This century old building was originally built for the Fraternal Order of the Eagles and was recently a dance club, The Bay. It is located in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah.
EAGLES CLUB BUILDING
This building was constructed in 1915-16 for the Fraternal Order of the Eagles. The architect was Niels Edward Liljenberg, a Swedish immigrant who designed many institutional buildings in Utah. The Eagles Club was one of a number of fraternal organizations established in Utah and the U.S. in the late 19th century. In addition to sponsoring social and cultural activities, it furnished free medical services, provided low-cost health and life insurance, and lobbied for progressive labor policies. The building was sold by the club during the Depression in 1937 and remained vacant several years before being leased to the American Legion in 1941. In 1950 it was purchased by the Equitable Life Insurance Company, which remained here until the mid-1980’s. The building was rehabilitated in 1990 by The Bay Entertainment, Inc.
Located at 404 South West Temple in Salt Lake City, Utah.
This is the old Utah Ore Sampling Company at the Pallas Yard.
Utah Ore Sampling Company built this sampler in 1909. Consolidated mining companies did their own sampling. This was the largest independent sampler between Missouri and California. After the ore was crushed and analyzed for content and quality, smelters decided on the basis of the samples, whether to buy larger quantities of the ore. Ore came here from all over the west. Most of the ores sampled here went to the ASARCO smelter for processing. The close proximity of the two plants allowed the railroads to treat them as a single destination for billing purposes. The large “Thawed House,” where loads of frozen ore were completely thawed before they were run through the sample plant, still remains. This mill was unique because it contained the only railroad spur that connected to both the Denver and Rio Grande and the Union Pacific Railroads. The company operated until the 1950’s, when the smelting industry in Murray ceased. (Salt Lake Valley Historical Tour, Ron Andersen, 1997)
News item about the Utah Ore Sampling Company closing its plant in Park City due to the larger plant in Murray going into operation. (Salt Lake Mining Review, Volume 19, number 1, April 15, 1917, p.33)
Article about the Utah Ore Sampling plant at Murray. (Salt Lake Mining Review, Volume 27, number 9, August 15, 1925, p.9)
Utah Ore Sampling Company was constructed between the Union Pacific Provo Subdivision and the Rio Grande mainlines at 53rd South and 3rd West. UP had quite a sizable yard at Pallas (between 53rd South and 59th South) used to store and classify cars for the Sampler and the large Murray and Midvale smelter complexes. The Rio Grande always referred to this location as Sampler long after the facility was closed. (James Belmont, February 5, 2008)
Utah Ore Sampling Company was an independent third party that assayed the mineral content, and amount of ores shipped from mines to smelters. They got their start in Park City, at a joint trackage location between UP and D&RGW inside UP’s wye. That location closed in 1917 when the Murray plant was built, and the existing structure was built in 1925 to expand on the original operation. There is a nice article in the August 15, 1925 issue of Salt Lake Mining Review.
The ore we are talking about is known as galena, a mix of lead and silver ore, with lots of other bits like zinc, cadmium, antimony, arsenic and bismuth, thrown in just to make the lives of smelter men interesting. Galena is the principle silver ore in the western U.S. Every load of ore, usually in classic GS gondolas, was different and the smelters needed to get the proper mix of ores and flux-ores to make each smelter run as economical as possible.
As the rail cars from the various mines from all over the west, but mostly from Utah and Idaho, arrived at the Murray/Midvale smelting complex, the loaded cars had to be “sampled” to determine the mix of ores in each load. The trackage at the Utah Ore Sampling Company was jointly owned and operated between UP and D&RGW, as well as portions of the trackage at Pallas itself.
As loads of ore arrived, they were switched to the sampler where samples were taken. The cars were then switched to Pallas to be held and used as each car’s particular mix of ore could best be used. UP kept a full time switcher and crew at Pallas, as did D&RGW at Midvale. If I recall, the two roads cooperated heavily in the movement of in and around Murray and Midvale. I would guess that at any one time, there would not be more than 50-60 cars in the Pallas yard. But like everything else with Utah railroads, there is much yet to be researched.
