A Guide toSalt Lake City in 1870

The City Model

Jennifer L. Lundand

J. Clifton Spendlove

September 1997Museum of Church History and Art

(Revised by Ron Andersen, 2008)

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Contents

Acknowledgments..........................................................................................................................ivSalt Lake City in 1870

Introduction......................................................................................................................................2Selection of the City Location within the Valley.............................................................................3The City Model................................................................................................................................5Planning the City..............................................................................................................................6Landscape of the City....................................................................................................................10Residential Lots.............................................................................................................................12Church Headquarters.....................................................................................................................13Religious Life.................................................................................................................................14Central Business District................................................................................................................16Transportation................................................................................................................................18Public Squares................................................................................................................................21Physical Environment and Natural Resources...............................................................................22Facts about Salt Lake City in 1870................................................................................................23Model Construction.......................................................................................................................25Annotated Bibliography.................................................................................................................26

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AcknowledgmentsThis study of the Salt Lake City model was shaped and improved by the gracious contributions of many individuals. The authors would like to extend sincere appreciation to the following:

Operations manager Steven L. Olsen and conservator James L. Raines of the Museum of Church History and Art provided assistance in structuring the study and offered editorial comments.

W. Randall Dixon, archivist at the LDS Church Archives, critiqued the manuscript and assisted in locating numerous residences, businesses and educational and religious buildings on the model.

The identification of owners of individual lots in Appendix A was provided by Ray Matthews, reference archivist at the Utah State Archives.

Many of the figures in Sections I and II were prepared by Arline Ockey and Ronald Hales, whose attention to detail and artistic skill greatly enhances the interpretation of historic themes on the model. Photographs of individual blocks were provided by Ralph T. Clark. Museum media specialist Ronald W. Read assisted in the preparation of illustrations, photographs and diagrams for publication. He was aided by Christine Isom, Millie Holyoak, Mark Brown, and Tracy Mutter.

Carol Spendlove deserves special thanks for her tireless efforts in typing the manuscript, providing editorial suggestions and preparing the appendices, including the indexing of Appendix A.

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Section I: Salt Lake City in 1870

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IntroductionThe Salt Lake City 1870 model can be of great interest to both members and nonmembers of the Church and longtime residents of the city. To nonmembers it can be a great missionary tool by demonstrating the spiritual and highly organized temporal beginnings of the city. To members it can be a teaching tool of the history of the city and Church. To both members and nonmembers the founding of the city provides a testament of the Lord's guiding hand in establishing the city and the sacrifices made by the pioneers to build such a beautiful community in the desolation of the Great Basin of Western America. Docents should avail themselves to both the spirit and content of the model to help visitors enjoy and understand the model. Above all, the spiritual elements of the foundation of the city should be emphasized where possible. Therefore, this guide has the following objectives:

1. To provide an extensive data base from which docents may interpret the primary

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spiritual and temporal messages of the model.

2. To provide a resource base for answering questions about the model.

3. To document the model and the research that went into its construction.

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Selection of the City Location Within the ValleyThe question may be asked regarding why Church leaders selected this particular location in the valley to establish the city. In establishing settlements throughout the intermountain west, the pioneers generally selected the mouth of a canyon with a good source of water and an alluvial fan. The latter is a large fan shaped area where soil from the canyon and mountains over millennia has been deposited. The resulting soil is very fertile for farming. In addition, warm drainage winds from the canyon extend the growing season. All of these conditions were met at the mouth of City Creek Canyon, but larger alluvial fans and water sources existed at the mouths of other canyons in the valley (e.g., Little and Big Cottonwood Canyons and Parley's Canyon). Why then did Brigham Young and the Vanguard Company of pioneers select the City Creek alluvial fan?

When Joseph Smith was called to his prophetic office in 1823, the Angel Moroni quoted several biblical verses that predicted a latter-day "Mount Zion" and the setting up of an "ensign" or banner that would serve to summon God's people to a gathering place (Isaiah 11:9-12). Later when the Prophet left Nauvoo for the west in June 1844 to escape possible prosecution, he asked Church members to make a sixteen-foot flag for the nations to take with him on his journey to the Rocky Mountains. He, of course, returned from the Iowa side of the Mississippi River after less than a day and began his fateful journey to Carthage.

After the martyrdom, when "every trouble and calamity" seemed to beset the Saints, Brigham Young sought the Lord for instructions. According to Elder George A. Smith in an 1869 sermon, President Young, after much fasting and prayer, had a vision of Joseph Smith, who showed him the mountain we now call Ensign Peak and there was an ensign that fell upon the peak. Joseph told Brigham to "build under the point where the colors fall and you will prosper and have peace."

In an interview with Brigham Young in 1866, author William H. Dixon relates:

When coming over the mountains, in search of a new home for his people, he saw in a vision of the night, an angel standing on a conical hill, pointing to a spot of ground on which the new temple must be built. Coming down into this basin of Salt Lake, he first sought for the cone-shaped mountain which he had seen in his dream; and when he had found it, he noticed a stream of fresh hill-water flowing at its base, which he called City Creek.

Despite fatigue caused by his "mountain fever" he, with eight other Church leaders, ascended the peak on the 26th of July, only two days after entering the valley, and made the first plans for the layout of the city. From the valley below, they were observed by spyglass to form a circle (probably a prayer circle) after which a large yellow bandanna with black polk-a-dots, belonging to Heber C. Kimball, was the first "banner" unfurled from the peak.

Two days later, on 28 July 1847, Brigham, again with other church leaders, selected the temple site at the very base of Ensign Peak. Literally, Isaiah's prophecy "mountain of the Lord's House" ( Isaiah 2: 2-3 ) would be where the angel pointed in Brigham's vision -- at the base of Ensign Peak.

