But the reason the Wasatch Front is as populated and strong as it is in our real-life reality is obviously and absolutely because of the Mormon settlers. Not “probably.”

But you’re right, I think we are mostly on the same page. Perhaps settlements would’ve still been built with the railroad. And natural population growth and spread would’ve probably seen cities built around the Great Salt Lake and Utah Lake.

But it’s debatable on if Utah would even be its own state in that alternate universe.

We can all agree that the one beautiful result of this is that the University of Utah wouldn’t exist. And maybe BYU would still exist in California.