Emigration Creek
Authored by Jess Lofland
The Goshute name for Emigration Canyon is tsa’po-a, meaning “good road” [01]. The name of Emigration Creek remains unknown. Indigenous tribes hunted the canyon’s abundant fish and game. Mormon settlers arrived through the canyon in 1847 [02]. Atop, Brigham Young famously said, “This is the right place.”
Hydrologists colloquially call the canyon, “The Sponge,” due to its ability to soak up water. Groundwater is discharged at Tunnel Spring, yielding more water than the creek itself [02]. Residential properties lining the canyon, among other factors, led to E.coli impairment of the creek due to seepage in old septic systems [03].
Today, Emigration Creek flows through Wasatch Hollow, a 13-acre nature preserve. Over the years, a handful of development projects threatened the space. In 2009, a conservation easement was purchased to protect this natural space in perpetuity. Downstream, the creek flows through Allen Park, colloquially known as “Hobbitville.” The seven-acre farm was originally purchased by the eccentric Dr. George A. Allen in 1931. He built a log home, bird sanctuary, fountains, and numerous works of art, and trucked in old settler homes [05]. In 2020, Salt Lake City purchased the property for $7.5 million to protect the creek and property from development.
Facts
Native Name: Tsa'po-a (Emigration Canyon) [Goshute]
Watershed Size: 24.0 square miles
Total Stream Length: 16.4 miles
Buried: 4.9 miles
Impaired: 11.5 miles
Water Quality Impairments: E. coli
Average Peak Flow: 30 cubic feet per second
Average Low Flow: 0.5 cubic feet per second
Cities: Salt Lake City
Population Count (2020): 82,421
Median Age (2020): 34
Diversity Index* (2020): 60
Housing Units (2020): 35,114
Owner-Occupied: 48%
Renter-Occupied: 46%
Median Household Income (2020): $68,002
Median Home Value (2020): $386,954
Housing Affordability Index** (2020): 101
My Emigration Creek
An interactive website to immerse yourself in the Emigration Creek watershed, and encourage exploration by reporting issues and publishing stories.
Sources
Chamberlin, Place and Personal Names of the Gosiute Indians of Utah (1913).
Carlstrom, The History of Emigration Canyon: Gateway to Salt Lake Valley (2019).
Arens, TMDL for Escherichia coli (E. coli) in the Upper Emigration Creek Watershed (2011).
Klopsch, Wasatch Hollow Preserve, A Jewel in the Neighborhood (2018).
Hampshire, Hobbitville's Last Days (2019).
Salt Lake County, Stream Care Guide (2014).
Seven Canyons Trust, Creek Channel Alignment Data (2018).
Seven Canyons Trust, 100 Years of Daylighting (2014).
Utah Division of Water Quality, Beneficial Uses and Water Quality Assessment Map (2016).
Esri, Forecasts for 2020 and 2025 with converted Census 2000 data into 2010 geography using one-mile buffer to creek (2021).
*Likelihood two persons chosen at random belong to different race or ethnic groups, ranging from 0 (no diversity) to 100 (complete diversity).
**Ratio of median household income to median home value. A value of 100 means a typical family has exactly enough income to quality for a mortgage on a typical home. Above 100, the typical family earns more than enough and, below 100, they do not earn enough.
