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The Atlas Obscura Guide To Salt Lake City

13 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Salt Lake City, Utah

Updated May 11, 2023

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Stories About Salt Lake City

The dramatic colors and patterns of salt evaporation ponds on the Great Salt Lake are the result of a combination of salinity levels, wind, currents, and activity of brine shrimp, algae, and bacteria.

Salt-Loving Microbes Make Vivid, Massive Abstract Art

For the latest addition to his stunning salt production series, photographer Tom Hegen ventured to Utah’s Great Salt Lake.
by Gemma Tarlach
Vintage advertisements prominently featured Mr. Spudnut.

Resurrecting the Spudnut, America's Forgotten Halloween Treat

Bake the recipe remnant of a potato doughnut empire that once stretched from the United States to Japan.
by Diana Hubbell
Fort Douglas Post Cemetery, in Salt Lake City, holds the graves of 20 German prisoners of war from World War II.

Three Headstones in American Military Cemeteries Bear Swastikas

But not for much longer.
by Matthew Taub
As the mirabilite accumulates, it forms crystallized terraces on the lakefront.

Utah's Great Salt Lake Could Hold Clues to Life on Mars

The mineral mirabilite is the key.
by Isaac Schultz
The northern and southern arms of the Great Salt Lake, separated by a railroad causeway.

The Great Salt Lake's Mercury Mystery

A bunch of toxic mercury is suddenly missing from the bottom.
by Kelsey Kennedy
At the FBI.

Why Mormons Make Great FBI Recruits

What sparked rumors of a "Mormon Mafia"?
by Sarah Laskow

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