Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Town #59: TOOELE, est. 1853

Here we are in front of our hometown welcome sign. Tooele was settled by farmers, but when the smelter was built up the canyon in the early 1900s, many eastern European immigrants moved into town. The immigrants created a second downtown area near the railroad. A third group of people moved into town during World War II when an army depot opened south of town, and in the last 15 years a new influx came as young families moved to Tooele because of affordable housing. Tooele is an unique mix.

No one seems to know exactly where the name Tooele came from, and few people outside of the county seem to know how to say it. Personally, I don't feel obligated to speak to any telemarketer who can't pronounce Tooele. " No, I don't live in Tul."