Over the next two years, rumors were rampant among both Saints and "gentiles" regarding what banner would be unfurled on the peak as an ensign to the nations. Just prior to the first celebration of Pioneer Day in 1849, Brigham had a "Liberty Pole" 104 feet high erected on the peak. He had a sixty-five-foot flag made to unfurl. Some non-Mormons speculated that it might be a treasonous flag of Deseret. As the great flag unfurled to begin the day's festivities, those in the valley saw the Stars and Stripes. While

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the Saints were sorely persecuted by citizens of this country, they never lost faith in this great republic initiated by our nation's founding fathers. Three years later, Joel Hills Johnson was inspired to write a beautiful hymn that summarizes the spiritual aspects of the peak, "High on a Mountain Top. " And so, Ensign Peak, with its location at the north end of the valley, brought the Saints to settle in the fertile alluvial fan of City Creek. It was this peak, with its banner of liberty, the Stars and Stripes, that served as an ensign to the nations for the "gathering place."

Aside from this spiritual foundation, the city was on a promising route to California from Emigration Canyon. This fact, together with the water source and alluvial fan, were practical reasons for the location of the city.

Much of the earlier planning for the city was also based upon spiritual ideals. In concept, the city layout seems to have been a compromise between the envisioned ideals of the "City of Zion," revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith in 1833, and the topography of the location, together with the practical needs of the people. Brigham Young and other Church leaders considered the city special, if not holy, as the gathering place for the Lord's elect from throughout the world.

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The City ModelThe model of Salt Lake City is a center piece for A Covenant Restored exhibit. It captures the character of a city built upon the ideals of "the City of Zion." In addition, it also reveals the stability, order and permanence which were unusual in a settlement founded less than twenty-five years earlier. Like several other cities in America (e.g., Washington, Philadelphia and Cincinnati), the city was planned in advance of its construction. As the religious, geographic and economic center of the Mountain West settlements, Salt Lake City holds a prominent and important place in the history of the Latter-day Saints.

The year 1870 was chosen for the model because it was a pivotal year in the city's history, while the city still reflected its pioneer character. Prior to this time Salt Lake City was considered a large "garden plot" village on the edge of the American frontier. With the coming of the railroad in 1870 its character would change forever. Within the coming decade the face of the city would be altered dramatically by the political, economic, and social forces which accompanied the railroad to the city. It would become a regional economic center and "crossroads" of the west which it has been ever since. The physical size of the city, as described by the territorial legislators, was 57.16 square miles in 1860 and included the "Big Field" south of Ninth South. It exceeded the size of all contemporary American cities except Philadelphia, New Orleans, Washington, D.C., and San Diego. These boundaries were not recognized by the federal government. In November 1870 approximately nine square miles were recognized by the government using a formula based on population as prescribed by the townsite act of March 2, 1867. While the Mormons were first to colonize between the Rockies and Sierras, they were last to enjoy the benefits of land ownership recognized by the federal government because of disputes related to politics, economics, and practice of plural marriage.

A comparison of the boundaries of 1870 Salt Lake City, as described by the territorial legislators, with modern Salt Lake City in relation to the area covered by the model is shown in Figure 1.

There was an abundance of historical sources to document this particular era of the city's history. Researchers used paintings, photographs, fire insurance maps, Bird's Eye views, lithographs, newspaper accounts, county records and diaries to reconstruct an accurate picture of the city in 1870.

The structural pillar in the exhibit area prevented the model from true alignment, It was shifted even farther off course to provide the most advantageous viewing for the visitor.

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Planning the City

In harmony with the principles and ideals of Joseph Smith's vision of the "City of Zion," the city was platted in a square grid oriented to the cardinal compass directions with the Temple Block at its very heart. It was to be a city of uniform garden lots, with all farming taking place in the "Big Field " south of present day Ninth South.

The first plat (Plat A) of the city was laid out in August 1847 by Orson Pratt and Henry Sherwood. The initial survey included 135 blocks of ten acres each subdivided into eight lots of 1 1/4 acres. The lots were numbered one to eight beginning with the lot on the southeast corner (see Figure 1). The streets were 132 feet wide from curb to curb. In addition to Temple Square, three other blocks were designated as public land, including the block upon which the fort was built. South Temple and East Temple (Main Street) were the north-south and east-west streets from which other streets were oriented. Thus, the first east-west street south of South Temple was First South and the next was Second South. The same pattern was repeated to the east. A problem was created by West Temple and North Temple. They were not considered First West or First North respectively, as they would have if the pattern of numbering streets from the corner of East and South Temple had been strictly applied. Instead, these streets held their own designations, of North Temple and West Temple. First North and First West were assigned to the first streets farther north and west, respectively. When residences or business locations were assigned street numbers in December 1883, the numbers were oriented from the geodetic survey marker placed at the southeast corner of Temple Square by Orson Pratt. For more than one hundred years, this

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system caused confusion on the north and west portions of the Salt Lake City grid system of streets. The problem was solved in 1971/72 when West Temple was also designated First West and North Temple as First North. All of the remaining streets on the north and west were then renumbered appropriately. For example, First West and First North became Second West and Second North, respectively.

Before the Brigham Young Company left to return to Winter Quarters, Church leaders were allowed to choose lots for their families. Most selected city plots near the Temple block. The rest of the lots were distributed the following summer. There were so many new emigrants, however, that an additional Plat B, of sixty-three blocks had to be laid out and a third section Plat C, of eighty-four blocks was added in 1849. These plats in relation to the model are shown in Figure 2. Block numbers within the model are shown on Figure 3.

Although it is commonly believed that lots were distributed by lottery, it is apparent that they were probably distributed either by choice or assignment because of the large number of family members and friends who received property in the same area. After 1849, lots were assigned by bishops who presided over the wards in which vacant lots were located. Land was distributed only to adults with families. The first settlers received these lots as a spiritual stewardship or inheritance, according to Brigham Young, "for the Lord has given it to us without price." New landowners were required only to pay the filing fee of $1.50.

