Ever since Brigham Young’s wagon train arrived in Salt Lake City in July of 1847, Salt Lake has been the center of all things Mormon. The Mormon church, known more formally as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or LDS, is one of the world’s fastest growing religions and worldwide membership is currently over 15 million members. Most Salt Lake City visitors limit their Mormon history tour to the sites located in Temple Square, but the rest of the city is brimming with historic Mormon history sites too.
Start your Mormon history tour in Salt Lake City’s Temple Square, where you can get an good introduction to the church in one of the two visitors centers or hop on a free guided tour. You can view the inside of the Salt Lake Tabernacle, the Salt Lake Assembly Hall and the largest genealogy library in the world, but not the temple itself – only good standing church members are allowed in.
I highly recommend the short hike up to Ensign Peak, where you can gaze out into the Salt Lake Valley just as Brigham Young and several other pioneer leaders did a few days after arriving in Salt Lake to survey the valley. From the summit, the church leaders planned out the city they soon built. The peak is now used for religious and civic ceremonies and is a great place for viewing the city and capturing photos of the Salt Lake Valley.
Another site with great views of the city is the Salt Lake Cemetery located in the hills above the city. Nine of the presidents of the LDS church are buried there and visitors can pick up a “Trail of the Prophets” guide at the cemetery office showing the location of each president’s burial site.
If you’re interested in artifacts from the pioneer period, the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers Museum contains collections and displays from the time of the earliest pioneers to the time of the joining of railroads known as Promontory Point in 1869. The collection in the museum is so vast that it is known as the world’s largest collection of artifacts in one particular subject.
Now home to the Salt Lake Downtown Farmer’s Market, Twilight Summer Concert Series, and a good portion of the city’s homeless population, Pioneer Park located at 300 South and 300 West marks the spot of the first pioneer campsite and fort in Salt Lake. If you would like to enact some of the pioneer travels yourself, you can hike the Mormon Trail, located in Little Emigration Canyon, that traces the path of the Donner Party, Pony Express, and the first Mormon pioneers from East Canyon to Big Mountain Pass.
The post Must See Mormon History Sites in Salt Lake City appeared first on Viator Salt Lake City.