What Provo is known for

The Provo Destination is named after the city of Provo, which is Utah County's oldest city. It is also the third-largest city in Utah and, outside of Salt Lake, was the first Mormon settlement in the state. Named for a French-Canadian Trapper, Provo has 27 different city parks spread throughout.[1] The city is famous for Brigham Young University, which displays a large "Y" on a nearby mountain to signify its location. Additionally, Provo has a population of 116,594 people.[8]

Within the city of Provo is an assortment of diversions that people can participate in. Some of these include Bridal Veil Falls, Provo Canyon, the Museum of People and Cultures, the Brigham Young University Museum of Art, the Covey Center for the Arts, the BYU Museum of Paleontology, Rock Canyon, the Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum, Splash Summit Waterpark, Provo Beach Resort, Utah Lake State Park, and the Provo Pioneer Village. Bridal Veil Falls is made up of a 600-foot tall waterfall that is located in Provo Canyon. The BYU Museum of Paleontology was built in 1976 and was originally designed to act as a repository for the fossils and rocks that were collected by Dr. James A. Jensen and his crew. Admission into the museum is free, though donations are accepted. The Monte. L. Bean Life Science Museum features various kinds of taxidermy animals, and first opened in 1978. Also featured in the museum are multiple species of plants.[3]

Located near Provo is Utah Lake, which offers activities such as swimming, paddling, boating, tubing, and sailing. Provo also has a historic district with old buildings, shops, and restaurants that can be explored. Orem is another city in the Provo Destination, located directly north of Provo. In Orem, there are a variety of activities that people can participate in and visit, such as the Murdock Canal Trail, the UTA Frontrunner, Mt. Timpanogos Park, Nielson's Grove Park, the Woodbury Art Museum, and University Place. The UTA Frontrunner is a train that runs from Provo to Ogden. The train was first introduced in 2008 for the use of transportation. The Woodbury Art Museum was first started in 2002 when Wally and Orin Woodbury donated pieces of art to the museum. The artwork they donated is still displayed at the museum, along with other pieces of art that have been donated over the years. University Place is a mall with 150 shops and 25 restaurants, along with five office blocks. The mall takes up 112 acres of land, or thirty city blocks.[4]

Geography

The Provo Destination is located exclusively in Utah, and encompasses several cities—some of which include Lehi, Fruitland, Wellington, Castle Dale, Emery, Marysvale, Beaver, Eskdale, Partoun, Ibapah, and Dugway. The district has many mountains, a few lakes, and more forested areas. The region is mostly made up of dry areas, though there are a few areas that have trees. The weather in the region fluctuates throughout the year, with an average high of around 77 degrees Fahrenheit and with an average low of about 23 degrees. The winters in the Provo Destination are sub-freezing most of the time, with average temperatures ranging from 0 to 29 degrees in January—Utah's coldest month. This is in stark contrast to the average summer temperatures of 61 to 93 degrees. There is a chance of rain throughout the year, with the most likely months of rain being April and May. The humidity of the area is the highest in January and December and drops lower during the summer months. The most popular time to visit the city of Provo is in July, June, and August.[5] 

Animals that inhabit the Provo area include flying squirrels, gray wolves, coyotes, badgers, mountain bison, elk, moose, mountain lions, desert tortoises, Gila monsters, American bullfrogs, and common animals like raccoons, squirrels, opossums, and deer.[6] Plants within the region include zucchini plants, tomato plants, peppers, corn, snap peas, lavender, coral bells, bee balms, daylilies, and gauras.[7] In the more forested parts of the region are various flowers, shrubs, and bushes.

History

Before the city of Provo, the namesake of the Provo Destination, was established, the Ute Indians inhabited the area. The Ute Indians, who are also referred to as the Yuta Indians, were the cause of Utah's name. These Indians called Utah Valley their home, mainly because of the fish and other resources that Utah Lake provided. Utah Lake also produced protection from rival Indian tribes, along the Wasatch Front.[2]

The first outsiders that came to the area that is now Provo were two Spanish Franciscan priests by the names of Escalante and Dominguez. They led a group from Santa Fe, New Mexico, along a route that was named the Old Spanish Trail. The purpose behind them coming was to meet the Ute Indians. After having been doing business with the Utes for some time, they decided to go meet them in person. In their journals and other recordings, the priests talked about making a settlement in Utah Valley as soon as possible. However, they were unable to build the settlement.[2] 

Fur trappers frequented the area through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The city of Provo was given its name after one of the earliest trappers who was named Etienne Provost,  a well-known explorer and fur trader from Quebec. In historical documents, he is referred to as Provost, Proveau, and Provot--three different versions of the same name. Provost established a trading post near Utah Lake, and as a result, both the Provo River and Provo City were named after him.[2] 

The city of Provo was first established by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in 1849. The first settlers had disputes with the Indians that lived in the area. The Ute Indians were especially aggressive toward groups of people who were trying to move in and take over portions of land. The Latter-Day Saint settlers built the town as a defensive fort called Fort Utah. The exterior walls of the fort were fourteen feet high. Eventually, people had to start building outside of Fort Utah to establish the city further. 

Provo quickly grew, and more members migrated into the area from around the country. It became known as the "Garden City" because of the many fruit orchards, gardens, and trees. In the late 1860s, the Provo Woolen Mills was established. In the 1920s, the Ironton Steel Mill was created, and later the Geneva Steel Plant was built in the city.[2] 

In 1875 the Brigham Young Academy was founded. The school was later named Brigham Young University, or BYU for short, as it grew. The original academy now functions as a public library, and the university campus has expanded over the years. A few years after the school was founded, the Provo City Temple was constructed from 1883 to 1898. The cost of the temple ended up being $100,000. When the temple was first built, there was a central tower that rose 147 feet from the roof. However, the roof was unable to support the weight of the tower, and the temple was condemned in 1918. The building was renovated but was condemned again in 1949 for the same cause. The weight from the tower caused the roof to sag. A man named Charles Miller designed a way to remove the central tower and was hired for the job in 1950. In 2010 the Provo Tabernacle on Center Street burned down, it was then rebuilt and dedicated as the Provo City Center Temple. [2]