The summer slopes of northern Utah’s high country burst to life with colorful blooms. by Matt Masich
The arrival of Latter-day Saint pioneers 175 years ago began a new chapter in Utah history. by Matt Masich
The Logan area abounds with homegrown honey, cheese, chocolate and more great food. by Matt Masich
A renowned photographer shares images and anecdotes from his monumental exploration. Story and Photographs by Tom Till
Photo by
Howie Garber
Photos this page, from top: Mira Kershisnek, Richard Cummins/ Alamy
Cache Valley Foodie Tour, p 38
This Is the Place, p 22
It’s been a long time
TTHE PEOPLE OF UTAH will be in the midst of a major dodransbicentennial this year. They will also be heading to the dictionary to look up dodransbicentennial, which admittedly isn’t exactly a word one hears tossed around in casual conversation all that much.
The word means 175th anniversary. If ever there were an occasion to use such a word, it would be this July, which marks 175 years since the first Latter-day Saint pioneers arrived in the Salt Lake Valley. And this Pioneer Day will be the dodransbicentennial of the day on July 24, 1847, when Brigham Young looked out from his wagon at the mouth of Emigration Canyon onto the valley below and said, “It is enough. This is the right place. Drive on.”
In many ways, the lives of people who lived here 175 years ago feel an eternity removed from our lives today. And yet the work of the pioneers still impacts us in very tangible ways. The streets of Salt Lake City, for instance, still follow the original plat surveyed by Orson Pratt and Henry G. Sherwood – work they began in 1847 just nine days after Young made his famous pronouncement.
On page 22, we bring you the story of the pioneers’ arrival at the Great Salt Lake and their 111-day, 1,073mile journey to get there. It is an important story for Utahns of all backgrounds, as the days of 1847 signaled the start of the present era of Utah history.
Yet it is also important to remember that the story of people living in Utah stretches back beyond that by many millennia – something you can see in Tom Till’s page 46 story on Bears Ears National Monument. There, you will see the photos Tom took of the ancient stone ruins, petroglyphs and even handprints left behind on the desert sandstone by the Ancestral Puebloans.
But the human story is just one of many stories Utah has to tell. Though most of us spend the majority of our time in environments shaped by the human hand, the part of Utah many of us treasure the most is the part that remains in its natural state. When it comes to nature, one of its crowning glories has to be wildflowers – for evidence, just check out our “Wasatch Wildflowers” photo essay on page 14.
One of the things I find most remarkable about these wildflowers is that they aren’t just found deep in the heart of the wilderness. In fact, many of the images come from the widely visited mountain slopes of ski resorts on the exact same terrain that, when covered with snow, hosts skiers and snowboarders from around the world. It gives me hope that, as we move into the future and celebrate centennials of various types, we will find ways to preserve the parts of Utah that made people decide that this is the place to make a home.
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DELIVERIES FROM OUR READERS
Cap and cone
Having grown up in Ogden in the ’50s, I so enjoyed reading the inside story of Farr Better Ice Cream (May/June 2022). When I was a child, we stopped there occasionally for a cool treat, and more often with friends during high school.
Our 1961 graduation was held in the Ogden Tabernacle, kitty-corner from Farr’s shop. After the speeches, the 300-plus graduates went outside to await their turn to file in and receive a diploma. A few of us at the end of the alphabet figured we had plenty of time to get a cone, so we trooped across the lawn to choose our favorites. It was a breezy evening, and while we licked our cones and waited to go back into the tabernacle, a gust of wind caught my gown and blew it up into my cone, smearing runny chocolate spray across the front. That night, Farr Better graduated with me. Sixty years later, another alum and I stopped for at least one more cone after our class reunion.
Brian Wangsgard St. George
Sentimental journey
Thank you for the sentimental journey regarding Farr’s Ice Cream. I have many great memories of Farr’s. When I was in elementary, we lived in military housing in Ogden. We had an icebox for a refrigerator. We always looked forward to the weekly visit from the ice truck from Farr’s. The man would deliver a large block of ice and we would stand behind the truck, taking large chunks of ice to suck on.
We later moved two miles north of Farr’s Ice Cream shop. My girlfriends and I would walk to town to window shop. On the way home, we would stop at Farr’s for a Pikes Peak Ice Cream Cone. It was huge. Three scoops atop a funnel, all for 25 cents. You could select three flavors of ice cream. We would stroll home licking our cones. Another treat from Farr’s was their ice cream cake. About 12 inches in diameter, layered with a choice of three flavors of ice cream, frosted with the most delicious heavy whipped cream, not the usual frosting. My friends never missed my birthday parties because they knew they would be
served ice cream cake. I also picked cherries within the cherry orchards on 12th street in Ogden. The Farr families have been an important part of Ogden for generations. Oh, nostalgia.
Ava Tracy McCammon, Idaho
Statewide magnifying glass
In the May/June 2022 issue of Utah Life, Guy Tal’s photo essay “Stories Told in Rocks” unlocks the beauty of desolate places. What was particularly enchanting is that he reveals the wide spectrum of color that is found in some of the most desert areas in Utah. To see flowers or trees pop up from dirt, mud or sand, I gain a little more hope of what I can do in the harder times in my life.
In the same issue, the poem “6:30 p.m. June 18” by Barbara Comnes describes a moment in time so powerful that I wanted to stop time and linger in this fisherman’s hour. It made me wonder what I was doing on June 18 at 6:30 p.m.
Last year I took an 85-year-old relative to Farr Better Ice Cream Shop in Ogden. This great-grandmother no longer has the physical ability to jump up and down for ice cream, but I certainly could see an extra spring in her step and excitement in her eyes that touched me.
If Utah is a national treasure that we know it is, then Utah Life is the magnifying glass to see this gem closer in all its radiant splendor.
Michael Shoemaker Magna
Five generations at Farr’s
The Farr Better Ice Cream article in the May/June 2022 issue struck a chord of nostalgia that still resonates. My mom and dad were born in the early 1920s, and both lived in Ogden in the same neighborhood. When they were kids, on special occasions, their moms and dads loaded them up in the car to make a trip to Farr.
Ice cream trips only happened occasionally, since money was in short supply. Most of the Farr trips were not for ice cream but for ice for the icebox, which was cut to order and tied to the rear bumper of the car to get it home. This ice trip was frequent, especially during the hot days of summer, and sometimes they had to wait in a line for their ice. I was also told the kids usually found some ice chips to suck on during the trip home.
These kids grew up to become my mom and dad. The tradition continued. Money was not as scarce, and we visited Farr Ice Cream pretty regularly. After considering all the flavors, we carefully chose one and loaded back into the car with lots of napkins in case of drips, and drove to relatives, made the loop around Pine View Reservoir, or sometimes back home to sit on the front porch to finish our treats. Dad was famous for his old milk jug with fitted with a spigot at the bottom in which he created homemade root beer. A block of dry ice for carbonation always came from Farr. We loved to play with the chips, being careful not to freeze our skin.
My wife and I lived in the Bountiful area for decades, but when we returned to Ogden for visits, we would sometimes
include a trip to Farr Ice Cream with our kids. Now our kids have kids, and we have moved to South Weber. When the grandkids come for visits, we have been known to visit Farr Ice Cream. That makes five generations of my family who have benefitted from this grand old establishment, which has become both a physical and nostalgic landmark. Thanks for the great article and magazine.
