Bluffdale

History

Bluffdale, named for its geography of bluffs and dales, was first settled in 1848–1849, when the area was originally part of West Jordan. On July 29, 1858, Orrin Porter Rockwell paid five- hundred dollars to Evan M. Green for sixteen acres of land near the Crystal Hot Lakes (adjacent to the present Utah State Prison). This land included Hot Springs Hotel and Brewery with dining facilities, a stable brewery, and a pony express station. As the community expanded, the Bluffdale area became part of South Jordan, then Riverton. In 1883 the Bluffdale School Precinct was formed from parts of Herriman, South Jordan, and Draper. On August 1, 1886, the Bluffdale Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized with Lewis H. Mousley as Bishop. For a short time, the town was called Mousley. Seven irrigation canals originate at the Jordan Narrows in the Bluffdale area and serve the Salt Lake Valley. One of the earliest was Utah, and Salt Lake Canal started in 1862. Some of the early buildings included an adobe church, built in 1887–1888, a tithing house, and a three-room schoolhouse constructed in 1893. The city was incorporated in 1978.

Geography

Bluffdale has an area of 10.22 square miles (26.47 km) and an average elevation of 4,436 feet (1,352 m) above sea level. Bluffdale is predominately located in Salt Lake County, though a portion of the city is in Utah County. Bluffdale shares city borders with Herriman to the west, Riverton to the north, Draper to the east, and Lehi to the south. Bluffdale is surrounded by wide open spaces with dramatic views of the Wasatch and Oquirrh Mountain Ranges. The Salt Lake Valley floor is the ancient lakebed of Lake Bonneville, which existed at the end of the last Ice Age. Several Lake Bonneville shorelines can be distinctly seen on the foothills or benches of nearby mountains. The Jordan River flows through the city and is a drainage of Utah Lake that empties into the Great Salt Lake.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  14,736
• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  13,814
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  12,804
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  10,532
• Black-billed Magpie

  Pica hudsonia (Sabine, 1823) · Aves
  10,459
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  9,694
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  9,617
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  9,076

Most recent

• M 2.86 — 2026-08-07
  6 km NNW of Saratoga Springs, Utah
• M 3.52 — 2026-02-14
  4 km NNW of West Valley City, Utah
• M 3.5 — 2026-02-05
  6 km WNW of Lehi, Utah
• M 3.26 — 2026-01-04
  13 km E of Huntsville, Utah
• M 2.75 — 2025-10-08
  6 km WNW of Independence, Utah
• M 3.94 — 2025-05-01
  4 km WNW of Independence, Utah