Kyle Evans
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Downtown Salt Lake City

3/4/2022

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Temple Square

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When you visit Salt Lake City, you'll find that Temple Square is the center of the city and everything is a grid out from it. This idea began with the Mormon church founder Joseph Smith and Brigham Young instituted it here in Salt Lake. You may also notice when you visit that the streets are very wide. This was by design. Brigham Young wanted streets wide enough so you could turn a ox team and cart around. Unfortunately, the blocks remained large rather than get divided up as was intended. The streets remained large too as everything was designed for cars as Salt Lake grew, but we’re trying to fix that and make the city more walkable.

Temple Square
Temple Square is much more than a religious icon. It's a collage of fascinating history, singular architecture, and gourmet dining. Temple Square in Salt Lake City  is Utah's most popular tourist destination. 

The Salt Lake Temple is a worldwide icon of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the heart of Temple Square. The massive granite edifice was constructed in a neo-gothic style over the course of a 40-year period between 1853 and 1893.

They originally used Utah sandstone for the foundation, which was buried when troops were sent out to Utah during tensions in the 1850s. When they uncovered it, they saw the sandstone had cracked, so they replaced a lot of it with granite.

The Mormon temple is reserved for special ceremonies, sacraments, and rituals for members of the Mormon church, so only they are allowed in. But since it is being renovated now, anyone will be allowed to tour it before it begins to be used again when the renovations are complete

Salt Lake Tabernacle
Home of the world-famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the Tabernacle, located just north of the Assembly Hall, is an architectural and acoustic wonder. The famous organ at the front of the Tabernacle contains 11,623 pipes, making it one of the largest and richest-sounding organs in the world, and the building was constructed so that even the drop of a pin at the front of the building can be heard throughout the building. The Tabernacle is usually open daily for tours. In addition, the public is welcome to attend choir rehearsals on Thursday evenings and the Music and the Spoken Word broadcasts on Sunday mornings at 9:30 am.

Assembly Hall
Construction began in 1877 and completed in 1882. It was used as a church and gathering place for members of the Mormon church. Now it is a place for free concerts

Conference Center
This building contains a 21,000-seat auditorium and an 850-seat theater. It also houses an array of artworks that tell about scripture stories, Church teachings and organization, etc. Free, guided tours of the Conference Center are available daily from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m, and tours of the beautiful rooftop gardens are available April through October. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, and during the month of December.

Hotel Utah
It was once the premier hotel in Utah. As Utah grew, people knew they needed a nice hotel for everyone coming into the city, especially with all the new wealth. It opened in 1911 and hosted most major Utah events for the following 76 years. It originally had a bar and served alcohol, but the hotel closed in 1987 and reopened as an event center and restaurant owned by the Mormon church as the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. And you definitely can’t get a drink there now. But it does have some great views and a great restaurant at the top as well as banquet halls for parties and events. It is currently closed for renovation as well.

Beehive House
The Beehive House was built in 1854 as the primary residence of Brigham Young as the first territorial governor of Utah and President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was primarily a residential home, but was also used to entertain guests and dignitaries, including President Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Mark Twain.

Lion House
The Lion house was also a family home of Brigham Young. Brigham Young was married to 56 women, but only 27 were part of his households, and he only had children with 16 of his wives, which ranged between the ages of 15 and 69 when he married them. He had either 56 or 57 children depending on the source, which is roughly an average of 3.5 children per wife, which was below the average at the time.

Arena and Gateway

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  • Vivint Arena
    • Built in 1991 and home of the Utah Jazz, which moved to Utah from New Orleans in 1979, hence the name “Jazz”
  • Devereaux House
    • Built for William Staines in 1857 and later expanded by William Jennings, who was believed to be Utah’s first millionaire. He made his money primarily in the mercantile business, creating the Eagle Emporium, which he eventually sold to the Mormon church which became a component of ZCMI, the largest department store in the west. The mansion is now owned by the Mormon church and is used as a reception center
  • Union Pacific Depot
    • The Union Pacific Depot was built in 1909 and served as the center of railroad passenger operations for Union Pacific in Salt Lake
    • It was used by Amtrak for a time
    • It is now part of the Gateway mall and is a concert venue
  • Gateway mall
    • Clark Planetarium has many exhibits that are free, as well as an IMAX theatre and a Dome theatre for shows
    • The mall used to be an open-air shopping center but is now much more focused on entertainment, art, and dining
  • ​Holy Trinity Cathedral - The Greek Orthodox community of Salt Lake City organized in 1905 to form its first church, becoming the 14th Greek Orthodox parish community in the United States and the oldest between the Mississippi River and the Pacific coast. The building on South Temple was completed in 1925 after the community outgrew their old building.

