Utah became a US territory in 1850 and remained a territory until 1896 when it was finally admitted into the Union as a state. As a territory, Utah covered all of the current area of Utah and most of Nevada plus western Colorado. Fillmore, Utah, centrally located, was chosen as the capital city but due the isolation and distance from the major population centers, the capital was moved to Salt Lake City in 1856.
The original plans for the capitol building featured four wings with a central hall topped by a large dome. The east wing is the only section of the building that was completed. Over the years it's served as a jail, school, church, meeting house, office building and now a museum.
The museum has three floors but the exhibits are a bit skimpy. The bottom floor has a hallway with hundreds of photos of early settlers. Each photo has a few sentences about the individual's life. Small rooms off of the hallway have artifacts and historic displays. The second floor has more historic exhibits. The third floor is large open room that was originally the legislative hall and is now used for dancing and meetings. Three log buildings have been relocated to the property but I don't know if they are ever open to tour.
The museum is accessible. A ramp goes to the entrance on the bottom floor and an elevator provides access to the other floors. The stone floor on the bottom floor is uneven and some of the thresholds into the small rooms are high.
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