"That is the biggest radish I ever saw!" exclaimed a Sprague Branch Library patron recently. It is just one of many misconceptions about the homely sugar beet, the most recognizable symbol of Sugar House. The four bronze sculptures set in front of the library and at each end of Hidden Hollow look nothing like the red table beets most of us are familiar with. The knobby sugar … [Read more...]
“There isn’t any poop fairy”—Bekee Hotze
"There isn't any poop fairy." This observation comes from Bekee Hotze, of the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest. She was referring to the necessity of dog owners to clean up after their pets AND bring the plastic bags back to trailhead trash sites. But it is also part of the larger interactions between humans and forests. Civilizations depend on forests and deforestation … [Read more...]
Sugar House—Furniture Capital of the West
Furniture Capital of the West Sixty years ago, Sugar House was known as the "Furniture Capital of the West,” with 21 home furnishings stores in the business district. Today, there is only one full-line furniture store left—Sterling Furniture Company. Coincidentally, thousands of individuals are moving into the new apartment buildings in downtown Sugar House and along the … [Read more...]
Trappers and the Ogden Valley
Jim Bridger Spins The Yarn “One hundred Cheyenne warriors, arrows drawn, fire in their eyes, riding on the fastest mustangs you ever did see were right on my heels! I could feel the ground rumble as they chased me right into a steep canyon. I looked around at walls and Indians on every side. There I was, surrounded, boxed in ...” “What happened next, Mr. Bridger?” an eager … [Read more...]
Sculpture Memorializes a Man and His Mission in Sugar House
Jim Kirkman Jim Kirkman was known as many things to his friends and family in Sugar House: Master Gardener, educator, an encyclopedia of desert knowledge, an archaeologist with a reverence for what came before us—and a selfless individual always willing to lend a hand. Kirkman passed away in May from cancer, but his legacy lives on in the form of a sculpture crafted from … [Read more...]
Southeastern Utah Delicate Arches
The arches of southeastern Utah are monuments to earth’s history; but how fragile are they and how long will they last? Arches, such as Delicate Arch, are delicate to different degrees depending on size, life cycle, composition, and material. Utah Delicate Arches Natural arches are formed from various types of natural materials such as shale, limestone, basalt, granite, and … [Read more...]
Swedetown
Welcome to Swedetown Salt Lake City, Utah—Swedetown is several thousand miles from Stockholm, and in many ways, it is also a couple thousand miles from downtown Salt Lake. If you haven't heard of it, don't be surprised. It is truly a hidden part of Utah. It is a several block section around Hot Springs Road and 1500 N. Still can't place it? Try thinking about the oil … [Read more...]
Liberty Wells Historic District
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...]
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...]