The problem is European settlement in the area has been for a microscopic period of time..150 years. And even before then the Indian population was tiny and scattered.
However, the Wasatch Mountains got there by thousands of approximately magnitude 7 earthquakes...however, there hasn't been a really large quake on the Wasatch front since the Mormon settlement.
People spend so much time talking about stuff that has virtually no chance of happening in anyone's lifetime (Yellowstone having a caldera blast, the supposed collapse tsunami wiping out the East Coast) and not nearly enough talking about really bad stuff that's LIKELY to happen in our lifetimes (Like 5,000+ people being killed in Salt Lake City, built on soft lake mud, and 100 billion + dollars in damage.)
Hmm....this page says the interval is 120 years between earthquakes greater than 6.5, and that the last one occurred 66 years ago.
http://www.seis.utah.edu/edservices/EES/WsatchFrontClock.shtml
Isn't there still a lot of time left, or is this info outdated based on recent discoveries?
Greater than 6.5
120 years
66 years