Bob Collins South Weber
Migrating pizzeria
I love your magazine. I just wanted to mention that the May/June 2022 “Explore Utah” section’s article on the Ogden Music Festival gives a recommendation on where to eat: Slackwater Pub and Pizzeria. Although the address is correct, unfortunately they are no longer next to the Ogden River. They painfully had to leave this beloved leased site to meet the growing needs of their employees and customers: a larger kitchen, better bathrooms, employee work area, parking.
In short, I understand they simply outgrew their original space. They’ve built a centrally located new building next to the baseball park at 24th Street and Lincoln Avenue. Thank you for acknowledging the Slackwater – it’s obviously not only my favorite restaurant but my favorite spot to socialize. And they still have a great patio!
Nancy Smith Ogden
Another perspective
My family and I have enjoyed your magazine over the last year or two. We are originally from Florida and have enjoyed living here in Utah for the past six years. Your magazine highlights much of the beauty and grandeur of liv ing in this state.
The recent article on Timpanogos Cave is absolutely fascinating (“Subterranean World of Wonder,” May/June 2022). I would like to say though that when I read that article, I don’t believe in the millions of years theory or ascribe to Darwin’s the ory of evolution of how life was formed on the Earth. It’s interesting how when I read the article, I have a different inter pretation of how the cave was formed from Noah’s Ark or flood versus what was published in the article.
I’m only bringing about that perspective because I wonder how many other readers are similar to me who have a biblical understanding of how the Earth was created or formed. I know many evolutionists dismiss creationists as non-science based or only relying on faith alone for their theories. That is not the case at all, as I have spoken with geologists, engineers and, in my case, a nurse who believe in God as the creator of our world and universe and base it on science. Just wanted to provide that perspective.
Michael Hasebroock Salt Lake City
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THE BUZZ AROUND UTAH
Migrating St. George rosebush blooms full circle
by MIRRA MITCHELL
Digging the root of an enormous, aged rosebush is not a task for the uninitiated. It takes shovels and axes, and that’s after clipping back through other brambles to approach the bush. But to West Jordan resident Luen Flammer and her burgeoning extended family, the brutal task is worth the thorns.
More than 90 years ago, a 4-year-old Flammer, then known as Luen Atkin, moved with her family to what is now the Thurston-Atkin House in St. George. On the arrival of her family in 1929, the rich
pink cabbage rosebush was already 3 feet around. After she married, Flammer took a start from it to her home in Sandy.
Just as she had, her children played and worked beside the roses, taking roots from it when they moved away. Years after her husband died, and with a new husband, she took another start to her new home in West Jordan because, as she said, “I like to hang on to old stuff.” Between her children, grandchildren and great-nieces, the rosebush has migrated to Layton, Draper and Riverdale, back to St. George and Sandy, and even to Missouri and possibly Texas – Flammer has lost track.
The bush insists on growing. Though roses have a reputation for being persnickety, “This one thrives while other roses are suffering in the heat,” she said. It loves sand, clay or loam, and it is happy to grow anywhere as a bush or be trained up a trellis.
More than just beauty, though, the story of the rosebush becomes the story of
The thriving roses at Luen Flammer’s West Jordan home descend from the rosebush that grew outside her childhood home in St. George in the 1920s.
Luen Flammer
Flammer’s life. In speaking of her roses, she goes back to her childhood home: a cow in the pasture, chickens in their run, pomegranate trees out by the outhouse, doodlebugs under a locust tree. She talks about a summer rainstorm when she and her sister were sleeping in a screened upstairs room, “a delicious, fine spray of water” splashing their faces. She talks about sitting on the cellar roof with a friend, “looking back at the Red Hill and making plans to run away so we could see the world.”
When Flammer’s mother died in 1975, the family sold the St. George home, which eventually changed hands again. Somewhere in all the doings, the rosebush was moved from its place near the front porch, but it didn’t survive the transplant.
Flammer asked the new owners if they’d like to grow the old rosebush, too, and they eagerly accepted. In June 2021, Flammer’s children took a start back to the original home. It has bloomed, bringing the roses and their story full circle.
It was a feat cutting starts because “the roots are all great big and every which way,” not unlike her own family, securely rooted in legacy, branches sprawling where they will, stories blossoming as the family grows. Having the rose again growing in the original yard makes Flammer feel as though a great-granchild has returned to the old homestead.
Last year, Luen
A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service crew uses an airboat to ply the shallow waters of Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge near Brigham City. In 1946, Cecil Williams operates an early version of the airboat that he and G. Hortin Jensen invented at the refuge.
Airboat has surprising Utah connection
by MATT MASICH
Airboats are commonly used to navigate the swamps of the Florida Everglades and the bayous of Louisiana. However, the airboats used in those places owe their design to a craft that was first designed and built in Utah.
The boat’s inventors were Cecil Williams and G. Hortin Jensen, who worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge near Brigham City. In the early 1940s, they were tasked with monitoring outbreaks of botulism among waterfowl. To monitor the birds, they needed to travel as much as 40 miles a day across marshes whose water was often just a few inches deep.
Williams and Jensen wrote to their superiors in Washington, D.C., requesting a vessel that could traverse such shallow water. The reply told them that it was highly unlikely such a craft existed. “To cap it all,” Jensen later wrote, “we were facetiously advised to get an alligator from Louisiana, saddle up and ride the critter on our botulism studies.”
But the Utahns didn’t get discouraged – they got creative. In 1943, they tracked down a 40-horsepower aircraft engine and mounted it on a 12-foot, flat-bottomed aluminum boat. The propeller’s thrust pushed the air behind the boat to propel the boat
forward. This was a concept dating back to 1905, when Alexander Graham Bell built the first airboat. However, all previous airboats used a traditional rudder that went beneath the water. The Bear River craft used an above-water air rudder – a major innovation now found on all modern airboats.
In response to the naysayers in Washington, Williams and Jensen named their first airboat “Alligator I.” With a top speed of 35 mph, the design was such a success that the Utah boat builder who helped them create their vessel started building more for people nationwide, including many buyers in Florida.
Today, the staff at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge still use airboats descended from Williams and Jensen’s original design. An airboat and sign telling their story are currently on display at the refuge’s visitor center.
Flammer had her children take a start of the rosebush back to the current owners of her former St. George home to renew the tradition.
Courtesy of Luen Flammer
Ivy Allen/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
W.F. Kubichek/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Book follows explorer’s path through Utah
by LISA TRUESDALE
In 1853, while surveying a route through Utah for the transcontinental railroad, U.S. Army Capt. John W. Gunnison and several of his men were killed near Sevier Lake by assailants the government identified as Pahvant Utes.
Lives were lost that day, as were the sketches of Richard Kern, who documented the topography during the expedition. Reportedly recovered by Latter-day Saint settlers, the drawings were brought to Salt Lake City, then sent to Washington, D.C. Then they vanished – until 1994, when photographer Robert Shlaer came across them unexpectedly
Fremont bell rings again
by LISA TRUESDALE
How does a 300-pound cast-iron bell just up and disappear? That’s what the hundred-or-so residents of tiny Fremont puzzled over for decades.
The bell was first installed in 1893 on a building made of welded tuff – a stone formed of semi-molten volcanic ash, once quarried nearby. That building later became the town’s school, so the bell pealed each morning to summon pupils. It also rang ceremoniously on Christmas, Independence Day and Pioneer Day, and to announce births and deaths.
