All that was in the Salt Lake Valley when the pioneers arrived was one lone tree
False, but there wasn't a Lagoon or Artic Circle
It makes for a better story and legend if the Salt Lake Valley was just a barren, desert wasteland. In reality, most historians agree that the valley was well-watered, with tall grasses and trees along the many river and stream banks.
Sources: "111 Days to Zion," by Hal Knight and Dr. Stanley B. Kimball; Deseret News archives; lds.org; "The History of Emigration Canyon," The National Park Service; Mel Bashore and Chad Orton of the LDS Church History Library.