Theatre and Salt Palace

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  • Capitol Theatre - The Capitol Theatre is home to Ballet West (one of the top companies in America), the Utah Opera, and many other performances. It was built in 1913 and named the Orpheum Theatre, but later renamed the Capitol Theatre.
  • Salt Palace - The Salt Palace was originally built in 1899 but destroyed by a fire in 1910. It was rebuilt and demolished a few times until its current form. It hosts large and small events. One of my favorites is the annual Comic Con called FanX

Main Street / Whiskey Street

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  • CityCreek is the premier shopping in downtown Salt Lake. It is open air, but can be closed in the winter or bad weather. It is owned by the LDS church as part of the revitalization of downtown
  • Prior to City Creek, there were two malls here, including ZCMI, one of the first department stores in the US and the largest in the West. You can see the original cast iron facade of the ZCMI department store still there when you visit.
  • Eagle Emporium is the oldest commercial building in downtown. It later became a branch of Zions Bank. The clock outside was erected in 1873.
  • Eccles Theater - This theater is a newer addition to downtown. The main theater seats about 2500 people and has had a number of broadway performances. Also a great place for large conferences.
  • ​Gallivan Center - This is a year-round open space that is home to concerts, food trucks, performances, and ice skating in the winter.
  • Whiskey Street, which was originally the name of Main Street until 1906, was known for its many watering holes. Mormons were actually famous for “Valley Tan” in the 1800s. In fact, Brigham Young owned a distillery near the mouth of Parley’s Canyon. So spirits were an important part of early life here in Utah until the temperance and prohibition era, when they changed to taking a much stricter stance that we still see today.
  • Salt Lake Stock and Mining Exchange Building - Built in 1909, this was the center of financial and mining exchange for about 70 years, especially as Salt Lake boomed.
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Salt Lake City Restaurants

3/4/2022

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Downtown Favorites

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Pretty Bird Hot Chicken - Right behind on Regent Street is Pretty Bird Hot Chicken, an amazing chicken sandwich shop. It is a local restaurant and will be the best chicken sandwich you’ll ever have. 

Red Rock Brewery - Great brew pub and restaurant. In a cool, old building, it has a great atmosphere, good food, and good drinks. 

Hotel Monaco and Bambara - The building was constructed in 1923 and was originally a bank. It was converted to Hotel Monaco in 1999. Bambara is a favorite downtown spot with a great atmosphere for lunch, dinner, or a nightcap.

Market Street Grill - Great local seafood and steak restaurant

​Takashi - One of the best sushi restaurants in the valley

Squatters Pub - Utah has a 100 year history of strict alcohol laws as you may be aware of, but as some of those started to loosen in the 1980s, brew pubs began to open. One of the first was Squatters. Good Cobb Salad and onion rings. 

Christopher’s Prime + Sonoma - A locally sourced grill and bar. Great selection of steak and seafood. 

Apollo Burger or Crown Burger - Both Utah originals. Grab a pastrami burger and don't forget the fry sauce. 

Pago - Great local restaurant with locally sourced food. Has a downtown location and another one a little further away. 

​Whiskey Street - Fun bar for drinks and apps. Right on main street, so easy to walk to. 

Other Local Favorites

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Sawadee - One of my favorite Thai restaurants in Salt Lake

Red Iguana - The best Mexican food in Utah in my opinion. You'll need to drive to get to the restaurant (either one or two), but it is worth it. If you can't drive out there, they have put a Taste of Red Iguana in City Creek, so you can try it there as well. 