The town of Fremont’s historic bell is home once more. The bell, first used in Fremont in 1893, disappeared for 65 years before being returned in 2018.
while doing research at Newberry Library in Chicago. Though they were unrelated to his project, Shlaer immediately recognized them. Inspired, he decided to travel the same path as Kern, capturing the scenery with his camera rather than a pad and pencil, and always selecting a vantage point as close to Kern’s as possible. In his new book, Richard Kern’s Far West Sketches, Shlaer presents his photos and Kern’s sketches side by side. Throughout the book, which took years to complete, he also presents the interesting history of the expedition, peppered with dramatic journal entries by E.G. Beckwith, Gunnison’s second-in-command.
Shlaer couldn’t find every location, however. In the chapter titled “Into the Deserts of Utah,” Shlaer intrigues readers with a note about Utah terrain that still eludes him. “There is one drawing with a title … ‘Desert between Grand and Green R,’ and though it should be readily discoverable in such open terrain, I cannot locate it,” he writes. “The sketch does have a quality appropriate to the face of the Roan Mountains, of which there is a continuous, unobstructed view from the expedition’s path. I place it here as a challenge to eyes other than mine.”
Kern’s Far West Sketches: A Visual History of the 1853 Gunnison Expedition By Robert
Shlaer
University of Utah Press 346 pages, paperback, $45
Richard
When the building was demolished in 1953, the bell vanished. Townsfolk assumed it had been carted to the dump, or relegated to a scrap heap somewhere. They didn’t know it was handed down through several members of a family with local ties, eventually ending up in California.
Pamela Brodie inherited the old bell and realized its significance, so she made some calls and eventually identified its Fremont origins. “It seemed selfish to sell it or keep it,” Brodie said at the time. “Whatever it means to us will be more important if a lot of people are able to enjoy it as well.”
The folks in Fremont gratefully welcomed back their bell in 2018. It was refurbished with help from Fremont native and local historian Steve Taylor, one of only a handful of residents who remember what it was like to hear the bell ringing every morning.
After assuming guardianship of the bell, the Geyser Camp of the Wayne Company of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers set out on a mission to build a belfry for it. Alas, a tall tower like that wasn’t in the financial cards, so they settled on a smaller, less costly option – a 5-foot rock monument.
What sort of rock? Welded tuff, naturally, though the original quarry had closed by then. As luck would have it, the owners of a family homestead had a pile of it, from an abandoned building on the property, so they donated the rocks to the DUP. The monument was dedicated last year.
“It’s our honor to serve as custodians for our pioneer heritage, not only for the written stories, but for the physical treasures that exist to remind us of their sacrifice, resiliency and perseverance,” said Lauralee Williams, president of the DUP’s Wayne Company.
The bell will ring again for Pioneer Day in Fremont, celebrated this year on Saturday, July 23, with a breakfast, a car show and a train ride.
“The return of the bell … reminds Fremont residents, as well as travelers who stop by, of simpler times,” Williams said. “We are grateful for this treasured piece of history found and returned home.”
Michael Barrett, Music Director
Leslie Tomkins, Artistic Director
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PLANTS AND TREES
by BRIAN WANGSGARD
1 What large deciduous tree often found along waterways in southeast Utah appears to create falling snow when it sheds its seeds?
2 Found in southwest Utah, the dried leaves of Ephedra nevadensis are boiled in water to make a medicinal beverage with what colloquial name?
3 The most prevalent native tree in Utah, which lives for 300 to 800 years and erroneously provided the name for Cedar City, is actually what kind of tree?
5 Associated with the University of Utah, what is the largest botanical garden in the Intermountain West?
4 Those willing to hike above 9,000 feet for more than 3 miles in early July find the brilliant wildflower display in Albion Basin, up which Wasatch Front canyon?
No peeking, answers on page 57.
Dan Leeth
Edge
6 Utah’s seemingly ubiquitous sagebrush is of the same botanical family as the fragrant herb sage.
7 The Lone Cedar Tree on 600 East in Salt Lake City is a historical monument on the site of a tree used as a gathering place by Utahns for over 100 years until destroyed by vandals.
8 The creosote bush or greasewood in the deserts of southwest Utah shuts down its photosynthesis during the peak period of daily sunshine.
9
Trees providing the greatest swaths of bright autumn color on Utah’s mountains are scrub oak.
10
Those tumbleweeds seen blowing across highways are an invasive species unintentionally introduced to this country by farmers from Ukraine.
11 Utah’s geographic diversity results in approximately how many species of native woody plants?
a. 240
b. 310
c. 380
12 The largest and oldest living tree in Utah, the Pando aspen, is how old?
a. 1,500 years
b. 10,000 years
c. 80,000 years
13
Thousands of blooms of what flower can be seen at a festival each year in Utah County’s Thanksgiving Point?
a. Roses
b. Tulips
c. Sunflowers
14 A mosaic of small cushion plants, dry meadows, wet meadows, bogs and shrub thickets constitute plant life in which of these Utah climatic zones?
a. Alpine
b. Subalpine
c. High mountain
15
With some of the best fruit-producing soil in Utah on its mountain benches, Box Elder County grows more than 40 different varieties of which fruit?
a. Cherries
b. Peaches
c. Apples
OR FALSE
Red Butte Gardens
Vic Schendel
WASATCH WILDFLOWERS
The summer slopes of northern Utah explode with color
By MATT MASICH
FROM MARCH THROUGH September, wildflowers are blooming somewhere in Utah. When the first colorful blooms emerge in the desert during earliest spring, the higher elevations remain buried in a white blanket of snow. It is not until the height of summer that the state’s alpine wildflowers burst into full glory.
Lupine and arnica wildflowers grow beneath Mount Timpanogos, one of many Wasatch Range locales that blossoms to colorful life in summer.
James Zebrack
From the slopes of Mount Timpanogos near Provo to the ski resorts east of Salt Lake City, the Wasatch Range come alive in a natural, multicolored bouquet. Red paintbrush mingles with yellow balsamroot and purple lupines, along with dozens of other species covering the full color spectrum.
There is little question as to where the flowers will appear – in addition to a number of well-known wildflower hotspots, nearly all alpine meadows will have at least some blooms. Less certain is exactly when the wildflowers will bloom.
Much of the timing depends on how wet the winter has been and how late the snow stays on the ground.
The amount of water received also determines which flower species appear; different types appear in varying numbers depending on whether it has been a wet year or a drought.
While the peak of wildflower season is a moving target, it is all but assured that Big and Little Cottonwood canyons will be in bloom by mid-July. That’s when the Cottonwood Canyons Foundation puts on the Wasatch Wildflower Festival at the
area’s four ski resorts – Alta, Brighton, Snowbird and Solitude.
It is a happy coincidence that these ski areas, so conveniently located close to the major Wasatch Front population centers, also happen to be some of the best places to see wildflowers. They are open to visitors throughout the summer. At Albion Basin, one of the best-loved wildflower spots in Utah, the summer hiking trails follow ski trails on the slopes of Alta Ski Area. At Snowbird Ski Resort, one of the best wildflower hikes travels through the sky on the Peruvian Chairlift, which offers
An assortment of wildflowers blooms on a hillside in Albion Basin above Alta Ski Area. The species in this vast natural bouquet include purple mountain coyote mint, white parnsip buckwheat and red paintbrush.
Bret Edge
Among other wildflowers, tall chiming bells and paintbrush bloom at Devils Castle in Albion Basin.
Kevin Mikkelsen
A storm approaches purple penstemons during a misty summer sunset at Lake Mary near Brighton Resort in Big Cottonwood Canyon.
Bryan Anderson
breathtaking views of the fields of balsamroot below.
