The history of widespread immigration to Utah began with the entry of the Mormon pioneers to the Salt Lake Valley in 1847.  Asian immigration to Utah traces its roots back to the late1860s, when Chinese construction workers from the Central Pacific Railroad came to the state. The transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869 at Promontory Summit in Utah’s Box Elder County.

Over 12,000 Chinese were employed as construction workers in building the Central Pacific Railroad. The majority of these workers were single men who, unlike most European immigrants, intended to return to their homeland. Eventually, many made their way into other occupations including mining and commerce. Chinese-Americans still make up the largest segment of Utah’s Asian-American community (21.7%).

The Japanese-American communities of northern Utah date back to the early 1870s. Many were employed by the railroads or in farming and mining operations. Local Japanese labor agents often arranged employment for Japanese immigrants. Buddhist services were conducted on a regular basis as early as 1912 and Buddhist congregations were established in Ogden and in Salt Lake City.

Many of Utah’s Japanese-American immigrants came to Utah due to forced relocation during World War II. While some came voluntarily to join friends or families already living in the state at the time, most were involuntarily incarcerated in the Topaz internment camp near Delta, Utah. At the end of the war, many remained in Utah, moving to established Japanese-American communities along the Wasatch Front in northern Utah.