As can be seen, the trackage was still extensive even in this 1985 version. I’ve seen earlier track maps, and there was a lot of tracks in the area. There were lots of spurs to the 10 or so big and small smelters in the middle of Salt Lake Valley, which from 1900 to about 1920, was the smelting center of the western U.S. It would be an interesting subject to model, especially if you throw in the inbound coal in Utah Coal Route GS gons, and the outbound loads of lead and silver.
A side note from today is that UTA’s TRAX lightrail uses the old UP spur from Atwoods just south of Pallas, to get to its shops at Midvale, by way of an undercrossing under the D&RGW mainline. UTA will also use the old UP line to Midvale to get from its shops to the old D&RGW Bingham Branch to extend light rail all the way west to Daybreak.(*)
I hiked up to Donut falls with Tammy, the hike up was nice, about three quarters of a mile from parking to the falls. We played around a while at the falls and found a geocache then we decided to find our own way down, that is always a bad idea, why don’t I learn? sliding down hillsides, climbing cliffs, jumping across raging rivers, running into a moose just a few feet away from us…. another good adventure in the books.
Organized during the 1880’s by the Reverend T. Saunders, this congregation has served as a focus of black religious, social, and cultural activity in Utah from territorial days to the present. In 1907 property at this spot was acquired, and a church designed by Hurly Howell was constructed through the sacrifice and energy of the congregation under the Reverend T. C. Bell. Restoration was begun in 1976 under the Reverend D. D. Wilson.
The congregation met in various members’ homes until it acquired enough funds to buy property to build a church in 1907. The new church was located on 600 South which is now Martin Luther King Boulevard.
From the 1930s and through the 1960s the church congregation numbered around 300 members. Despite the previous strong membership, the church has struggled with declining membership since the 1970s. In 2012 it reported only 50 worshippers a week. Trinity AME now touts itself as a “working class” church that primarily serves widowed senior citizens. It has struggled to attract more youth despite its long history of community involvement. It continues to hold youth activities such as movie nights that partner with the Salt Lake City women’s shelter. It also sponsors interfaith events that involve other religious denominations in the city.(*)
Located at 749 East 500 South in Salt Lake City, Gilgal Sculpture Garden was envisioned, designed and created by Thomas Battersby Child, Jr. in the mid-twentieth century.
Tucked in the middle of the block behind houses and businesses, many are still unaware of its existence and enjoy a true sense of discovery when they visit the garden for the first time.
Gilgal Sculpture Garden contains 12 original sculptures and over 70 stones engraved with scriptures, poems, and literary texts. As a whole, Gilgal Sculpture Garden is significant as the only identified “visionary art environment” in Utah.
The public is invited to visit the garden seven days a week. There is no admission charge. Walking tour brochures are available at the garden. Visiting hours: April/September – 8 am to 8 pm October/March – 9 am to 5 pm Closed New Year Day; Thanksgiving; Christmas.(*)
Gilgal Garden is the legacy of Thomas Child’s desire to give physical form to his deep-felt beliefs. “If you want to be brought down to earth in your thinking and studying, try to make your thoughts express themselves with your hands,” Child wrote. The garden contains twelve original sculptural arrangements and over 70 stones engraved with scriptures, poems, and philosophical texts. Each represents an idea that rang of truth to Child in his life-long spiritual quest. Together, the sculptures and stones create a landscape of meaning and a unique work of art.
Child shared Gilgal Garden with thousands of visitors during his lifetime. He hoped the garden would inspire viewers to ponder “the unsolved mysteries of life” and struggle to find their own answers. Child was aware that many people would find Gilgal Garden strange, but hoped they would accept its challenge. “You don’t have to agree with me,” he explained. “You may think I am a nut, but I hope I have aroused your thinking and curiosity.”
