A Step Into the Past....
Millcreek’s rich history spans three centuries and numerous challenges and opportunities. Before the first pioneers set foot in the Salt Lake Valley, this area was considered home for the Goshute, Ute, and Shoshone Tribes.
In the mid-1800s, the first pioneers began settling in the valley, specifically in the modern-day Canyon Rim and East Mill Creek areas. Orchards and farms, fed by water provided by private irrigation companies, dotted the area as well as multiple mills along Mill Creek.
In the beginning of the 20th century, areas of Millcreek began to see residential and commercial development. Manufacturing and summer homes for wealthy residents of Salt Lake City started to pop up along Mill Creek. This boom of development was largely built along modern-day Evergreen Avenue.
From the mid-1930s to the 1960s, suburban growth expanded massively in Millcreek. Millcreek’s proximity to Salt Lake City, the Wasatch Mountains, and the highway system, made the area a prime location for starter home subdivisions. Veterans from World War II and the Korean War began purchasing properties in the Canyon Rim and Olympus Cove area.
Development in the second half of the 20th century and into the 21st century is largely defined as infill projects and smaller scale subdivisions. The area near I-15 grew into an industrial and commercial hub due to its proximity to the highway and train lines.
Salt Lake County began to see a large influx of growth from 2010 to the present, and Millcreek residents organized to incorporate the Millcreek township into a city, in part to help manage growth in the Millcreek area. In 2015 voters approved the creation of a municipal government for the area and Millcreek was officially incorporated on December 28th, 2016, at 9:30 AM.
Around Millcreek today, residents can see all these eras of development on clear display. From the old pioneer farm homes to the mid-century starter home subdivisions, Millcreek’s history lives on in plain sight. The Millcreek Historic Preservation Commission is working to ensure that the rich history of Millcreek is not lost in the coming years and is preserved for future generations to learn from and enjoy.
