Mapping the Site of Charlie Kirk’s Murder in Salt Lake City

From above, the University of Utah spans the benchlands east of Salt Lake City, overlooking the valley, the Oquirrh Mountains, and the Great Salt Lake.

Set against the Wasatch Range, its elevated position has long shaped the city’s growth.

The campus occupies land once part of Fort Douglas, established in 1862 to secure routes and assert federal presence in the Utah Territory.

Remnants of the post remain, linking the university to its Civil War–era past.

Salt Lake City, founded in 1847 by Mormon pioneers, grew through irrigation, railroads, and later highways into a regional capital.

The university expanded alongside it, now a research institution of more than 30,000 students.

From above, lecture halls, medical centers, and athletic fields spread across the hillside, with the Losee Center at the heart of student life.