Brigham City, UT Summary

Located north of Salt Lake City, in a basin of the craggy Wasatch Mountains, is Brigham City. Settlement of the area began in 1851 and eventually the town of Box Elder was established and later renamed in honor of Brigham Young.

The Brigham City Mercantile and Manufacturing Association was created then, and the Baron Woolen Mills still barters using its homespun blankets. This agricultural community has some of Utah’s most resplendent Victorian buildings, including the Box Elder County Courthouse.

The Box Elder Tabernacle, built over 25 years and completed in 1890, is a mixture of Victorian and Gothic set against a backdrop of snow capped mountains. On West Forest Street, visitors will find the recently restored Brigham City Railroad Depot, once a major terminus for the Union Pacific Railroad.

Brigham City is the gateway to an amazing bird sanctuary located 15 miles west of the city. The Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge is a stopover for 200 species of birds each spring and fall, on nearly 73,000 acres. Established in 1928 by Congress, the refuge features numerous interpretive boards which explain the birds’ habitat.

At Thiokol Rocket Garden, located 5 miles north of Golden Spike National Park via Hwy 83, visitors can probe models of the test rockets which launch shuttles into space.

Throughout the summer a large stretch of Hwy 91, leading to the city, is lined with roadside fruit stalls, and the Peach Festival holds court the weekend after Labor Day.

The nearest major airport is Salt Lake City International. The area is serviced by buses and trains.