Child began work on Gilgal Garden in 1945, when he was 57 years old. By then, he had already led a successful career as a masonry contractor, married and raised a family, been a leader in community affairs, and served as a bishop of the LDS Tenth Ward for over 19 years. Child’s passion for his garden consumed much of his time and money until his death in 1963.
With the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869, the isolation of Salt Lake City was broken, and the Church of the Latter Day Saints witnessed an ever-increasing non-Mormon population in their city. Sheldon Jackson recruited newly ordained home missionary Josiah Welsh (1841–1876) to organize a Protestant congregation.
The First Presbyterian Church was organized in November, 1871 with eleven members. Its first building, built with monies solicited in the East, was the first home of Westminster College, and was occupied for thirty years before the congregation, which grew to over five hundred members, moved to its present facility. Walter E. Ware designed the Gothic Revival structure, with its low square tower and patterned on the cathedral church of Carlyle, England. The exterior was built of locally quarried red butte stone with hard stone trim.
First occupied in 1905, the congregation substantially enlarged, renovated, and modernized it in 1956. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. It is also Entry No. 323 on the American Presbyterian/Reformed Historic Sites Registry.
The construction of the First Presbyterian Church marked the coming of age of Utah’s Presbyterian community. The state’s early Presbyterian chapels and mission schools were funded by Presbyterian missionary organizations in the East. The money for this magnificent building, however, was raised by local Presbyterian congregations. Thus, the First Presbyterian Church was a symbol of the growing numbers and influence of Presbyterians in Mormondominated Utah.
Utah architect Walter E. Ware modeled his design for the First Presbyterian Church on the beautiful medieval cathedral in Carlisle, England. Like the Carlisle Cathedral, First Presbyterian Church is built of red sandstone. The church’s irregular massing, crenellated square tower, finials, and lancet-shaped windows are also reminiscent of the Carlisle Cathedral.
The church’s three large stained glass windows are artistic treasures. The west window depicts Christ in the manger, the south depicts Christ at Gethsemane, and the east depicts the first Easter. In October 1906, only five months after the church was completed, a severe storm blew out the magnificent east window. Because of the damage, no services could be held in the church for six months. Undaunted, congregation members raised over $3,000 to replace the window.
The sanctuary of First Presbyterian Church is noted for its fine acoustics and has long been used for concerts and recitals. The debut of the church’s new pipe organ in 1911 was reported in the Deseret News as “one of the most notable musical functions that have been held in the city.” Today, the church continues to host musical performances as well as the meetings and activities of over 50 cultural, educational, and community groups.
The Cathedral of the Madeleine is a Roman Catholic church in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It was completed in 1909 and currently serves as the cathedral, or mother church, of the Diocese of Salt Lake City. It is the only cathedral in the US under the patronage of St. Mary Magdalene.
The cathedral was built under the direction of Lawrence Scanlan, the first bishop of Salt Lake. It was designed by architects Carl M. Neuhausen and Bernard O. Mecklenburg. The outside is predominantly a Neo-Romanesque design, while the inside tends more toward the Neo-Gothic. Construction began in 1900 and was completed in 1909. It was dedicated by Cardinal James Gibbons, Archbishop of Baltimore.
The Cathedral of the Madeleine has a very interesting history in which four important facets of Utah and American history are expressed. First of all, it was designed by Architect C. M. Neuhausen, and demonstrates his attachment to H. H. Richardson’s architecture, popular in America at the turn of the century. Some writers suggest that the influence of Sir Christopher Wren is also evident as a result of the Irish background of Bishop Lawrence Scanlon.
Secondly, the Cathedral represents the missionizing efforts of Catholicism in settling the American west. Fathers Antanazio Domingues and Silvestre Velez de Escalante were the first white men to explore into Utah. In addition, in 1776, the “Pious Fund” established by the early Jesuit Padre Kino and Father Salvatierra, for building churches in the Californias (1697), became available after more than two centuries of “controversy,” Allowing a ruling by the Hague Tribunal in 1902. Monies from these Jesuit funds were paid to the “Bishops of the Californias” of which $124,080.54 sent to the Salt Lake Diocese for building the Cathedral, a fitting tribute to the long and continuing impact of the Catholic missions on the American west.