Since the Great Basin was part of Mexico until 1848, known to that nation as Upper California, no American land laws applied until Utah became a territory with the Compromise of 1850. There would be no legal land holding recognized by the federal government in Salt Lake until the establishment of the town charter of 1872. Up to that time, only local deeds applied. During the time of the model, Salt Lake City was occupied by "squatters" in the eyes of the federal government.

The city grew naturally to the south and east where it was unfettered by natural barriers such as the Jordan River on the west and the sulphur springs and hills on the north. The next official addition to the city was made about 1854 with the survey of Plat D, called the North Bench or Dry Bench, later called "the Avenues." This new section of the city was the first to deviate from the ten-acre-block plan. Probably because of the steep slopes and a lack of water, this section was laid out in 2 1/4 acre blocks with four lots each. The seven streets which ran east and west were named Fruit (1st Ave.), Garden (2nd Ave.), Bluff (3rd Ave.), Wall (4th Ave.), Prospect (5th Ave.), High (6th Ave.), and Mountain (7th Ave.). The streets running north and south were all named for trees, such as, Walnut, Chestnut, Pine, Birch, etc. Only the farthest west, north and south street, Walnut, is shown on the model. Of the streets running east and west, Fruit, Garden, Bluff, Wall, and Prospect are on the model. It was not until 1883 that the North Bench was renamed with its distinctive numbered and lettered street names. (Numbered streets were changed to Avenues in 1907). During the era of the model, the North Bench was a popular residential area for tradesmen, businessmen and professionals who wanted to live close to the center of town, but who did not want large garden lots. To the west and south west of Arsenal (Capitol) Hill was the Marmalade District. It was so called because the streets were named after fruit trees.

By 1870 many of the city lots had been broken up and sold in parcels to accommodate more homes. This was especially true of the business district, where it was more efficient and lucrative to build stores and offices immediately next door to each other. Notice, however, that none of the blocks have yet been subdivided by an additional street. Commercial Street was the first in 1871.

The sense of order and uniformity which is still evident in 1870 was a result of the extensive and detailed city planning guidelines which the Saints sustained and accepted for their community. The first of these guidelines were accepted in August 1847 and included the following: Only one house would be built on

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each lot. Each house was to be built twenty feet back from the street on the center line of the property for uniformity. This practice was initially also followed by businesses. As businesses replaced residences along Main Street the buildings were built to the edge of the sidewalk rather than twenty feet back as originally required. Compare the Council House and Globe Bakery with the other buildings along the west side of Main Street between South Temple and First South Streets. The lots on alternate blocks would face north and south or east and west, thus there would be no houses facing each other on the opposite sides of the street. Instead, residents could enjoy the views of gardens and orchards across the street. Houses on the same side of the street would be 132 feet apart and each would have a garden reaching from the rear of the house to the center of the block, approximately 300 feet. Later ordinances dictated that each lot be fenced to keep stray livestock out and that livestock be penned at the rear of the property. Territorial laws and city ordinances were constantly bolstered by the rhetoric of Church leaders such as the charge from Brigham Young for every man to "cultivate his own lot and set out every kind of fruit and shade tree and beautify the city."

In comparing the initial layout of Great Salt Lake City (GSLC) with the City of Zion as envisioned by the Prophet Joseph Smith, several similarities are evident which show that Brigham and other church leaders attempted to pattern the city, to the extent possible, after the Prophet Joseph's concept. Brigham apparently carried with him the plat of City of Zion as he entered the Great Salt Lake Valley. Hence, he was consciously attempting to carry out Joseph 's colonization plans. (Figure 2 shows the original layout of GSLC and Figure 4 the plat of the City of Zion). In the City of Zion plat, three fifteen-acre blocks are located in the center of an approximately one-mile-square plat of city blocks. Two of the blocks contain twelve temples each, one set each for the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthoods. The other block was for the bishops storehouses. The GSLC plan has one ten-acre Temple Block with city blocks radiating out in every direction except where limited by the mountains to the north and northeast. As mentioned previously, the temple location was directed by a vision given to Brigham Young.

The blocks of the City of Zion, except for the fifteen acre blocks across the center, are ten acres each, as are those in the GSLC plan. Each ten-acre block of the City of Zion contains twenty one-half acre lots while GSLC has eight, one and one-quarter acre lots. The streets of each are orthogonally oriented to the cardinal points of the compass. In each, the lots are arranged on a checkerboard pattern where the short dimension of one lot is across the street from the long dimension of those lots. It is not known for sure why they are so oriented, but, as indicated above, reason appears to suggest that the houses could face the gardens of their neighbors across the street providing a more aesthetic view. Houses on both sides were to be set back twenty feet from the street. Streets on both plans were 132 feet wide. The size of the lots in GSLC were large enough for garden, vineyard and orchard plots and outbuildings for animals (cows, horses, sheep, etc.). In both plans serious farming efforts were located outside of the city with farm plot size determined by the need of the family. In the case of GSLC, these farm plots were located in the "Big Field" south of Ninth South. This area was a large farming plat surrounded by a common fence. Plot size ranged from five to eighty acres. Five-acre plots were assigned to craftsmen, such as shoemakers, who could only farm a small area and were located closest to the city. Others, divided into ten, twenty, forty, or eighty acres, were farmed by those who made their living primarily as

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farmers.

Thus, the harmony of the GSLC with the City of Zion is apparent. Deviations from the City of Zion in the GSLC plan were necessary because of the limitations caused by the mountains on expansion equally in all directions and because of the practical needs of the people.