As many as 100 flower species appear in the Wasatch Range in any given year. While species like penstemon, which comes in a host of colors, are quite prolific, other species, such as lady’s slipper, are so rare that their locations are not publicly disclosed for their protection. Because most wildflowers grow on public land, it is illegal to pick them.
A particular favorite of Cottonwood Canyons Foundation Executive Director
Former U.S. Olympic skier Kaylin Richardson is surrounded by arrowhead balsamroot wildflowers as she runs along the Bonneville Shoreline Trail in the Wasatch foothills at the edge of the Salt Lake Valley.
Noah Wetzel
Daniel Lindhardt
Fireweed is also a good way to measure summer’s progress. The flowers grow on a tall stalk. The first blooms appear midstalk, with more flowers gradually appearing higher up. The topmost flowers don’t appear until the very end of summer, with the plant going to seed in September.
The Wasatch Wildflower Festival is held on two consecutive weekends, celebrating one day at each of the four Cottonwood Canyons ski areas: July 9 at Brighton Ski Resort; July 10 at Solitude Mountain Resort; July 16 at Snowbird Ski Resort; and July 17 at Alta Ski Area. Guided and self-guided wildflower walks are offered from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The guided walks are led by volunteers trained to identify 80 different wildflower species. The event is free to attend, but registration is required at cottonwoodcanyons.org/wwf22.
A young mountain goat makes a meal of wildflowers in the Mount Timpanogos Wilderness Area. Columbines and bluebells grow in Albion Basin, one of the state’s most renowned wildflower destinations.
Howie Garber
Howie Garber
Arnica wildflowers grow on top of a hill overlooking Lake Blanche.
James Zebrack
This Is the Place
Utah’s modern incarnation is born with the arrival of Latter-day Saint pioneers 175 years ago
by MATT MASICH
Latter-day Saint pioneers arrive in the Salt Lake Valley. Brigham Young led the vanguard company that arrived in 1847.
BRIGHAM YOUNG WAS through the worst of it. For much of the past two weeks, he was nearly delirious with pain from the “mountain fever” he had contracted from a tick bite around the time his wagon train entered what is now the state of Utah.
But by this point, July 24, 1847, the fever was subsiding. Slowly recovering, he rode in the back of Wilford Woodruff ’s carriage, near the rear of more than 70 wagons of emigrants from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Three days earlier, the party’s advance scouts had reached the Salt Lake Valley –the place many hoped would be the end of a journey that had taken them 1,073 miles over the past 3 ½ months. Young, their leader, was the one who said he had seen their final destination in a vision; while he could not point to its location on a map, he would recognize their new home when he laid eyes upon it.
Young rode the final 6 miles down Emigration Canyon that day. When the carriage reached the mouth of the canyon and rounded Donner Hill, the vast expanse of the Salt Lake Valley unfolded in a panoramic vista. Woodruff turned the carriage so Young could get a clear view. The Church leader gazed out in silence for some minutes.
The History Collection/Alamy
Woodruff recorded Young’s reaction in his journal that night: “President Young expressed his full satisfaction in the appearance of the valley as a resting place for the Saints and was amply repaid for his journey.”
Addressing a crowd gathered at the spot on the 33rd anniversary of that day, celebrated in Utah as Pioneer Day, Woodruff recalled the exact words Young said when he broke his silence: “It is enough. This is the right place. Drive on.”
YOUNG’S PRONOUNCEMENT
did not mark the start of Utah history. The state was no blank slate in 1847; people had been living here and making their mark on the land for 12,000 years. At the time Young and the Latter-day Saint settlers appeared on the scene, there were at least 20,000 people of various American Indian tribes living within the state’s present-day borders.
Yet the pioneers’ arrival 175 years ago did signal the start of a new chapter of Utah history – the beginning of the version of Utah we know today. It is a chapter that began half a continent away.
Joseph Smith, the president and founding prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, spent nearly 15 years seeking a place where his people could
worship freely. It was a journey that took the Saints – then commonly known as Mormons – from upstate New York, to Ohio, to Missouri, and then to Illinois, where they founded the city of Nauvoo in 1839.
Within five years, Nauvoo grew to 12,000 residents, rivalling Chicago as the largest city in Illinois. But anti-Mormon sentiment in neighboring communities grew increasingly intense, and in 1844, a vigilante mob assassinated Smith and his brother Hyrum. The remaining Saints held on in Nauvoo for another two years, but when given an ultimatum to leave the city or be driven out by force, they fled west across Iowa in early 1846.
Smith had no designated successor as Church president. Leadership fell to the Church’s Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; though decisions were made by the quorum as a whole, Brigham Young, as president of the quorum, became the Church’s de facto leader. He was to guide his people to a new home somewhere in the American West.
From the early days of the Church, Smith had predicted its members would eventually settle across the Rocky Mountains. Though he and Young claimed to experience divinely inspired visions of the Saints’ ultimate destination, they did not
know exactly where this place might be. Texas, California, Oregon and Vancouver Island were all possibilities.
The valley of the Great Salt Lake rose to the top of the list of possible new Mormon homelands in 1845. That year saw the publication of explorer John C. Fremont’s account of his expedition to the valley, as well as Lansford Hastings’ Emigrants’ Guide to Oregon and California, which touted a route through the same area. Though it was officially part of Mexican territory and inhabited by American Indians, the Saints believed this place might offer the chance to build a home free from government intrusion.
But if the Saints departed Nauvoo in 1846 with hopes of reaching the Great Basin by year’s end, those hopes were dashed when terrible weather and disease stalled their trek across Iowa. They decided to stop their journey for the year along the banks of the Missouri River, near present-day Omaha, Nebraska, centered around a makeshift town they called Winter Quarters.
The final push west would have to wait until spring arrived the next year.
On April 5, 1847, the first elements of the Saints’ western exodus departed Winter Quarters. Young personally led this vanguard company of 143 men – including three enslaved African-Americans – three women and two children. They brought with them 72 wagons, 93 horses, 52 mules, 66 oxen, 19 cows, 17 dogs and some chickens.
The vanguard company’s route would follow the still sparsely traveled Oregon Trail, which had seen its first emigrant wagon trains only five years earlier. Rumors about the Saints abounded among their fellow pioneers. One Oregon Trail traveler wrote that Mormons were thought to be “inveterately hostile to the emigrant parties,” and that when they encountered non-Mormons, “they intended to attack and murder them, and appropriate to themselves their property."
While the Oregon Trail went along the south side of the Platte River, Young decided his party would take the north side to avoid potential conflict with other emigrants.
Glen Hopkinson
Wilford Woodruff stops his carriage to allow convalescing Church leader Brigham Young to get his first look at the Salt Lake Valley.
Far more worrisome to the Saints were the Pawnee, Lakota, Cheyenne and other Plains Indians peoples whose land they were now traversing. To ensure their party’s safety, the pioneers organized into military companies of 10 men, each commanded by a captain. The Council of Captains drew up strict rules and regulations outlining the daily routine.
The bugle would blow at 5 a.m. to rouse the camp for prayers and breakfast; a second bugle call at 7 a.m. signaled the start of the day’s advance. The procession stopped at noon for one hour, then continued until nightfall, when all 72 wagons would form a circle with interlocked wheels to create a corral for the animals.
The bugle blew at 8:30 p.m. for evening prayers; all fires were extinguished by 9 p.m. People would either sleep in wagons or tents outside the circled wagons. Fifty armed men stood guard from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.; another 50 men took over from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m.
