Students at the University of Utah shed light on Utah's Oquirrh Mountains

A group of University of Utah students is drawing attention to one of Utah’s most visible yet least understood landscapes: the Oquirrh Mountains. Despite standing prominently on the western horizon of the Salt Lake Valley, the Oquirrhs remain unknown to many. A new student-driven research project, with support from The Oquirrh Foundation, is working to change that.

Prompted by a seemingly simple question—How do we come to know a place like the Oquirrhs?—the project explores the region's complex histories of mining, labor, settlement, and recreation. By engaging with approaches from political ecology and the environmental humanities, the research examines the layered contradictions of the Oquirrhs: sites of both industrial might and personal memory, ecological degradation and deep connection.

The initiative is led by Dr. Jessica DiCarlo (Assistant Professor in the School of Environment, Society, and Sustainability and Environmental Humanities) and three exceptional students:

• Cait Quirk, a master’s student in Environmental Humanities with international experience in Indigenous food sovereignty and a current focus on glaciers and landscape change.
• Mara Scallon, a master’s student in Environmental Humanities, whose background in science communication and renewable energy fuels her passion for outdoor advocacy.
• Maddie Hill, a graduating senior majoring in Environmental and Sustainability Studies, brings energy, academic insight, and on-the-ground experience as a competitive mountain biker.

The team conducted archival research, interviews, and fieldwork as part of an independent study. They  even participated in the O.U.Ch. or Oquirrh Ultra Challenge, a backyard ultramarathon hosted as a fundraiser for the Oquirrh Foundation. 

The students developed a story map based on this research, and the project culminated in several writing projects and a public presentation of their early findings in April 2025 at the Bingham Creek Library. In the long term, the project will develop a public archive of information that will benefit local communities. 

Their work encourages audiences to reconsider what it means to see—but not truly know—a place that looms large in everyday life.