Liberty Wells before it was Liberty Wells In 2011, two Salt Lake City neighborhoods officially merged to become the Liberty Wells Historic District, but the story of the area’s development begins in the 1800s. Imagine it’s 1875. You have journeyed to 900 S, the southern edge of the city. The urban blocks, the original Plat of the City of Zion, are 10-acre squares. … [Read more...]
Magna, Utah—the town that forgot its name
Pleasant Green, AKA Magna The pioneer history of Pleasant Green, commonly known as Magna, Utah, remains largely untold outside of dusty family histories and faded folklore. I have been remedying this situation through YouTube documentaries that will help preserve this rich history, revealing a complete picture of these lost years to younger generations. There is even a … [Read more...]
Japantown: Ruined, Remembered or Revived?
Attending the University of Utah in 1953 retired Third District Court Judge Raymond Uno spent much of his free time in downtown Salt Lake City in an area called Japantown, or “JTown”, practicing judo and socializing with friends. It was a stark contrast to the three years during World War II when his family was forced from California to what he calls a … [Read more...]
The Endangered Utah Lake June Sucker
The June sucker (JS), native only to Utah Lake, was placed on America’s Endangered Species’ List more than a decade ago when there were less than 400 remaining in the lake. Two other native fishes of the lake, Utah Lake sculpin, and a unique form of our state fish, the Utah Lake Bonneville cutthroat trout, are already extinct. To save this unique suckerfish and its extremely … [Read more...]
Power to the People: How Enterprising Mormon Pioneers Electrified Utah
When the Mormon pioneers arrived in Utah they found an inhospitable desert. A few decades later, Utah was a major transportation hub with flourishing communities and electric lights illuminating orderly streets and fruit trees. So how did these destitute refugees create a prosperous, modern society in a matter of years? You can get some insight into this phenomenon by … [Read more...]
Rafting the Yampa: A Libertarian Publisher is Exposed to the Beliefs, History and Ideology of Environmental Protectionists
“Okay,” I thought, “I’m going to be going down a river with people whose primary ideology I disagree with.” But then I reasoned, “maybe my point of view could provide an interesting story. Why should every story be about everyone being agreeable? I’ll go, I decided, be nice yet disagreeable, and completely honest.” So I went on a trip down the Yampa River with a group of … [Read more...]
Cache Valley Canals: Early Pioneers Worked for Their Water
In the spring of 1860 Logan City’s early settlers got to work digging their first major canal. The season before they managed to grow food by hand-digging irrigation trenches on individual lots. But to produce food on a scale necessary to support a whole community they needed to directly tap the mountain snow runoff. By mid-May, the completed Logan and Hyde Park Canal was … [Read more...]
Salt Lake City’s Main Street Displays Architectural Treasures
Downtown architecture first captured my imagination when I was able to participate in the grand re-opening of the former First Security Building on 4th South and Main Street after its restoration by Wasatch Property Management. The building had just been placed on the National Register of Historical Places. There were photos from the building's construction and opening in … [Read more...]
Mormon Economics in Early Utah
Utah is defined by two factors; natural beauty and Mormonism. No matter how the state evolves and changes, Mormonism was the reason for the founding of the state. After the Mormon pioneers were driven from Missouri and Illinois, they headed west, many on foot, to the deserts of what was then Mexico. Prophet Brigham Young saw a location that would be a gathering place for the … [Read more...]
Allll Aboard! Bamberger Railroad Connected SLC and Ogden
Boyd and Gail Thomas eloped in 1944. They took the train from Salt Lake to Ogden, and kept their marriage a secret for as long as they were able. Their means of transportation? The Bamberger Railroad. Bamberger Railroad started in 1891 with money from Simon Bamberger’s coal and mining operations in Utah. Originally called the Great Salt Lake and Hot Springs Railway, the … [Read more...]