nl antal affairs in tho the absence of a moro more formal government areat salt lake city might be termed a headquarters for drat government tf it not a capitol in an official sefile legislators of the newly formed state of deseret in 1849 more formally established the city as a capi tol the territorial government which replaced the provisional state stafe government in 1851 incorporated the ordinances ur deseret into the laws of utah but shortly named a now new capitol by this a time tile the growth ot of settlements in southern utah led to plans for tile the removal of 0 the seat of government to aloie a more centralized location brigham young led an all expedition to locate a now new city ty Fill fillmore mote in III central utah and construction of suitable buildings was begun the capitol building only one wing of which was over ever completed was waa known as the statehouse in expectation of early admission to the union the legislation session of 1865 1866 56 accordingly moved to the partially completed building at fillmore but 1 lack ok of in the town cati caused grumbling crumbling and the capitol was returned to great salt lake city during the threatened invasion by johei johnstons st onlo army in 1868 worried legislators considering the fall of G groat eat salt lake city a possibility r resolved ived that the capitol be protected by removal to Parow carowan parowan Pa rowan iu peaceful resolution ot the johnston army episode inthe 0 spring of 1868 3 8 58 however aoud the tension and the legislative desalon nf 1858 1868 69 ignored the resolution ution and met in sat salt lake city the federal terri territorial territory torl al officials in this oes session sion however insisted unit that cilmore wits was the legal cu capitol PItOl of utah and demanded that the move bo be nade made the Aegis legislature lature accordingly madette ma made dethe the tia transfer oster but again di satis faction with accommodations pro prompted pi the he law makers to name salt lake city agthe as the off official lilal capitol it has so a served front from that time the old StAte statehouse Slat ehouse bouse in n fillmore has been made mad a into a museum inu seum and Is in only onix state park |