We couldn’t visit Salt Lake City without seeing the Great Salt Lake. We decided to make a day trip out to Antelope Island State Park. The park has miles of hiking, camping, and beaches on the lake as well as a historic ranch. There are also plenty of opportunities for birdwatching and spotting wildlife.
On May 10, 1869, in the middle of the desert at Promontory Summit in Utah Territory, Leland Stanford drove the last spike to complete the First Transcontinental Railroad. Although the tracks have been removed and the trains no longer pass by Promontory Summit, the location where the Golden Spike was driven is celebrated by the National Park Service for its significance in American history.
After spending some time in Ogden, we drove through nearby Brigham City and made a quick stop in the small downtown. Originally named Box Elder, Brigham City is named after Brigham Young, who gave his last public sermon there in 1877 before he died.
While Martin stayed back in Salt Lake City to catch up on some work, Gönül and I headed north of the city for the day. Our first stop was in Ogden for a quick look around.
Swimming in the Utah Crater is a unique way to spend an hour if you’re in the Salt Lake City or Park City area. This natural hot spring in the town of Midway is part of the Homestead Resort complex.
Timpanogos Cave National Monument is a real treat to visit. Not only are the cave formations spectacular to look at, the tough walk up is a great workout.
The stunning City and Council Building is the home of the city government of Salt Lake City. It was completed in 1894 and replaced the older Council Building, which was later dismantled and moved to Capitol Hill. It served as the state capitol building from Utah’s admission into the Union in 1896 until the new capitol building was finished in 1915. The county offices were also in the building until a separate facility was built in the 1980s.
The This Is the Place Monument marks the approximate spot where Brigham Young ended the long journey west for the Vanguard Company. He was thought to have said “This is the right place. Drive on.”
The Utah State Capitol is the center of government for the state of Utah. It sits on a former munitions storage area once called Arsenal Hill (now Capitol Hill). The land was donated by Salt Lake City to the state in 1888 for the purpose of building the capitol, but construction didn’t begin until 1912. The building was completed in 1916.
The Beehive House was the home and office of Brigham Young, the second president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the first governor of Utah. It sits a block east of Temple Square in Salt Lake City.