Each wagon was to have an armed driver, as well as a partner who walked alongside, a loaded gun on his shoulder. No one was allowed to stray more than 20 rods – 110 yards – without permission. While traveling, the wagons formed two columns. The rear wagon towed a small cannon — not much use as an actual weapon, but a strong deterrent to potential attackers.
THE WAGON TRAIN TRAVELED
almost 24 miles per day at its fastest, though it averaged just 10 miles per day. Many people grew weary of the seemingly unchanging prairie landscape and diet of cornbread, porridge and water.
On May 1, the company spotted its first three bison grazing atop a bluff on the Nebraska plains. Soon, they were in the midst of countless thousands.
“The river and land upon both sides of it was one dark spectacle of moving objects,” Wilford Woodruff wrote. “It looked as though the face of the earth was alive and moving like the waves of the sea.”
Hunters set out and, after three hours, returned having taken down one bull bison, three cows and six calves. All were grateful to feast on meat, though Young admonished the hunters not to kill more than was necessary.
Early 20th century re-enactors make the final approach to the Salt Lake Valley. Mountain man Jim Bridger encouraged Brigham Young to settle there. Wagons diverge from the Oregon Trail on the Hastings Cutoff.
Photo Credits
Alamy
A plaque describes the pioneers’ journey through Emigration Canyon. Stones at the Pioneer Children’s Memorial at This Is the Place Heritage Park list the names of more than 600 children who died on the long, hard trail to Salt Lake City from 1847 to 1868.
On June 1, Young’s 46th birthday, the vanguard company arrived outside the frontier trading post Fort Laramie, the first white settlement they had encountered in 600 miles of travel. As they set up camp for the evening, two riders approached from the fort. To the company’s surprise, they turned out to be fellow Saints from Mississippi who had been searching for the main pioneer camp since the previous year.
The Mississippi Mormons had wintered to the south in Colorado. With them had been U.S. Army soldiers from the Mormon Battalion, who had marched from Winter Quarters to fight in the Mexican-American War in California but were left behind due to poor health. This sick detachment, along with some of the other Mississippians, was now en route to the fort.
Joined by 13 people and seven wagons from the Mississippi group, the vanguard company set out again on June 4. Their goal was to travel 375 miles across what is now Wyoming to reach the next trading post, Fort Bridger, by July 1, and from there to their ultimate stopping point in the Great Basin by July 15.
Time was of the essence. While they carried one year’s provisions in their wagons, they needed to arrive with time enough to plant wheat and other crops to sustain the much larger group, known as the emigration camp, that in two weeks would depart Winter Quarters to follow their trail.
Having gained expertise in the art of wagon travel, Young’s company increased their average to more than 16 miles per day along the Wyoming stretch of the Oregon Trail. The only major holdup emerged when it came time to cross the North Platte River.
Swollen by spring snowmelt, the river was too high and swift to ford. They decided to lash together the wagons and float them across; each wagon’s livestock would have to swim. After 16 hours of exhausting and highly dangerous work, they only managed to get 23 of their 79 wagons across. The next day, the river’s current was so strong, the animals refused to even attempt swimming it.
What the company needed was a ferry. Since there was no ferry, they decided to
build their own. It helped that Young, prior to joining the Church, had been a master carpenter. The pioneers spent two days building two 24-foot canoes from nearby cottonwoods, which were placed parallel and overlain with pine cross timbers to create a raft big enough to accommodate two wagons.
The Saints were soon safely across. Even before they completed their crossing, non-Mormon Oregon Trail emigrants started asking to use the ferry and offering to pay $1.50 to $2 per wagon – significant sums at a time when the average farm laborer made $10 per month. Nine men stayed behind to operate the ferry as a commercial enterprise, as well as to help their comrades following in the emigration camp.
A FEW DAYS OUT from Fort Laramie, vanguard company clerk Thomas Bullock wrote, "We are now about 300 miles from Bridger, but where we go, we know not."
Most knew they were headed to the Great Basin, but exactly where they would stop there was yet to be determined – and neither had they decided whether it would be a waystation or a permanent home.
On June 27, the party encountered mountain man Moses Harris near the summit of South Pass. Harris argued against settling at the Great Salt Lake, advising them to aim instead for Cache Valley, which he thought more fertile.
However, the Saints got a second opinion just hours later when they ran into mountain man Jim Bridger, founder of Fort Bridger. The Great Salt Lake would be an excellent place to start a settlement, he said, adding that the valley to the south at Utah Lake would be even better. The problem with Utah Lake was that the Ute people were already present in great concentrations, while the Great Salt Lake was more thinly populated, as it was on the nebulous border between the territory of the Utes and the Shoshones.
To reach the Great Salt Lake, Bridger counseled Young to take the Hastings Cutoff. Blazed the previous summer by the ill-fated Donner-Reed Party, this route veered south from the Oregon Trail at Fort Bridger.
Two days later, the company ran into yet another person with strong opinions on where they should go. It was Sam Brannan, a Church member who had one year earlier departed New York with a small group of Saints on the ship Brooklyn, sailed around South America and arrived near what’s now San Francisco, where they established a settlement.
Brannan and some comrades then trekked across present-day Nevada and Utah to find Young. Having just passed through the Salt Lake Valley, Brannan told Young it was a barren desert compared to the verdant glory that was California. He advised the Saints’ leader to keep going until his people reached the Pacific Ocean.
Young had no shortage of options to consider when the company arrived at Fort Bridger on July 7. After resting there two days, Young resumed their advance. They would take the Hastings Cutoff, bound for the Great Salt Lake.
The final push across the mountains of Utah was the most difficult of their journey. Ox teams had to be doubled or tripled to haul wagons up steep ascents, while men worked furiously to clear stones and cut away the dense willow underbrush.
Difficult as it was to go uphill, the steep descents were even more stressful. To get a wagon down without having it roll out of control, they had to lock the wagon’s
wheels; a dozen men holding ropes attached to the back of the wagon would then gradually ease it downhill. Company clerk Bullock described one particularly treacherous descent as being “like jumping off the roof of a house.”
To compound matters, many members of the company began to fall terribly ill with what they called “mountain fever,” a potentially lethal tick-borne disease that was most likely either Rocky Mountain spotted fever or Colorado tick fever.
On the morning of July 12, the company was forced to halt near the modern Utah-Wyoming state line when Young became suddenly and violently ill. His fever spiked, and by nightfall he lay in a delirium.
Not wanting to lose time, vanguard company second-in-command Heber C. Kimball ordered Orson Pratt to take 42 men and 23 wagons ahead to scout out the way. Pratt’s advance party determined Weber Canyon was too rocky to traverse but did discover the poorly marked Hastings Cutoff.
Five days after sending the advance party, Kimball proposed sending another 41 wagons ahead as a planting party to sow crops as soon as the pioneers emerged from the mountains. Young, still very weak but slowly recovering, advised them to heed Bridger’s advice and
A statue of Brigham Young stands atop the This Is the Place Monument, which marks the spot where he first viewed the Salt Lake Valley.
stick close to the Great Salt Lake, avoiding potential confrontation with the Utes at Utah Lake.
The final 35 miles to the Salt Lake Valley were by far the most challenging. Wagons descended 4,000 feet in elevation in just two days. During the vertiginous descent, the wagon of Young’s brother Lorenzo lost control and crashed down the mountainside with his two young sons inside, but the boys soon cut a hole in the canvas and emerged unhurt. Remarkably for the time, no one in the vanguard party died on the journey.
