First in a five-part series on the Wasatch Mountains.

Had there been no mountains when Brigham Young rolled into what is now the Great Salt Lake Valley, the LDS Church leader might simply have said, "Drive on."

The valley would be just another barren spot in the Great Basin between the Colorado Rockies and the Sierra Nevada. Without the tons of rock majestically jutting thousands of feet above the valley floor, early settlers would not have had the resources to make life on the frontier viable.

No timber or stone for buildings. No silver or gold for commerce. No game for clothing and food. And most important, no water.

The mountains are not only Utah's backbone but its heart and soul. Within them is the power to sustain life — and to take it away.

"I think everyone in Salt Lake should ask himself what life would be like without the Wasatch Mountains," said Gale Dick, a retired college professor who moved to Utah 44 years ago because of the mountains. "It would be Fresno."

Dick, president of the conservation group Save Our Canyons, recalled a hike in Albion Basin with his wife and 2-year-old son shortly after arriving in the state. "We decided we were in the right place."

Without the Wasatch Mountains, though, this wouldn't be the place.

"It's an interesting question, what Salt Lake would look like without the mountains," said Jim Wood, University of Utah Bureau of Economic and Business Research lead economist. Probably "like Winnemucca."

Geologists say an earthquake fault plane formed the rugged Wasatch Range some 12 million years ago. It stretches roughly 220 miles from Mount Nebo — the range's highest peak — in Juab County to jagged Sheep Rock Point near Soda Springs, Idaho. It is generally considered part of the Rocky Mountains, though that is subject to some debate.

To the naked eye, the range appears to go on forever. But it does not. As much as it has to offer, it is a limited resource.

"This is just a little matchbox of a mountain range," Dick said.

Deseret News graphic Page: 1 2 3 4 Next > Comments You can be the first to comment on this story. Add your comment 3 photos Scott G. Winterton, Deseret News The Wasatch Front keeps watch over the Salt Lake Valley. If it weren't for the mountains, the area would be just another barren spot in the Great Basin between the Colorado Rockies and the Sierra Nevada. Gallery (3 photos) Related content Articles Million-dollar views Safeguarding streams started early in Utah Latest updates Most popular Most commented Night flying may be OK in firefighting 9:11 p.m. Senate opens partisan health debate 9:10 p.m. Ute women to host Weber State 9:06 p.m. Tiger withdraws from tourney 8:51 p.m. Chaffetz: Leave Afghanistan 8:45 p.m. Becker, Corroon urge buying local 8:43 p.m. Internet shoppers beware 8:42 p.m. Software, security issues pop up 8:40 p.m. Woods could learn from Letterman 8:39 p.m. Pressure on mortgage industry 8:38 p.m. Hall's pain reflects self-betrayal Y. student vanished in China Max Hall issues apology Utes won't respond to Hall Hall reprimanded by MWC Cougs begin bowl preparations Boy shot following traffic stop Mitchell called intelligent, controlling Matthews passes new Jazz tests U. eyes bowl for redemption Hall mouths off about hate of Utah898 Cougars beat Utes in overtime481 Max Hall issues apology376 Hall reprimanded by MWC357 Hall's pain reflects self-betrayal306 Utes won't respond to Hall248 BYU is champion of the state140 Man trapped in Nutty Putty cave dies121 Cave to be sealed with body inside119 Religion in politics is tiresome107 Chaffetz joins us on Twitter Dec. 2 Live 'Twittologue' Dec. 2, 4:00 p.m. with Jason Chaffetz. Click for more. Dad blog: Black Friday tales I wanted to tell them not to go. I dropped subtle hints. "My money is on... Mom blog: Heroes for our children When I was a kid, I worshipped my grandpa. He was undoubtedly my hero.... Latest comments Obama has tough sell on Afghanistan Support Our Troops... said: I'm pretty certain that I heard Obama say, (on several occasions) "We need to... Daughter: Mitchell fed me my pet Logic of the "insane" said: I always have to laugh at the logic of defense attoreys who say their clients... Hall reprimanded by MWC UteFan said: So in the end Max really lost, by not being a true sportsman, How sad. BYU says Hall incident resolved Paul said: some years ago I attended a BYU-UVA football game in VA. It was a hard fought... Boy shot following traffic stop Anonymous said: I am grateful to the police officers who choose to uphold the law for the... Utes won't respond to Hall Re:re: Anonymous @ 7:15 said: "The Utah organization and its fans at RES treat our opponents with the... BYU says Hall incident resolved It's over said: Having made enough dumb mistakes myself I can now let this go. Max had... E. coli source often can't be found Anonymous said: If People kept track of what they eat and report it to their Doctors then we... Letters: Therapy for Hall Anonymous said: I'm glad that he said something. Fans need to know what kind of danger they... Hall reprimanded by MWC woozer said: It is football folks - rivalry football - go to a ACC, SEC, PAC 10, Big 10,... Advertisements Advertisement deseretnews.com: Home | Subscription services | Contact us | FAQ | Feedback | Jobs | Purchase photos | RSS | Privacy policy Advertisement