Tooele dates to 1851, and 6 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 51% of U.S. towns · #39 of 119 in Utah. What drives it
6 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 48 buildings. Most of Tooele was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1994. Below: 9 old photos and papers, maps from 1910 on, and the census since 1870.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1852.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Tooele’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Tooele is more historic than 51% of U.S. towns, #39 of 119 in Utah. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Tooele’s overall grade.
Utah towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Utah town has 3.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Tooele’s 14.6 sits above most of its state (70% of Utah towns have fewer) while its 56 historic buildings outnumber those of 86% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B. The pre-1940 share (±1.6 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1851.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Tooele’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The Tooele Valley was the traditional territory of the Tooele Valley Goshute, a band of the Goshute Shoshone. The ancient presence of humans in the area is attested by extensive archaeological work at the Danger Cave site, which confirms people were present and active by 9000 BP [7000 BC].
When Mormon pioneers entered the Great Salt Lake Valley in July 1847, it was covered with abundant tall grass. The Mormons first used the valley as wintering grounds for their herds. In September 1849, three families settled on a small stream south of present-day Tooele City. Other families slowly joined them, and by 1853 Tooele City Corporation was organized.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Tooele. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1955Tooele sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Tooele.
Every building
Tooele, building by building, 1910–1911
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
In 1851, according to Wikidata. Tooele’s post office opened in 1852, and the census of 1870 counted 958 people here.
How does Tooele rank for history?
Tooele is more historic than 51% of U.S. towns, #39 of 119 in Utah. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Tooele?
6 listings: 5 buildings, among them the Tooele County Courthouse and City Hall (listed 1983, the first), and 1 historic district, the Tooele City Downtown Historic District, with 48 contributing buildings. 56 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Tooele?
6% of Tooele’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.6 points), against a typical 2.8% for an Utah town; the median home was built in 1994.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (14), Wikidata (4), the National Register of Historic Places (6), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1913
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1917
1949
1949
2013
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