ON JULY 21, Erastus Snow of the planting party rode ahead on horseback and reached Pratt’s advance party. Together, Snow and Pratt climbed Donner Hill, the final barrier between the Saints and the Salt Lake Valley. From the hilltop, the entire wide valley expanded beneath them.
“We involuntarily, both at the same instant, uttered a shout of joy at finding it to be the very place of our destination,” Snow wrote.
When the bulk of the vanguard party arrived the next day, many had similar reactions.
“I could not help shouting, ‘Hurra, hurra, hurra, there’s my home at last,’ ” Bullock wrote.
Though the scarcity of timber was concerning, many instantly sensed the valley was a perfect sanctuary to shield them from would-be persecutors.
“This is the most safe and secure place the Saints could possibly locate themselves in,” pioneer Howard Egan wrote. “Nature has fortified this place on all sides, with only a few narrow passes, which could be made impregnable without much difficulty.”
But not all were impressed with the sight of the dry, treeless expanse. Harriet Young, wife of Lorenzo and one of the three women who traveled the entire distance with the vanguard party, remarked upon her arrival, “Weak and weary as I am, I would rather go one thousand miles farther than stay in such a forsaken place as this.”
Most Saints sensed they had reached their new home. They would know when Young arrived whether it was to be their final destination, but permanent home or
not, they needed to start planting crops.
At noon on July 23, Seth Taft plowed the first furrow at what is now the intersection of Main Street and 100 South in Salt Lake City. When the hard earth broke several plows, the pioneers realized they would first have to irrigate the land. By 2 p.m., they had dammed City Creek into irrigation ditches.
They spent their first few days waking up at 4 a.m. to plant, plow and irrigate. Within a week, they had cultivated 53 acres of buckwheat, corn, oats, potatoes, beans and garden vegetables.
Young’s arrival and declaration that this was, indeed, the right place filled the Saints with excitement. Still, the Saints wanted to confirm that there wasn’t some even righter place nearby. Scouting parties fanned out to get the lay of the land; on July 26, Young led a group north from present-day Salt Lake City to the top of Ensign Peak, which offered an expansive vista of the surrounding terrain.
William Clayton, one of the men who accompanied Young to Ensign Peak, wrote that the more they saw, “the better
we were satisfied that it is as handsome a place for a city as can be imagined.”
On July 28, at about 5 p.m., Young and fellow members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles went to a spot in the northeast of the intended city, where Young declared, “Here is the 40 acres of the temple lot.” It would be at this spot, 46 years later – 16 years after Young’s death –that his friend Woodruff finally dedicated the completed Salt Lake Temple.
The apostles also determined each city lot would be 1¼ acres, with streets 8 rods – or 132 feet – wide and sidewalks 20 feet wide.
Later that evening, Young convened a meeting at the newly chosen temple lot.
“Shall we look further or make a location upon this spot and layout and build a city?” he asked. “Shall this be the spot, or shall we look further?”
All but one member of the company voted to make their city here; the lone dissenter suggested there might be a better spot on the other side of the lake.
The Saints had chosen a site for their city – now they had to build it. Some went into the hills to harvest timber to
WYOMING
Independence Rock
June 21, 1847
SALT LAKE CITY
Arrive July 21, 1847; Brigham Young arrives July 24, 1847
Fort Bridger
July 7, 1847
UTAH
Chimney Rock
May 26, 1847
Fort Laramie
June 1, 1847
The Trek West
The Latter-day Saints fled Nauvoo, Illinois, in 1846, stopping at Winter Quarters in Nebraska. In 1847, Brigham Young’s vanguard company traveled 1,073 miles to the Great Salt Lake, arriving on July 21, 1847. Brigham Young arrived three days later on July 24, now recognized as the Pioneer Day state holiday.
build houses. Members of the Mormon Battalion, who arrived the day after the city-site vote, suggested building homes from adobe, which they had seen during their travels in New Mexico. Before long, they were creating 4,000 adobe bricks each day.
By Aug. 20, surveyors had platted 135 city blocks for future settlement.
Less than a month after arriving in the valley, some of the pioneers began the trek back to Winter Quarters to help shepherd subsequent settlers to their new homeland. Young departed newly founded Salt Lake City on Aug. 26.
On the way back, Young crossed paths with the emigration camp, whose 1,448 men women and children and nearly 600 wagons marked the largest Western emigrant wagon train in American history up to that point. This wave of pioneers began arriving at Salt Lake City on Sept. 19, swelling its population from around 150 to 1,650.
The Saints who had remained at the Missouri River were overjoyed to hear their returned brethren’s accounts of their success in the Salt Lake Valley.
“We have been in the valley to set the big wheel to work, and that sets all the little wheels whirling,” vanguard company member Ezra T. Benson told his comrades in Winter Quarters. “We have now laid the foundation for the coming day.”
Before 1847 was over, two key developments occurred in and around Winter Quarters that would shape the future of Utah.
On Dec. 5, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles unanimously agreed to organize a new First Presidency. Young, having proven his abilities on the long journey, was named Church president; this leadership role led to his eventual selection as Utah’s first territorial governor.
That same month, the quorum sent out a general epistle calling for all Saints worldwide to converge on the Great Salt Lake. Over the next two decades, some 70,000 pioneers would heed the call, forever altering the course of Utah history.
The following spring, on June 5, 1848, Brigham Young once again set out from Winter Quarters, leading 1,891 more pioneers. Like nearly all who traveled with him, he would never again return east. When they arrived in Utah, they were arriving home.
THIS IS THE PLACE HERITAGE PARK
ON JULY 24, 1847, Brigham Young declared “This is the place” at the spot now marked by a 60-foot granite monument at This Is the Place Heritage Park – or, at the very least, he said something very similar very nearby.
IOWA
NEBRASKA
Winter Quarters
Arrive Sept. 11, 1846
Depart April 5, 1847
ILLINOIS
NAUVOO
Depart Feb. 10, 1846
Young made his remarks to Wilford Woodru , but neither man recorded his exact words in the journals they kept. Not until 1880 did Woodru publicly quote Young as saying, “It is enough. This is the right place. Drive on.” If we lack concrete proof Young said “This is the place” the day he entered the valley, we do have evidence he said it four days later. In a diary entry about a meeting held July 28, 1847, pioneer Levi Jackman wrote, “Pres Young said tha(t) he knew that this is the place. He knew it as soon as he came in sight of it and he had seen this vearey spot before.”
The location of the This Is the Place monument was con rmed as
Joshua Hardin
Joshua Hardin
correct in 1921 by W.W. Riter, who was 8 years old when he and his family arrived 10 weeks after Young. When his family rst entered the valley, Riter said, they passed over the exact spot where Young made his pronouncement. However, evidence suggests the route Young’s vanguard company took on thenal approach was slightly di erent from the one taken by the pioneer companies that followed.
One thing we do know for certain: This Is the Place Heritage Park is the place to be on July 24 to celebrate the 175th anniversary of Pioneer Day. The site of a year-round living history village with historic pioneer buildings, the park adds a host of additional programming July 23-25.
In the Days of ’47 Parade, visitors can pull a decorated handcart through the village’s Main Street. A brass band lls the air with period music, while in Miller Park, guests can play croquet, a popular pioneer pastime. At the monument itself, historical re-enactors interact with visitors while playing the roles of a mountain man, a handcart pioneer, Spanish explorer Father Silvestre Vélez de Escalante and African-American 1847 pioneer Jane Manning James.