Thirdly, much of the money used to build and furnish the Cathedral came rom Utah mines, which also provided the first attraction for major Catholic emigration to Utah. Such names as David Keith, Thomas Kearns, Mrs. Mary Judge and others are among the contributors. The Father of Utah mining, General Patrick Connor, was a Catholic. Many of the thousands of miners who came to exploit Utah’s minerals were and still are Catholics. Between 1873 and 1915 all were directly affected by the Cathedral builder, Father Scanlon.
Finally, the lovely Cathedral is the crowning, tangible monument to the extensive and effective labors of Bishop Lawrence Scanlon. Father Edward Kelly had been assigned to Salt Lake City in 1866, and his successor, Father Patrick Walsh, came in 1871. They had purchased land and built the first Catholic Church in Salt Lake City, yet the edifice retained a debt of $6,000 Scanlon arrived in 1873.
Under Scanlon’s direction, churches were built in most of the mining and larger communities of Utah. all parishes in Utah before his death, and all charitable and educational institutions as well, including All Hallows College, St. Mary’s Academy, St. Ann’s Orphanage, and Holy Cross Hospital.
The Cathedral itself evolved slowly. In 1889, land was purchased from Don Carlos Young for about $39,000. Ground was broken on July 4, 1889, but the cornerstone was not laid until July 22, 1900. By 1907 the building was almost finished except for the spires. At that time Bernard O. Mecklenburg was hired as a new architect. Construction was completed and the structure dedicated August 15, 1909. It was a day for celebration, especially by Utah Catholics. Construction costs have been estimated at over $300,000 plus furnishings.
Bishop Scanlon worked successfully with Mormon and civic leaders, who held him in high regard. His death May 10, 1915 was mourned by all Utahns. In tribute to him, his remains were placed in the crypt under the Sanctuary. The words of Bishop Keane, given at the time the Cathedral was dedicated, pay eloquent tribute to this structure: “This magnificent temple is a confession of faith of the Catholics of Salt Lake. Families will come and go, revolutions will arise, but Temples such as this remain as lasting monuments to those who built them, monuments to the living faith in human hearts.“
(from Preservation Utah’s walking tour) The Cathedral of the Madeleine 331 E. South Temple 1899-1909, Carl M. Neuhausen (1899-1907), SLC, and Bernard O. Mecklenburg (1907-1909), SLC Open to the public M-F, 7:30 am-9 pm, Sat. & Sun., 7:30 am-7 pm. Guided tours available Fridays at 1 pm and Sundays at 12:30 pm.
The mining fortunes that gave rise to South Temple’s grandest mansions also helped fund the construction of Utah’s first Catholic cathedral. The Cathedral of the Madeleine was built between 1899 and 1909 under the direction of the Right Reverend Lawrence Scanlan. It was designed by prominent Utah architect Carl M. Neuhausen as a Romanesque-style building with round Roman arches and rough-cut stone. Later, when Bishop Scanlan acquired additional funds for the project, the towers and pointed Gothic style portico were added to the plans. Upon Neuhausen’s death in 1907, Bernard O. Mecklenburg was hired to complete the roof and towers. While the exterior of the cathedral was substantially complete by 1909, the interior remained quite plain. In 1915, the Right Reverend Joseph Glass embarked on a three-year project to enhance the interior. Under the direction of noted American architect John Comes, the finest craftsmen of the day created paneling, painted murals, and carved wooden altarpieces for the building. The resulting ornate, polychrome interior is an outstanding example of the Gothic Revival style popular in the early 20th century. Comes also oversaw the completion of the exterior of the cathedral with the addition of the tympanum carving, tower gargoyles, and bi-level front steps.
Both the exterior and interior of the cathedral have undergone extensive restoration to preserve their historic character. The National Trust for Historic Preservation recognized the excellence of the interior restoration with a prestigious Honor Award in 1994.
