Evidence of several indigenous
Native American groups has been found in Tooele County, but only the western
Shoshone-speaking
Goshute tribe claim the desolate lands as their ancestral home. The Goshute's traditional territory includes most of modern Tooele County. The Great Salt Lake Desert, which comprises much of the northern portion of the county, provided a major stumbling block for the ill-fated Donner-Reed Party in 1846. Its crusty sand slowed the group's wagons to such an extent that the group
spent six days crossing its 80-mile length, severely sapping the group's resources and leading to their eventual disaster. In 1847,
Mormon pioneers settled in the neighboring
Salt Lake Valley. Initially, Tooele Valley was used as a major grazing ground for Mormon cattle owners from Salt Lake and Utah Valleys. In 1849 the first white settlers established permanent roots in the Tooele Valley. Building a
saw mill, the settlement was called
E.T. City after LDS leader
E.T. Benson. The territorial legislature first designated Tooele County—initially called "Tuilla"—on January31, 1850, with significantly different boundaries. Its government was not organized at that time, and the area was attached to Salt Lake County for judicial and administrative purposes. It is speculated the name derives from a
Native American chief, but controversy exists about whether such a chief lived. Alternate explanations hypothesize that the name comes from "
tu-wanda", the Goshute word for "
bear", or from "
tule", a
Spanish word of
Aztec origins meaning "
bulrush". The Goshutes did not accept Mormon encroachment on their traditional homeland. The Mormons occupied the best camping sites near reliable springs, hunted in Goshute hunting grounds, and overgrazed the meadowland, leaving it unfit for sustaining the animals and plants used by the Goshutes. Mormons believed that Utah was a promised land given to them by God, and did not recognize any Goshute claim to the land. In response, the Mormons ordered their armies to kill the Goshutes. In 1850, they ambushed a Goshute village, but the Goshutes were able to defend themselves without casualties. Later that year, a contingent of at least 50 men attacked the Goshute camp, killing nine and suffering no casualties. In 1851, General
Daniel H. Wells took 30 people prisoners. After they tried to escape, Wells executed them. Since the 1980s, much of Tooele County's economic prospects have centered around private
hazardous waste disposal facilities. Between 1988 and 1993, hazardous waste landfills and incinerators have been installed at
Clive and
Aragonite. This, coupled with
uranium mine tailings from
Salt Lake County which were disposed in Tooele County in the 1980s, the presence of the Deseret Chemical Depot, and a high-polluting magnesium facility in
Rowley, have contributed to a general perception of Tooele County as a "
sacrifice zone" for unwanted wastes. The county's western portion is home to the
Bonneville Salt Flats, traversed by
Interstate80 and the
Wendover Cut-off, the former routing of the
Victory Highway. ==Geography==