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Landscape of the CityWhen Theodore Kirchhoff visited Salt Lake City in May of 1867, he ended his two-day stay with a climb to the top of Ensign Peak to watch the sunset over the city. He wrote:

Salt Lake City lay spread out at my feet and enclosed by green fields and pastures. With countless peach trees blossoming in bright red, and with white house partly hidden among them, the picture was that of summerhouses in a colorful rose garden. And the wide streets, running among the trees in long lines and crossing each other at right angles, looked like the garden's graveled paths. The Tabernacle's roof was strange, rising above the city. . . . To the right of the city the Jordan had overflowed its banks in several places as it wound sinuously through emerald green fields. To the northwest the glittering salt lake stretched to the horizon. Salt Lake City lay in a broad, level area. To the left, green fields, crossed by a network of brimming canals, stretched from the mountains to the Jordan. A few miles away in that direction were white tents of Camp Douglas on a green meadow, keeping watch over the holy city. But most beautiful of all in this panorama were snow covered mountains that broadly framed the fertile plain. The sun sank in a golden globe into waves of the lake, and they appeared to glow with joy. The mountains suddenly flamed into full blaze. Nature seemed to be painting in indelible colors a picture on the mind of the visitor, on my mind, a picture of a magnificent desert oasis.

The city landscape, which captured Kirchoff's imagination, was primarily that of a "garden city." The streets were lined with trees to provide shade from the scorching desert sun. When the pioneers first arrived in the valley they were surprised to see so few trees, and they immediately started planting both fruit and shade trees. In 1851 the city council passed an ordinance which required that each property owner plant shade trees along the street in front of his lot, nine in front and twenty-seven around corner lots. The most popular of these shade trees was the black locust, followed closely by the Lombardy poplar. Box elders, firs and spruces were transplanted from the local canyons.

None of Salt Lake City's streets or sidewalks had been paved by 1870. Although some merchants built boardwalks or graveled the sidewalk in front of their stores, walking in downtown Salt Lake City was dirty business. To cross the street, residents used small bridges over the irrigation ditches and walked through dirt, manure, and mud. Salt Lake City's first street was probably not paved until the 1880's. Although it cannot be seen on the model, streets were lit at a few important locations. Begun in 1866 with candles, the lights were converted to coal oil (kerosene) in 1867. Gas lighting was installed in 1873 and everything was switched to electricity in 1882.

The majority of the homes and buildings in the 1870 city were built on simple, traditional folk patterns which the pioneers brought in their heads from their eastern home regions. A few of the more distinctive buildings, such as the two tabernacles, the Salt Lake Theater, the Beehive House and the Walker brothers' mansions were designed by architects.

Adobe was the most common building material. Clay was plentiful and usually available near the building site as opposed to timber. By 1870 most of the log cabins had disappeared or been relegated to the role of outbuildings. Other homes were frame, built from milled lumber from the local canyons. The more elegant buildings were constructed from sandstone or granite.

Many of these buildings were painted and ornamented with beautiful woodworks. Most of the adobe buildings were plastered on the outside. The Council House is a good example. The red sandstone

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first floor was topped with an adobe second floor. The adobe section, however, was plastered, scored, and then painted to look like stone blocks.

One of the most interesting features of Salt Lake City's landscape was the city wall. Originally built in 1853-54, it was intended as a fortification against the Indian population, as a public works project to provide work for new emigrants, and to use field stone cleared for farming purposes. Probably not more than six miles of this massive twenty-mile city project was ever completed. The wall began at about Eighth North and the Jordan River and proceeded east to the edge of the mountain. It then proceeded southeast up present day Wall Street, across the southwest corner of the capitol grounds, down through City Creek Canyon and east on Fourth Avenue (then Wall Street) to Ninth East. On Ninth East it proceeded south to Ninth South, then west on Ninth South to the Jordan River which was to serve as the western barrier. Work on the wall was stopped on Fourth Avenue just short of Ninth East (see Figure 5). The wall was twelve feet high and measured six feet thick at its base and two-and-a-half feet thick at the top. Made of mud mixed with straw and gravel, the wall deteriorated quickly in the wind and rain. In 1870 visitors could still see the sections of the wall which ringed the foothills to the north. In reality, the wall functioned more to keep livestock out of the city than it did as a fortification. No portion of the wall exists today.

The residents of the Salt Lake Valley never had any conflicts with the local Indian tribes, probably because they were not in competition in the area with the Indians for hunting and fishing. In fact, small Indian camps of tepees on Arsenal Hill just outside the city wall can be seen on the model. Groups of Indians visited Salt Lake City on a regular basis. The tepees which were present in photographs from 1870, probably belonged to Shoshones (or possibly Utes) who were visiting the city. The Salt Lake Valley was neutral territory between the warring Shoshones and Utes. This buffer zone made the valley an extremely safe haven for wary pioneer settlers.

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Residential LotsWhile by 1870 there was hardly a block that had not been subdivided into smaller lots, the new lots still followed the basic pattern of early garden lots. The house was set back from the street and was surrounded by shade trees and an assortment of ornamental plants and clover. Favorites were hollyhocks, china asters, dahlias, lilacs, roses, sunflowers and a variety of vines. The outbuildings (sheds, stables, poultry coops, granaries, etc.), including the privy (or outhouse), were located immediately behind the house, while the barn and/or corral was usually located at the rear of the property. Nearly every lot boasted a small orchard which was likely to produce apples, cherries, peaches, plums, currants, gooseberries, grapes and/or raspberries. Garden plots for vegetables were usually placed to take advantage of the sun. They were commonly planted in potatoes, corn, carrots and squash. Other vegetables were raised as field crops on farms outside of the city. The entire lot was usually fenced with a wood fence or adobe or cobblestone wall. A typical lot arrangement still existing in 1870 is shown by Lot 7 of Block 101. A sketch of this lot is shown in Figure 6.

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Church HeadquartersAs Salt Lake City was the ecclesiastical center for the Church, the complex of Church headquarters buildings played an important role in the history of the city. In 1870, Church headquarters was concentrated on the Temple Block and the blocks immediately to the east.

