Utah Studies

Changes & Challenges

Each of the lessons below highlights different eras of Utah's state history and agriculture's impact on Utah's people, environment, and the economy. Each lesson—and various activities within the lessons—can be used in conjunction with Utah's Changes and Challenges Interactive Timeline.

1840s-1880s: Era of Self-Sufficiency

Students will be introduced to Utah's agricultural limitations and develop perspective and appreciation of early Utah settlers who struggled for self-sufficiency.

1890s: Utah Becomes a State

Students will understand the process by which Utah became a state and examine the impacts of statehood on Utah's economy.

1900s: Boom Time for Agriculture

Students will learn about Utah watersheds and examine the explosive growth of agriculture and industry in the state of Utah in the 1900s.

1910s: The Boom Continues

Students will get a basic overview of agricultural expansion, Ute history and maltreatment, and the transition from self-sufficiency to specialization.

1920s-1930s: Agricultural Hard Times and The Great Depression

Students will investigate the relationship between physical geography and Utah's settlement, land use, and economy, assess how natural resources sustain and enhance people's lives, and examine how people affect the geography of Utah.

1940s: World War II and Revival

Students will examine the effects, both positive and negative, of World War II on agriculture.

1950s: Mechanization and Science

Students will examine how changes in transportation and technology shifted the focus of agriculture in Utah.

1960s-1970s: Expansion and Prosperity, Big Farms, Big Government

Students will observe the changes that led to modern agricultural trends still seen in Utah and will understand the connection between the environment, farmland, water, and themselves.

1980s: Recession, Expansion, and Utah Wheat

Students will explore two of Utah’s most important crops, gaining an understanding of the state’s environment and economy in the process.

1990s: Products of Utah Travel Worldwide

Students will develop an understanding of products grown and processed in the state of Utah while learning about supply chains, geography, and agriculture.

2000s: Recession and Expansion

Students will observe agricultural trends that set the stage for the new millennium and will connect their new knowledge of history to their present lives and projections for the future.