These experiences complement the park’s normal activities, which include pony rides, train rides and gold panning. This Is the Place Heritage Park is located at 2601 E. Sunnyside Ave., Salt Lake City. Call (801) 582-1847 or visit thisistheplace.org for more information.
artmuseum.usu.edu Looking Backward & Forward: Forty Years with NEHMA & What’s Nex t JANUARY 29 – DECEMBER 17, 2022
Hung Liu, Mongolia’s Moon (detail), 2004
Hand-embellished print, 34.5 x 34.875 x 1.5 inches
While the era of the pioneer has long since passed from living memory, Utahns have never forgotten the legacy of those who paved the way for modern Utah. In these poems, our poets reflect on the struggles and triumphs of the pioneers.
Trekking West
Lorraine Jeffery, Orem
From our protected valleys, we look back to the Rockies, Cascades, Tetons; see deep cool canyons, tumbling waterfalls, marmalade fall leaves, and towering snow-packed peaks that provide life-giving spring waters. We smell pines and feel the crisp mountain breezes.
Summers, we hike, bike, climb cave and picnic. Winters, we go 4-wheeling, skiing, sledding, snowmobiling –all provided by those massive piles of rock.
But to the homesteaders, the mountains meant broken axles, gushing creeks, boggy ground, snow-packed passes, hands rope-burned from raising and lowering wagons on rutted, washed-out roads.
They were just formidable obstacles to overcome as people hurried to the sanctuaries of sheltered valleys.
Dan Leeth
Pioneers
Larry Bond, Farmington
History sleeps in folds of time Awakened now and then. With glimpses of that paradigm Journeys turbulent, not serene.
Most avoiding history’s pages, Travelers all from heaven come. Trudging forward through the ages Seldom knowing the final sum.
The sum of all the hardships weathered. The sum of mountains crested first. The sum of souls forever tethered. The sum of all the best and worst.
Looking back, we see more clearly Who these travelers might have been. Common folks with paths that merely Crisscrossed and made us their kin.
Paths that led them on a journey. Paths with diverse ways to go. Paths with challenges and learning. Paths that took them to and froe.
Souls who planted seeds we sprang from. Men and women who persevered. History may not laud with loud drums, But we praise them as pioneers.
A Piece of Heaven
John W. Reynolds, Pleasant View
Pioneers come in all shapes and sizes, those of ’47 were in search of their little piece of heaven. Though uninvited from other lands they found a rich reward that only needed vision, planning, inspiration and lots of perspiration. Brother Brigham allowed the list to be true but required another thing or two. A heart filled with thanks for guidance from above and minds and acts filled with love.
The historic Fruita Schoolhouse is on what’s now Capitol Reef National Park. Guests at Capitol Reef Resort can stay the night in covered wagons.
My Pioneer Trek
L.J. Christensen, Bountiful
Old world lapsed, the new beckoned propitiously. Shores so foreign, and so vast, our eyes wide. Come Emigrant’s Pass, unveiling the valley – our new home. I remember it well.
Ox-wagons gathered; treasured belongings dolefully left behind, We trekked a thousand miles by foot from Nebraska westward through sticky prairie grass, axle-breaking mud, endless dust, mountains high and unknown illness. I remember it well.
Buffalo chips for fuel, found water and game; volunteer corn, abandoned supplies by those who came before, raised our spirits during each sabbath’s rest; all that fostered song and dance among the weary. I remember it well.
Three months of toil, fatigued shoes, and worry, Delivered us to community, joy and faith at trail’s end. But for me – solace, giving birth one week after arrival. Oh, I remember it well!
WE INVITE YOU to submit poems inspired by Utah for future issues of Utah Life. The November/December 2022 issue’s theme is “Frost,” with a deadline of Sept. 1. Visit utahlifemag.com/poetry-submission to submit your poems, or email to poetry@utahlifemag.com.
Capitol Reef Resort
Sweet and Spicy Salsa
There’s nary a tomato in sight in these sweet takes on chips’ best friend
recipes and photographs by DANELLE McCOLLUM
THERE’S NO RULE that says chips and salsa are required at all summer get-togethers, though one might be excused for thinking otherwise. No matter how much the menus vary at barbecues and potlucks, salsa is almost certain to make an appearance. There’s also no rule saying that all salsas must be tomato-based. These recipes prove that fruit and corn can tweak the salsa paradigm into something sweeter yet just as satisfying.
Fresh Pineapple Mint Salsa
Fresh pineapple and mint are combined with jalapeños and lime juice in this fruity salsa. Great with tortilla chips, it can also be served on grilled chicken, fish or pork chops. To save time, peeled and cored fresh pineapple from the produce section can be used. The salsa will keep 2-3 days in the refrigerator.
Combine all ingredients in medium bowl and mix well. Cover and chill at least 30 minutes, or until ready to serve.
2 cups fresh pineapple, diced
1 medium jalapeño, seeded and diced
1/2 cup chopped red onion
3 Tbsp chopped fresh mint
1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
Zest and juice of one lime
Salt, to taste
Ser ves 6
Festive Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Chips
Fresh berries and tart apples combine in this delicious fruit salsa that’s served with cinnamon-sugar-coated tortilla chips. The red, white and blue color scheme make it perfect for Fourth of July celebrations, but it is great for any summer barbecue get-together. The homemade cinnamon chips are easy to make, but store-bought cinnamon-sugar pita chips work well, too. The fruit produces a lot of liquid if it sits for long, so the salsa should be made shortly before serving.
Heat oven to 350°. Combine 1/8 tsp cinnamon and sugar in small bowl. Cut each tortilla into 6 wedges. Arrange wedges in single layer on 2 lightly greased baking sheets. Spray tortillas with nonstick cooking spray and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar mixture; you might not need to use all of mixture. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until tortillas are golden brown, rotating pans once halfway through cooking time. Cool completely.
Gently toss blueberries, diced strawberries and apples in medium bowl. In small bowl, stir together orange juice and zest, brown sugar, strawberry jam and cinnamon. Pour over fruit and stir to coat well. Refrigerate until serving. Serve with cinnamon chips.
8 6-inch tortillas
1 Tbsp sugar
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 ½ cups blueberries
2 cups diced strawberries
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and diced
Zest and juice of one small orange
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp strawberry jam
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Ser ves 12
Chipotle Corn Salsa
This easy-to-make corn salsa is fresh-tasting and delicious, much like the corn salsa at Chipotle restaurants. The recipe has the most visual appeal when using a mix of yellow and white corn, but any color may be used – just be sure to rinse and drain the corn well before adding the remaining ingredients. It can be used on tacos, burritos, enchiladas or as a side with tortilla chips. The salsa lasts up to a week in the refrigerator.
Combine all ingredients in medium bowl and mix well. Refrigerate until ready to use. Serve with tortilla chips, or in tacos and burritos.
2 cans corn, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup diced red onion
1 jalapeño, diced
1-2 Tbsp lime juice
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro Salt, to taste
Ser ves 8-10
What’s in Your Recipe Box?
The editors are interested in featuring your favorite family recipes. Send your recipes (and memories inspired by your recipes) to editor@utahlifemag.com.
PCache Valley Foodie Tour
The Logan area abounds with homegrown goodies
by MATT MASICH
ERHAPS IT GOES without saying that agriculture is big in Logan, home of the Aggies of Utah State University. The entire Cache Valley is filled with farms and ranches, making it a mecca for foodies. We present a selection of some of our favorite Cache Valley food businesses that make gourmet products in a host of specialties, from honey to berries, from chocolate to cheese.
