Mormon Pioneer Trail: Salt Lake City Itinerary

This Is the Place Heritage Park, near the location where Brigham Young first surveyed the valley in July 1847, represents the Mormon arrival. But as the City of the Saints grew from a rustic frontier village to a bustling territorial capital, many California-bound travelers paused here for a layover to rest, re-supply, or spend the winter. The Pony Express descended the canyon and went through town, too, carrying mail to a station on Main Street.

For several years, emigrants on their way to California corralled their cattle and camped here during their stay in Salt Lake City. Later, the livestock pens were moved outside of the city. The 1894 City and County Building occupies the site today, and a monument commemorating the Mormon pioneers is located at the northwest corner of the square.

A curbside monument in front of the First National Bank Building at 163 South Main Street commemorates the Great Salt Lake City Pony Express Station. A plaque, located near the entrance of the Tribune Building a few doors north of the monument, lists Utah Pony Express riders and superintendents. The Tribune Building stands at the former site of Salt Lake House, a historic hotel where many notable travelers, including Mark Twain, stayed while visiting Salt Lake City.

The monument features a heroic-sized statue of Young created for the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago, along with smaller sculptures representing the Utah Indian tribes and fur trappers who preceded the pioneers. A plaque on the monument lists the members of the original Mormon advance company.

The Beehive House and the Lion House were the residences of Brigham Young’s large family. The Lion House, named for the stone lions at the front entrance, was built next door in 1856 two years after the construction of Beehive House, next door to the east. It was Young’s family residence and is where he died in 1877.

The Eagle Gate spans State Street east of Beehive House. The monumental gateway was originally erected in 1859 at the entrance to Brigham Young’s private family compound. Today a bronze eagle perches atop the gateway. The original wooden eagle is exhibited at the nearby Pioneer Memorial Museum.

The cemetery is a place of reverence and contemplation for Mormon visitors. In the outer garden stand sculptures of Mormon emigrants and monuments commemorating pioneers William Clayton and Eliza Roxcy Snow.

The park was once a part of Brigham Young’s family farm. Today it includes a water wheel with a wooden flume and lifelike sculptures of pioneers at work and play. It is currently only open for special events.

View exhibits and many important artifacts associated with the Mormon exodus to Utah, including objects related to the assassination of church founder Joseph Smith at Carthage, Illinois; Joseph Smith’s death mask; a wagon with a “roadometer” (odometer) invented by Mormon pioneers during the 1847 trek west; a cannon hauled west from Nauvoo by the advance company; and many personal belongings carried to Utah by the emigrants.

The log cabin is an original pioneer home that was built in 1847 at a cost of $60. Only one other Salt Lake home built that year still exists; it is located at This is the Place Heritage Park. Lumber was scarce in the largely treeless valley, and most homes built after 1847 were constructed of adobe brick. The cabin is located between the museum and the Family History Library and is free to visit.

Visit the extensive, enclosed formal garden area where the Salt Lake Temple and famous Mormon Tabernacle are located. Many passing emigrants, curious to hear Brigham Young speak, attended open-air Mormon Church services here and described the construction of the temple and tabernacle in their journals. All are welcome to visit the square, but entrance to the temple itself is restricted.

The Daughters of the Utah Pioneers proudly proclaims the museum as “the world’s largest collection of artifacts on one particular subject.” The claim is easy to believe: this museum is packed with thousands of objects both mundane and fascinating, all part of Mormon history. Allow at least a couple of hours to visit.

Two days after arriving in the valley, Brigham Young and 7 other pioneers climbed this hill to view the valley and begin planning their new city. Today the hilltop provides a stunning view straight down State Street, across the city the pioneers planned, to the south end of the Salt Lake Valley. Ensign Peak Memorial Garden trailhead includes plaques that explain the history and significance of the site.