Temple Square contained buildings which were intended primarily for public worship and sacred ordinances. In 1870, the temple, the centerpiece of the block, was only partially completed. Interrupted by the Utah War and a change in construction materials, the granite walls were only beginning to rise above ground level in 1870; although the building had been under construction for seventeen years. It would take another twenty-three years to complete the edifice (dedicated April 6, 1893).

Prior to the completion of the temple, the ordinances of baptism for the dead, endowment and sealing (primarily for the living) were performed in the two-story adobe Endowment House on the northwest corner of the block. These ordinances were stopped in 1884 when the Logan Temple was completed and the building thereafter was only used for occasional meetings. The Endowment House was built in 1855 and razed in 1889 as part of the concessions in quest of statehood. By this time temples had been completed in St. George, Logan, and Manti.

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The two buildings constructed for public worship were the Old and New Tabernacles. Completed in 1852 (razed in 1877), the Old Tabernacle was built in the southwest corner of the block and seated 2,500. Built of adobe, this rectangular building featured an unique hemispherical apse on the north end. The growth of the Church prompted construction of the second Tabernacle, or New Tabernacle, in 1863-67. The unique dome, constructed with a complicated truss system, spanned an area of 250 by 150 feet and was supported by sixteen sandstone columns. This structure housed 8,000 worshipers and served as the center of public worship during this period of the city's history.

The rest of the buildings and sheds on the Temple Block in 1870 were workshops for the workers on the Temple and Public Works, with the exception of the small adobe building in the southeast quadrant. Built in 1869 by the United States Coastal Survey as an astronomical observatory to take readings for the accuracy of clocks, Orson Pratt may have used the building for his own scientific work.

The next block to the east housed the Church's administrative offices. The Deseret News, Tithing Office and Store and tithing corrals were located on the southwest corner. The next building to the east housed the Church Printing Office and that was followed by a small adobe building which had once served as the mint and in 1870 was being used as a dentist's office. This was followed by another building (possibly a home owned by Daniel H. Wells) and then the Deseret Museum which was founded in 1869. On the far southeast corner of the block, nestled between the Beehive and Lion houses, was Brigham Young's office as President of the Church and Governor of the Territory. Directly across South Temple Street was the Historian's Office where the records of the Church were housed.

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Religious LifeIn 1849 Salt Lake City was divided into nineteen wards of nine square blocks from Plats A and B. Either all or part of nine of these wards are included on the model; Sixth (part), Seventh (part), Eighth (part), Thirteenth (all), Fourteenth (all), Fifteenth (part), Sixteenth (part), Seventeenth (all) and Eighteenth (part). The location of the above wards in relation to the model are shown in Figure 7.

During the early years of Salt Lake City's history, the religious life of the community centered around the Tabernacle and involved the Stake as a whole. General religious meetings, including sacrament meetings, were held in the Tabernacle each Sunday morning and afternoon. Individual wards were more concerned with temporal affairs, especially education. In fact, individual ward buildings were used primarily as schools and secondarily as places of worship. There are seven ward schoolhouse/meetinghouses on the model.

By 1870, wards were beginning to take a more active role in the religious life of the city. In addition to schools, the meetinghouses sheltered Sunday Schools, Relief Society and priesthood meetings, cultural and social activities, and occasional evening sacrament meetings. It was not until the mid-1870s that wards started building chapels whose primary function was the worship of the ward congregation.

During the 1850s and '60s there were a few members of various Protestant religions in the city. During the 1870s Congregational and Presbyterian missionaries became the principal antagonists of Mormon

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control in the city. The Reverends D.J. McMillan, Robert G. McNiece and Norman McLeod hoped by preaching in churches and teaching in schools to break Brigham Young's grip on the territory. While contributing substantially to educational development within the city, they had little effect in dissuading the loyalty of the Saints.

The Catholics, on the other hand, were the largest of the Christian groups. They were more concerned with keeping their own people faithful than changing the Mormons. These non-Mormon faiths served the spiritual needs of emigrant miners, merchant and soldiers. Most of the Catholics were of Irish decent and the Catholic Church played an important part in their maintaining their national identity. Many Irish soldiers of Johnston's army and from Patrick Connor's garrison at Camp Douglas were successful in mining and were generous to their native Catholic Church. By the 1890s they were the wealthiest men in the territory. Their generosity to their church made possible the construction of the Cathedral of the Madeleine.

Most of the Jews that came to Utah in the 1850s and '60s were merchants. These included such prominent names as Siegel, Kahn and the Auerbach brothers. The first non-Mormon church built in the city in about 1865 was deeded to the First Church of Jesus Christ (Congregational), located on Third South just west of Main Street and was known as Independence Hall. Jews, which numbered about 50-60 members in 1870, used this building for both Jewish Holy Days as well as Sabbath services. On occasion their services were also held in the Masonic Hall, the Seventies Hall and even Richards's Skating Rink. Services were conducted by local savants since no rabbi was available. Other celebrations were held in private homes, especially the Wafters home, where as many as thirty people enjoyed Passover meals.

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Central Business DistrictBy 1870, Salt Lake City's commercial life was primarily located along East Temple Street (now Main Street). Brigham Young's plan to spread out and diversify business and manufacturing throughout the city on a ward basis had largely been abandoned by Salt Lake's citizens.

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Both sides of East Temple Street and adjoining streets were lined with two- and three-story buildings which housed an impressive array of business establishments: Auerbach and Bros. mercantile, Godbe and Co. drugstore, Walker Bros. mercantile, Savage and Ottinger artists' supplies, photograph studio and stationers; and over thirty shops associated with Zion's Cooperative Mercantile Institution.