​The Copper Onion - Nice dinner restaurant that is a little outside of downtown. Also does brunches on the weekend. Feels nice but comfortable. 

​
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Mining, Railroads, and Growth in Utah

3/4/2022

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Capitol Hill

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  • In 1909, years after Utah became the 45th state in the Union, the state legislature approved a seven-man Capitol Commission to oversee the design and construction of a state capitol. The budget was set at $2.5 million, but funding remained a problem until 1911 when the state received nearly $800,000 in inheritance taxes from the estate of Union Pacific Railroad president E. H. Harriman. The legislature responded with a $1 million bond, and the project was underway.
  • Capitol construction commenced in 1912. The building was completed in 1916.
  • A massive renovation project from 2004 to 2008 not only restored the Capitol’s original beauty but also fulfilled many of Kletting’s early visions for the Hill. Today, the Capitol building contains two active legislative chambers, a ceremonial supreme court chamber, and the working offices of top state officials.
  • The capitol's architecture was inspired by Classical architecture, and some local newspapers compared the early designs to Greece's Parthenon. Many of the building's details rely on the Corinthian style, in which formality, order, proportion and line are essential design elements.
  • The exterior is constructed of Utah granite like other major buildings in the area like the Salt Lake Temple and the LDS Conference Center
  • Suspended from the dome's ceiling is the original chandelier weighing 3,000 lb (1,400 kg) (The chain supporting it weighs an additional 1,000 lb

​Mining, Railroads, and Growth

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  • Cathedral of the Madeleine - The Cathedral of the Madeleine was begun in the year 1900 and completed in 1909. The Cathedral combines a predominately Romanesque exterior with a Gothic interior. Renovations on the exterior took place between 1975 and 1980 including putting a new copper roof on the building, protecting the porous Utah sandstone from further erosion and replacing the gargoyles.
  • Mining - Mining for metals, coal, hydrocarbons, and minerals was a vital aspect of Utah's economic, industrial, political, and social growth and development. The mining industry has touched all aspects of life in Utah and has contributed greatly to the state's history.
    • Mormons participated in some mining, but were discouraged by Brigham Young from prospecting in favor of agriculture and to avoid getting drawn into the wealth of the world and to avoid attracting outsiders or “gentiles” to the region
    • That only lasted so long as Colonel Patrick E. Connor and his California and Nevada Volunteers who arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in October 1862. Many of these soldiers were experienced prospectors and, with Connor's blessing and prompting, they searched the nearby Wasatch and Oquirrh mountains for gold and silver. In 1863 the first formal claims were located in the Bingham Canyon area, and this spurred further exploration.
  • Railroads
    • Essential to the rapid increase in mine production was the further expansion of transportation facilities, including the competition between the Union Pacific and the Denver and Rio Grande Western railroads, which fostered the completion of spur lines and narrow-gauge district lines.
  • Wealth
    • All the mining and railroads led to wealth, which led to more people coming to Utah and many of the historical homes we can see in the valley.
    • Buildings
      • Enos Wall Mansion - The Enos Wall Mansion was constructed between 1909-1914 for its freighting and mining namesake and his family. Wall, and his wife, Mary lived in the mansion until their deaths in the 1920s. The mansion was then acquired by the Salt Lake Jewish Center from 1926-1950.
      • David Keith Mansion and Carriage House - Built during 1898–1900. Keith financed and published the Salt Lake Tribune, a local newspaper still operating today
      • Governor’s mansion (Kearns Mansion) - Thomas Kearns made a fortune on the silver flowing out of Park City mines. He spared no expense building a home that became the dazzling center of Utah's elite social life. It was built in 1902. During this period many political and religious dignitaries were guests in the Kearns mansion, including President Theodore Roosevelt, who was a personal friend of Senator Kearns. A world-class restoration completed in 1996 returned the mansion to its original 1902 appearance.
      • Masonic temple - Built in 1927 during a time of Egyptian revivalist architecture, it is the headquarters for Utah masonry.
      • Kahn Mansion - The Emanuel Kahn House was built in 1889**.** Emanuel Kahn, an immigrant from Germany, who was one of the first Jewish merchants in Utah. They started the Kahn Brothers store which became one of the largest grocery stores in Salt Lake City. The house is now a bed and breakfast.
      • McCune Home - McCune made his money primarily in railroads. McCune wanted his home to be an extravagant display and to this end he financed a two-year tour of America and Europe for his architect S. C. Dallas to study designs and techniques. It was built in 1900​
      • Salt Lake Regional Medical Center - Built in 1875, it was one of the first hospitals in the Salt Lake Valley and the only Catholic hospital for almost a century. It was known as Holy Cross Hospital originally.
      • Lighting - Salt Lake was one of the first cities in the west to begin to get power and electricity. In 1881, the Salt Lake City Light, Heat, and Power Company started supplying electricity to light some of Salt Lake City's streets, businesses, and public buildings. You can see some of the original lights on South Temple.
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Utah History

