"The 50 States Project," a 50-song album covering the basic history, geography, and economic foundation of each state in the U.S. http://lodgemccammon.com/ Lyrics/Explanation - Verse 1: Coronado's search for gold in 1540 Found mostly sand and desert Then Dominguez-Escalante explored Before Mexico, from Spain, got their independence Alta California's Great Salt Lake looks like the Pacific Ocean Became a center for trapping and trade And a waypoint for travelers with western notions Cue the Utah War against the Latter Day Saints Explanation: Coronado, in his search for the Seven Cities of Gold, was the first European to enter Utah (UT) in 1540 In 1776 the Dominguez-Escalante Expedition explored UT. In 1821 Mexico won their independence from Spain. The western part of the U.S. was controlled by Mexico after 1821. It was called Alta California. In the north-central part of what is now UT is the Great Salt Lake. Due to the high salinity of the water, in 1824 Jim Bridger thought he had reached the Pacific Ocean. After this discovery, fur trade and trading posts started up. Travelers would stop there while heading west. In 1857, President Buchanan sent troops to UT because the Mormons, led by Brigham Young, refused to stop their practice of polygamy. This was called the Utah War. When the troops arrived, the Salt Lake Valley had been evacuated. Chorus: At the crossroads of the west the Great Salt Lake runs heavy Proposed in 1849 to be Deseret Instead the U.S. compromised with "Utah Territory" Before the Beehive State became the 45th Explanation: UT is considered to be the "crossroads of the west." People stopped on their way west. The development of the Transcontinental Railroad, and later the Lincoln Highway, resulted in many stopping/settling. In 1849 the Mormons proposed a new state called "Deseret." The Deseret proposal was rejected and as part of the Compromise of 1850, the U.S. established the Utah Territory. In the book of Mormon the word "deseret" means honeybee. Thus, the state of UT is called the Beehive State. UT became the 45th state in 1896. Verse 2: Right down the front western side of the Wasatch Range People and industry from Brigham to Nephi (Knee-F-Eye) Northwest of the Wasatch Twin Peaks is the largest salt lake In between, the Great Salt Lake City Out east we have the delicate and other sandstone arches Southwest corner, part of the Mojave Hidden by deserts, sand, forests, mountains and canyons "This is the place" our Salt Lake Valley Explanation: The Wasatch Mountain Range stretches north to south in the north-central part of UT. The Wasatch Front is the western side of the range where most of the population lives. The northernmost city along the front is Brigham City. The southernmost, Nephi. Twin Peaks is the highest point in UT. North west of Twin Peaks is the Great Salt Lake. In between Twin Peaks and the Great Salt Lake is Salt Lake City. In eastern UT there are sandstone arches, the most notable being the delicate arch. In the southwest corner there is the Mojave Desert. UT has a diverse landscape and it has alway been remote. This is one of the reasons the Mormons settled - to escape religious persecution. When arriving in the valley for the first time, Brigham Young said "This is the place." Bridge: There's a California Gull and a Sego Lily Helping our beautiful southwest lens We're busy little bees with our varied industries With the Blue Spruce up in the mountains Explanation: State Bird: California Gull State Flower: Sego Lily The California gull is credited for saving crops in 1848. The gulls ate thousands of "Mormon crickets" that would have devastated the plant life. The Mormons call this the miracle of the gulls. The Sego Lily is known for it's beauty. Deseret in the Book of Mormon means honeybee. Thus, the workers in the Beehive State, in any industry, would be the bees. State Motto: Industry State Tree: Blue Spruce Verse 3: Early on we built this city on trade Then the railroad brought thousands for gold and to stay Growth came to the valley of the Great Salt Lake We're on the map, a stop along the Lincoln Highway With cattle ranching, salt, churches and oil We are progress, industry, with land to explore Ski at our crossroads, bike Moab and more In 2002 the Olympics really opened our door Explanation: After the discovery of the Great Salt Lake Valley, the area started developing as a center for trade. Then in 1862 minerals were discovered and many came to UT. Completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869 caused the population to grow. Completion of the Lincoln Highway caused further increases in population. Salt Lake City is right on the Lincoln Highway. UT has many different industries including cattle ranching, salt production, religion, oil, natural gas and tourism. The 2002 the Olympics made UT a destination for skiing, hiking, riding at Moab, and viewing the landscape.

• published: 30 Sep 2013
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