In an effort to revive the urban ideals of the City of Zion and to stimulate the economy, the Church endorsed the formation of retail cooperative enterprises and manufacturing associations in 1868 and 1874. Although a joint-stock company, Zion's Cooperative Mercantile Institute was controlled by Church leaders. Stores owned by Mormon merchants were invited to join the co-op. Goods were purchased through the parent organization, and the board of directors controlled prices. The organization of ZCMI with its bulk purchases and price controls finally put a stop to the outrageous prices and wild fluctuations of a market which was being influenced by the beginnings of mining in the region.

Many of the stores in Salt Lake's central business district joined the ZCMI, and Church leaders encouraged Mormons to shop only in the stores belonging to the cooperative. As a mark of identification, each store in the co-op displayed a ZCMI sign above the door with the motto "Holiness to the Lord" and an all-seeing eye. ZCMI shops did not consolidate into one building until 1876, although the ZCMI-affiliated "Eagle Emporium" on the southwest corner of First South and East Temple was considered to be one of the primary stores. In 1870, Salt Lake City shoppers found stores that specialized in groceries, clothing, shoes, books, medicine, knives, liquor, hats, ice cream, baked goods, meat, tobacco, candy, hardware, farm implements, furniture, saddles and furs. Location of major Mormon owned and non-Mormon owned business are shown on Figure 8.

Salt Lake City also boasted many service-oriented businesses, such as, hotels, restaurants, saloons, physicians, tanners, a telegraph office, wagon makers, wheelwrights, blacksmiths, carpenters, paper hangers, attorneys, accountants, bookkeepers, dentists, freighters, insurance salesmen, liveries, hairdressers, bathhouses, banks, undertakers, one veterinary surgeon, an Indian interpreter and one oyster dealer.

While most businesses had gathered on East Temple, many other stores and businesses could be found spread throughout the city. Manufacturing centers also tended to be scattered or located on the outskirts of the city.

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Major Mormon Owned and Other Stores on Main Street in 1870

Mormon Owned Stores Other Stores

**Eagle Emporium (Wm. Jennings & Co.)Old Constitution BuildingCarl Asmussen JewelryGlobe BakerySavage & Ottinger Photographer & Artist **Dinwoodey Cabinetmaker and Undertaker Faust & Houtz Livery StablesJ. R. Clawson Ice Cream SaloonJames Brown ConfectionerAlfred Best Stoves & Tinware **Woodmansee Bros. General Merchandise

*Meat Market - Middle of First South (used by both Mormon and non-Mormon merchants)

** These stores belonged to ZCMI in 1870. The following stores were listed in the 1869 Salt Lake City directory as being affiliated with ZCMI. It is likely that they were still participating in the cooperative the following year.

Zion's Co-operative Mercantile Institutions (Retail)

Allen, J. M. & co., ws. E. T. nr. 2 S.Brown, John, E. T., bet. S. T. and 1 S. Bunting, James L., E. T. bet S. T. and 1 S. Bassett & Roberts, E. T. near 1 S.Best, Alfred, E. T. opp. Salt Lake House Cronyn & Penis, E. T.Cooper, Samuel & Bros., E. T.Co-operative Pottery, cor. E. T. and 5 S. Colebrook, Charles, E. T. bet. S. T. and 1 S. Day, David, E. T. bet. 1 and 2 S.Dinwoodey, Henry, E. T. Bet. S. T. and 1 S. Dunbar, W. C., ws. E. T.Davis, George W., E. T. Bet. S. T. and 1 S.Eagle Emporium, Wm. Jennings, E.T. bet. 1 & 2 S. Grenig, Daniel, es. E. T. near 2 S.Hawkins, Thomas, E. T. opp. Salt Lake House Hague, James, E. T.

Ivins, A., E. T. bet. S. T. and 1 S.Martin, Edward, ws. E. T.Morgan, O. J. ws. E. T.Maiben, John B., cor. E. T. and 1 S. Mitchell, F. A., 1 S. near E. T.Naisbitt & Hindley, E. T. opp. Salt Lake House Needham, S. H., 1 E. bet. 2 and 3 S. Phelps, Henry E., E. T. bet. S. T. and 1 S. Pyper, A. C. & Co., E. T. bet. S. T. and 1 S. Shipp, A. & Co., E. T. bet. S. T. and 1 S. Stringfellow & Bro., E. T. below 1 S. Silver, Joseph, es. E. T.Stubbs & Kirkwood, E. T.Taylor, T. and W., E. T.Wilkinson, W. B., E. T.Woodmansee Bros., E. T. bet. 1 and 2 S.

Godbe and Co. Drugs, medicines, etc. Walker Bros. General Merchandise Auerbach & Bros. General Merchandise Kimball & LawrenceCronyn & PenisRansohoff & CompanyReggel Dry GoodsJ. H. Trumbo AuctioneerCunnington GrocerySiegel Brothers Men's Clothing

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TransportationIn 1869-70, the completion of the transcontinental railroad and the Utah Central spur lines connected Salt Lake City to the nation's premier transportation system. This development accelerated the gathering of converts to Utah. It also brought Salt Lake City and the whole LDS settlement region under the influence of national economic, social, and political values and trends.

The thirty-seven miles of the Utah Central Railroad between Ogden and Salt Lake City were completed on January 10, 1870, when the last spike was driven by Brigham Young. The depot block at Third West (now Fourth West) between North and South Temple, boasted a simple depot, shops (roundhouse) and a wye (track laid in a "Y" shape) to turn the train around. A water tower to fill the steam engines was located across North Temple on the corner of Fourth West (now Fifth West).

There were two trains which ran daily each way between Salt Lake and Ogden. A third train was added on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. This spur of the Utah Central Railroad from Salt Lake to Ogden was just the beginning of a transportation system which would eventually link hundreds of Utah towns by rail.

Transportation within Salt Lake City itself was primarily on foot or by horse-drawn conveyance. There were some public mule-driven buses which provided local transportation but there was no full-fledged public transportation system until 1872 when a horse-drawn trolley system was begun.

