Connecting people through nature and our waterways

Emigration Creek

Native Name: Tsa'po-a “Emigration Canyon” (Goshute) [01]

Watershed Size: 24.0 square miles [02]
Total Stream Length: 16.4 miles
Buried: 4.9 miles [03]
Impaired: 11.5 miles [04]

Average Peak Flow: 30 cubic feet per second

 

The Goshute name for Emigration Canyon is tsa’po-a, meaning “good road” [01]. However, the name of Emigration Creek remains unknown. Indigenous tribes hunted the canyon’s abundant fish and game. Colonial settlers arrived through the canyon in 1847. 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 [05].

Today, Emigration Creek flows through Allen Park. 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 homes from around Utah. In 2020, Salt Lake City purchased the property for $7.5 million to protect the creek, property, and works of art from development.

 Opportunity Areas

Opportunity Areas
4. Bonneville Golf Course
4. Bonneville Golf Course

Create a protected trail connection along Emigration Creek, restore riparian habitat and the floodplain, replace or remove aging infrastructure, and stabilize streambanks.

Category: 10-Year
City: Salt Lake City
Creek: Emigration

5. Wasatch Hollow to Westminster
5. Wasatch Hollow to Westminster

Create a trail connection between public spaces along Red Butte Creek, form partnerships with University of Utah for research, and create angling opportunities at key locations.

Category: 10-Year
City: Salt Lake City
Creek: Emigration

6. Herman Franks Park
6. Herman Franks Park

Daylight Emigration Creek to activate and enhance the park space, create a community amenity, and improve connectivity to Liberty Park through a trail and signage.

Category: 100-Year
City: Salt Lake City
Creek: Emigration

8. Ballpark
8. Ballpark

Daylight Red Butte, Emigration, and Parleys creeks and increase the urban forest as Salt Lake City’s Ballpark neighborhood experiences growth and redevelops.

Category: 100-Year
City: Salt Lake City
Creek: Red Butte, Emigration, & Parleys

9. 1300 South
9. 1300 South

Daylight Red Butte, Emigration, and Parleys creeks east of the Three Creeks Confluence along 1300 South, enhancing east-west connections to the Jordan River.

Category: 100-Year
City: Salt Lake City
Creek: Red Butte, Emigration, & Parleys

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Sources

  1. Chamberlin, Place and Personal Names of the Gosiute Indians of Utah (1913).

  2. Salt Lake County, Stream Care Guide (2014).

  3. Seven Canyons Trust, Creek Channel Alignment Data (2018).

  4. Utah Division of Water Quality, Beneficial Uses and Water Quality Assessment Map (2016).

  5. Carlstrom, The History of Emigration Canyon: Gateway to Salt Lake Valley (2019).