3/4/2022

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Early Utah History

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  • Native Americans in Utah
    • Indigenous peoples have lived in the area now known as the state of Utah for thousands of years. Today they are divided into five main groups: Utes, Goshutes, Paiutes, Shoshone, and Navajo. Each occupies a different region within the state, many of which regions extend across borders into other states.
  • Spanish Expeditions
    • Spain originally claimed large parts of Utah before the United States expanded westward. In 1765, Juan Maria Antonia Rivera and his party may have been some of the first Euro-Americans to explore parts of Utah. 11 years later in 1776, Dominguez and Escalante traveled through Utah, in what would become a famous expedition.
  • Mountain men and trappers
    • For around the next 85 years mainly fur trappers and traders would pass through the state. Jedediah Smith and Jim Bridger were among the first, later followed by Peter Skene Ogden, Miles Goodyear, and Etienne Provost.
    • James Bridger was one of the greatest frontiersmen of Utah and American history. During his lifetime he was a hunter, trapper, trader, Indian fighter, and guide, and one of only a few trappers to remain in the Rockies after the demise of the fur trade.
  • Mormons
    • Joseph Smith formed a religion in New York in 1830
    • It became knows as the Mormon church with its members being referred to as "Mormons" because of the book Joseph Smith wrote/translated, known as the book of Mormon.
    • They moved to Kirkland, Ohio, then Independence, Missouri, then Nauvoo, Illinois.
    • They never got along with their neighbors for many reasons: they were a large group of people, so that made people on the frontier of America nervous because they had economic and political power. They were somewhat secretly practicing polygamy, which almost all Americans hated. And they generally thought they were better than others.
    • Joseph Smith, the Mormon leader was imprisoned for inciting violence and destroying a printing press in Nauvoo that printed a pamphlet against him and accusing him basically of polygamy.
    • Interesting tidbit you won’t often hear, but there wasn’t a clear succession in the Mormon church at the time. Joseph Smith had believed that his son would take over for him as leader eventually, but his son was too young. His brother had been killed as well, and several of the most prominent leaders had left or been excommunicated. So it wasn’t clear who was going to lead and the mormon church actually split into several groups. Brigham Young led one sect, the one that came out to Utah. And other groups followed other leaders forming churches we now know as the Community of Christ among others
    • So Brigham Young and others decided to leave Illinois and leave America to come west
    • They set out in groups with carts and moved West
    • Before reaching the Salt Lake valley, where we are now, Brigham Young met Jim Bridger. In June 1847 Bridger had his first encounter with the Mormon pioneers near the mouth of the Little Sandy River. At this gathering, Bridger and Brigham Young discussed the merits of settling in the Salt Lake Valley. Also during this meeting Bridger drew his map on the ground for Young depicting the region with great accuracy and conveyed to the Mormon leader his misgivings regarding the agricultural productivity of the Salt Lake area. This first meeting between the Mormons and Bridger appears to have been pleasant, yet this relationship was to become a bittersweet one for Bridger.
    • Brigham Young and his company pressed on and came through Emigration canyon, right here
    • Brigham Young apparently looked at the desolate valley and said “This is the right place”
    • July 24, 1847 is recognized as the day the Mormon Pioneers entered into the Salt Lake Valley. This day is now a holiday celebrated in Utah, known as Pioneer Day
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