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Public SquaresWhen Salt Lake City was first laid out, four ten-acre blocks were reserved for public use. The most important of these was the Temple Block, which was set aside for religious purposes. Others were chosen because they had a water source that could be used by the public.

Although many sources identify Emigration Square as the first campsite of the Vanguard Company, the July 22, 1847 camp was actually made about two miles southeast between Emigration and Parley's Creeks (near 1700 South and 500 East). On July 23, the company moved to a site on Block 52 immediately northwest of Emigration Square. It was not until 1860 that Emigration Square officially became a camp for newly-arrived pioneers, although it had occasionally been used by earlier companies because of the presence of a water source. Emigration Square (also called Eighth Ward Square or officially Washington Square) continued to serve as a campsite and organizing ground for the thousands of emigrants who poured into the valley during the 1860s. Emigrants either met family or friends at this site or camped here briefly until they were directed to a particular settlement. This block is the present site of the City and County Building.

The Pioneer Fort was located on another of these public blocks. Built in the fall of 1847, the humble fortification of log and adobe cabins provided shelter for weary settlers. By the summer of 1848, the settlers began to break up the Old Fort and they used its adobe and timber to build individual homes. In 1870, the block remained relatively empty with the exception of two houses and some garden plots. This block, which is the present site of Pioneer Park, was commonly called Old Fort Square in the nineteenth century.

The fourth public block was Union Square. Fenced in, it provided a temporary corral for large herds of livestock. During the 1850s it was the primary campsite for emigrants. In 1860 the campsite was transferred to Eighth Ward Square or Washington Square. These squares are shown in Figure 9.

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Physical Environment and Natural ResourcesThe site spreading out below City Creek Canyon was ideal for the settlement of Salt Lake City. It provided good soil for farming, a reliable source of water for irrigating fields, and nearby timber for fences and houses.

With an average rainfall of sixteen inches per year, irrigation soon became the basis for all farming and gardening in Salt Lake City. Volunteer laborers from the various wards built miles of impressive canals, flumes and ditches.

City Creek provided the water for downtown Salt Lake City. By 1870, City Creek had been diverted from its natural course and funneled into a canal which ran down the center of North Temple Street. The natural bed of the creek in 1856 with its three branches is shown in Figure 10.

Main ditches which took off from the stream carried water down both sides of every street in the city. Branch ditches which fed each lot took off from the main ditches and were controlled by a gate. This water, together with water from Red Butte Creek, wells and cisterns, which collected rain water, was the principal source of culinary and drinking water for the city. Since 1870 preceded the scientific knowledge of microorganisms, it can be assumed that water was the source of considerable disease. Parasites and disease organisms such as typhoid fever from man and tularemia from animals must have been widely disseminated by the water. Also, it is doubtful that privies were properly placed to avoid pollution of wells, cisterns and ground water supplies for drinking and culinary use. There was, of course, no central sewer system.

During the irrigation season, from April 1 to November 1, each lot received a "watering turn " once a week for two hours. Water was extremely important in this semi-arid community and it was carefully regulated by local water masters.

The water from City Creek Canyon was also used to power machinery, such as the mills located at the mouth of the canyon. Heber C. Kimball owned the gristmill on North Temple which had earlier been used as a linseed oil factory. On the corner to the east was the Church blacksmith shop whose bellows were powered by the stream. The Church foundry was located just north of the blacksmith shop. The mill located in the canyon was a sawmill owned by Brigham Young. Although not on the model, a grist mill also owned by Brigham Young and several more sawmills were also located in the canyon.

Ordinances to protect the natural resources of the canyon and to ensure that they were distributed prudently and fairly were established within days of the pioneers' arrival in the valley.

Brigham Young acted as guardian of the canyon. He maintained the road and collected a toll from those who used the canyon to cut timber and firewood.

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Facts about Salt Lake City in 1870Name: Salt Lake City (had been Great Salt Lake City until 1868 when the word "Great" was

officially removed by the territorial legislature)

Population: 12,900 within city limits (approximately 1,000 were non-Mormons). Population of Salt Lake County was between 30,000 and 35,000.

Newspapers: Deseret News (daily), founded June 1850

Mormon Tribune, founded January 1870 (renamed Salt Lake Tribune, July 1870) Salt Lake Herald, founded June 1870

City Organization: Mayor - Daniel H. Wells (served as mayor from 1866 to 1876; Second Counselor in First

Presidency at same time)Marshal - John D. T. McAllisterRecorder - Robert CampbellTreasurer - Paul A. SchettlerAldermen - Henry W. Lawrence, Samuel Richards, Alonzo H. Raleigh, Jeter Clinton,

Alexander C. PyperCouncilors, - R. T. Burton, Isaac Groo, Theodore McKean, John Sharp, William S.

Godbe, Peter Nebeker, Thomas Jenkins, George J. Taylor, Heber P. Kimball

Standing CommitteesOn Public LawsOn Ways and Means On ClaimsOn ImprovementsOn Unfinished Business On ElectionsOn PoliceOn Public Grounds On Revision On License On Public Works On Finances On Cemetery On Market House

City OfficersCity Attorney - Hosea StoutChief of Police - Andrew BurtChief Engineer of Fire Department - John D. T. McAllister (Volunteer Fire Department) City Business - Isaac GrooInspector of Buildings - A. H. RaleighInspector of Liquors - Robert CampbellInspector of Stock - H. J. FaustMarket Master - Andrew BurtSealer of Weights & Measures - Nathan Davis

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Surveyor - Jesse W. FoxQuarantine Physician - Jeter ClintonCity Sexton - Joseph E. Taylor

Buildings:Public Buildings - Council House, City Hall, Court House, City Prison (rear of City Hall), Seventies Hall, Bath House (northwest of city) and Penitentiary (four miles southwest of city).

