Ogden

Located in northern Utah, Ogden is a growing city that enjoys the economic benefits brought in by various industries. It was first named Fort Buenaventura during the late sixteenth century. In 1847, the followers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, also known as Mormons, purchased the land of Fort Buenaventura and renamed it as Brownsville. Later, the Mormon settlement was renamed Ogden, in honor of Peter Skene Ogden, a Canadian explorer and adventurer who lived a controversial and violent life. Railroads were built and the small Ogden settlement expanded and became an prosperous city. It became the second largest city of the state of Utah and a favorite of extreme adventurers. Ogden enjoys two rivers running through it, the Weber and Ogden Rivers. It is situated at the foot of the Wasatch Mountains, with the Ogden River Canyon to the nearby east. The Ice Sheet Curling was the venue of the 2002 Winter Olympics and the Snowbasin Ski Area has exciting black runs. Hikers, mountain climbers, and skiers visit Ogden just to test the limits of their skills. Aside from physical adventures, Ogden also offers its own brand of culture and arts. Ogden has theaters, museums, cultural centers, art galleries, and a planetarium. The most visited theater is Peery's, an Egyptian movie palace that began operations in 1924. Peery's hosted the Sundance Film Festival and it was declared a historic site. And finally, one of the places that should be visited in Ogden is the LDS Temple. Unlike other Mormon churches, the Ogden temple has an unusually contemporary architecture with directional glass windows and a statue of Angel Moroni, the guardian angel of the Golden Plates, a source material for the Book of Mormons.