Places of Amusement - Salt Lake Theater, Social Hall, Music Hall, billiard halls.

Educational Institutions- University of Deseret, Morgan's Commercial College, Union Academy, Rager's Seminary.

Fraternal Organizations - Mount Moriah (Masonic) Lodge, Wasatch Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Independent Order of Good Templars.

Banks - Wells Fargo & Co., Hussey, Dahler & Co.

Hotels - Salt Lake House, Townsend House, The Revere House, The Mansion House, The Delmonico, The Pacific House.

Post Office - A.W. Street, Postmaster.

Political Life: Political Parties - Liberal Party and the People's Party were first organized in 1870.

Religious Life: Latter-day Saints, Episcopalians, Methodists, Catholics, Congregationalists, Jews

Church Leadership:First Presidency : Brigham Young, George A. Smith, Daniel H. Wells

Council of the Twelve : Orson Hyde, Orson Pratt, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, Charles C. Rich, Lorenzo Snow, Franklin D. Richards, George Q. Cannon, Brigham Young Jr., Joseph F. Smith, Albert Carrington.

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Model ConstructionThe model, which took three years to build, includes sixty-four blocks of Salt Lake City in a scale of one inch to fifty feet.

Construction began by plotting out the topography of the city in clay. This was then cast in fiberglass and the streets were laid out. Trees, fences, and buildings were made by Museum staff members and part-time employees. The more than 17,000 trees were made from wire and lichen to resemble a variety of different kinds of trees. The 2,000 buildings, and an additional 1,200 outhouses are made of small chunks of plastic which were painted and then given doors and windows with tiny rubber stamps. The fences were etched into brass foil.

The slope of the topography has been exaggerated to 6 percent. This technique is a standard procedure in model building to reflect the actual lay of the land. If the slope were not exaggerated, it would be imperceptible, thus creating a false impression. By the exaggerated slope the distribution of water flow in the ditches and canals is easier to see.

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Annotated BibliographyAlexander, Thomas G., and James B. Allen. Mormons and Gentiles: A History of Salt Lake City.

The Western Urban History Series, Volume 5. Boulder, Colorado: Pruett Publishing Company, 1984. A political history of Salt Lake City. Early chapters focus on 1847-70 period.

Brown, S. Kent, Donald Q. Cannon, and Richard H. Jackson. Historical Atlas of Mormonism. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1994. Articles found in this reference that may be useful to the subject of this book are as follows:

Brian Q. Cannon, "Salt Lake City, (1847)," pp 82-83. Layout of Plats A, B, & Cand location of General Authorities' property during title period.

Brian Q. Cannon, "Salt Lake Valley (1848-1870)," pp 84-85. Layout oftowns located in Salt Lake Valley and Salt Lake City Plats in title period. Glen

M. Leonard, "Pioneer Property in Salt Lake City," pp 120-121. Landdistribution and use in 1847 and LDS Church property ownership in 1992.

Dixon, W. Randall. "Beautiful, Troublesome City Creek." Pioneer (Winter 1996):24-28. Examines the routes and uses of City Creek.

Dixon, W. Randall. "Forgotten Living Landmarks of Early Salt Lake City." Pioneer (Spring 1995):20-23. Briefly describes vegetation in the Salt Lake Valley in the late 1840s.

Haglund, Karl T., and Philip F. Notarianni. The Avenues of Salt Lake City. SLC: Utah State Historical Society, 1980. Provides general information about Salt Lake's foothills and common architectural styles. (979.2251/H145a/1980)

Harris, Chauncy D. "Salt Lake City: A Regional Capitol." Ph.D. dissertation, University of Chicago, 1940. A general description of the development of Salt Lake City from 1847 to 1940.

Jackson, Richard H. "Geography and Settlement in the Intermountain West: Creating an American Mecca." Journal of the West (July 1994):22-34. Traces the development of Salt Lake City.

Lester, Margaret D. Brigham Street. SLC: Utah State Historical Society, 1979. Interesting histories of the grand homes along South Temple.

McCormick, John S. The Historic Buildings of Downtown Salt Lake City. SLC: Utah State Historical Society, 1982. Some of the buildings profiled are included on the model. (979.2251/M13 1 s/ 1980).

1Mortensen, A. Russell, ed., "The Valley of the Great Salt Lake." Utah Historical Quarterly 27 (July 1959). Collection of essays on Salt Lake City.

Olsen, Steven L. "Joseph Smith's Concept of the City of Ziorl" Chapter 15, in Joseph Smith the Prophet, edited by Susan Easton Black and Charles D. Tate, Jr. Provo: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1993. A treatise on the process of developing the City of Zion plan by Joseph Smith and other Church leaders in the 1830s.

Reps, John W. Cities of the American West: A History of Urban Planning. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1979. Pages 287-313 contains a discussion on maps of various Mormon city plans including the City of Zion and Great Salt Lake City.

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Sloan, E. L. Salt Lake City Directory and Business Guide for 1869. Salt Lake City: E.L. Sloan & Co., 1869. Directory of facts, businesses, and residents of Salt Lake City in 1869.

Trautmann, Frederic and Theodore Kirchoff. "Salt Lake City Through a German's Eyes: A Visit by Theodore Kirchhoff in 1867." Utah Historical Quarterly 51 (Winter 1983): 45-46.

Truitt, Esther Ruth. "Enclosing a World." Utah Historical Quarterly 27 (Fall 1988) 352-359. A view of gardens and landscaping in Salt Lake.

Walker, Ronald W. "'A Banner is Unfurled': Mormonism's Ensign Peak." Dialogue. A Journal of Mormon Thought, 26:4 (Winter 1993): 70-93 A discussion of the importance of Ensign Peak to the pioneers and a banner unfurled by Brigham Young on the first Pioneer Day celebration in July 1849

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