1
Rockhill Creamery
563 S. State St., Richmond (435) 774-2878
THOUGH ROCKHILL CREAMERY opened in 2005, it reuses buildings on a historic Richmond farmstead dating back to 1893 – and its cheesemaking techniques certainly owe more to the 19th century than the 21st.
The process starts with raw, unpasteurized milk from Jersey cows raised in Cache Valley. Instead of being put in an automatic vat, Rockhill cheesemakers stir the milk by hand. The cheese is then formed into wheels and soaked in brine to create a rind, which protects the cheese when it is put into a special cheese cave to
age anywhere from 60 days to two years. Being left unwrapped, exposed to open air in the cave causes mold to grow on the rind, imparting complex flavors. Using raw milk also adds to the flavor profile.
One of Rockhill’s most distinctive cheeses is its Wasatch Mountain Reserve, a take on gruyere that’s aged at least one year. “The aging process has a huge effect,” Rockhill owner Parker Measom said. “The longer it ages, it picks up a creaminess, nuttiness and an almost pineapple-like sweetness.”
Rockhill Creamery isn’t open for walkin visitors, but people can call ahead to arrange a tour, which includes the chance to peer into the cheese cave. Rockhill cheeses can be found across Utah, including Lee’s Marketplace and most Harmons.
2
Mt. Naomi Farms
1285 E. 4500 North, Hyde Park (435) 232-4525
A TRULY RIPE berry is a rare and delicate thing. When berries are picked at the absolute peak of ripeness, they explode into a juicy gush of sweetness the moment you pop them in your mouth. However, they also explode if you try
Asian pears and grapes join an assortment of berries as U-pick options at Mt. Naomi Farms.
Mike Brewer
Mira Kershisnek (both)
At Rockhill Creamery, the process calls for aging wheels of cheese in the cheese cave anywhere from 60 days to two years.
packing them into a crate and loading them onto a truck.
“The fruit is in the grocery store is usually not ripe, because you just can’t transport it,” said Brenda Meikle, owner of Mt. Naomi Farms in Hyde Park. “Even if we try driving our berries 5 miles down the road to the farmers market, they’re smashed by the time they get there.”
That’s why Mt. Naomi Farms is a U-Pick operation. Starting in early August, the farm opens Monday-Thursday, 7:30 a.m.noon, to allow people to pick their own baskets full of perfectly ripe raspberries, blackberries, grapes and apples. Picking season typically runs at least six weeks and sometimes as late as October.
Thankfully, the picked berries in baskets tend to make it home intact. As transcendent as the taste of ripe berries can be, people are just as drawn to the act of picking them. While harvesting the berries, the farm can become a sacred space where life’s problems float away, if only for the moment.
3
Cox Honeyland
1780 S. Highway 89, Logan (435) 752-3234
SINCE 1929, GENERATIONS of the Cox family have worked out an arrangement with the honeybees of Cache Valley – the humans take care of the bees, and the bees take care of the humans by providing honey. Lots of it. Each year, Cox Honey’s millions of tiny workers produce more than 20,000 gallons of the sweet, golden treat.
Darren Cox runs the beekeeping side, while his three sisters run the Cox Honeyland gift shop, the best place to buy Cox Honey. The shop sells honey in 2-ounce jars, 5-pound jugs, 60-pound buckets and all manner of sizes in between. People can also bring in their own jars and containers to get filled up from Cox Honey-
Cox Honeyland stocks three different types of pure, locally produced Utah honey, as well as an assortment of flavored honey.
Joshua Hardin
At Caffe Ibis, a barista creates a specialty drink. A candy maker puts the finishing touches on chocolates at Bluebird Candy Co.
land’s 500-gallon tank. The hives’ beeswax doesn’t go to waste, finding its way into lip balms, lotions and candles; the beehive-shaped beeswax candle is a popular Beehive State souvenir.
In addition to the many flavored honeys, Cox Honeyland offers three varieties of Utah honeys. The standard table honey is Clover Alfalfa Honey, which has a light flavor and color. More flavorful – and the most popular – is Cache Valley Honey, which starts out as nectar from local flowers. Mountain Snowberry Honey might be the most unique, with its floral component coming from Logan Canyon wildflowers growing above 7,000 feet.
4
Caffe Ibis
52 Federal Ave., Logan (435) 753-4777
CAFFE IBIS FOUNDERS Randy Wirth and Sally Sears started the business as a tiny health food store. Then Wirth started roasting his own coffee and brewing it for shoppers to drink in the store. The coffee part of the business took off; today, Caffe Ibis’ beans are in stores statewide.
Many people like to get their beans where it all started at Caffe Ibis Cafe and Gallery (“caffe” with two f’s is Italian for “coffee”). Part of the fun is picking the brains of the knowledgeable staff, like Tom Wilson, the cafe’s longtime manager, who is happy to teach customers about all things coffee – “how it goes from being a seed in the ground to being served at our cafe.”
The main roastery in Logan roasts a staggering amount and variety of coffee. Some blends use a semitruck of raw beans each month; however, the rotating Best of Season blends are small-batch, using perhaps only two burlap bags’ worth of beans.
Many Caffe Ibis blends are “triple-certified.” This unusual distinction means they are certified organic, certified to come from fair trade sources and certified to be grown according to Smithsonian Bird Friendly standards, which means the coffee is 100-percent shade-grown to leave trees standing for bird habitat.
5
Bluebird Candy Co.
75 W. Center St., Logan (435) 753-3670
THE CHOCOLATES SOLD at Bluebird Candy Co.’s downtown Logan combination factory/retail shop are entirely made by hand – or rather, made by multiple hands, as owner Justin Hamilton clarifies.
“By the time it’s sold, it has been touched by the love of at least five different hands,” Hamilton said.
The candies’ journey begins in the hands of Teresa Varner, who runs the kitchen that creates the centers: caramel, toffee, nougat, etc. The candy centers then travel to the rolling room, where hands form them into perfect shapes. Next comes the dipping room, where the centers are hand-dipped into molten chocolate. Then more hands pack the chocolates in boxes, followed by the final hands at the retail counter.
At the dipping stage, the dippers use swirls of chocolate to create a signature on top of the candy to identify what kind of center it has.
“Chocolate done by hand has an artistic element,” Hamilton said. “It’s the beauty of seeing the signature marking on top.”
Bluebird Candy Co. started out in 1914 as part of the nearby Bluebird Restaurant, where the candies were originally served. In the 1980s, the two businesses split apart under separate owners. However, when Hamilton purchased the restaurant in early 2020, the candies were available there for the first time in decades. The restaurant is now closed for remodeling but will reopen this year; the candy shop remains open.
6
Central Milling Co.
122 E. Center St., Logan (435) 752-6625
NOT JUST THE oldest business in Cache Valley, Central Milling Co. is the oldest continuously operating business in all of Utah. Founded in 1867, the company was already nearly century old when farmer George Perry approached Central Milling with an idea that would change its course. Perry had read about the burgeoning push for chemical-free foods – what we now call organic food, though that term didn’t yet exist. He started growing organic wheat and persuaded Central Milling to designate a brand for his natural flour. By the 1980s, the flour had been picked up by
Caffe Ibis
Caffe Ibis
Joshua Hardin
Whole Foods and other up-and-comers in the organic food movement.
Central Milling works with both farmers and bakers to create new varieties of flour for every purpose. The lineup of organic flours now includes dozens of varieties, while the Red Rose brand offers the same quality without organic certification.
Perhaps the most specialized Central Milling product is Tony Gemignani’s California Artisan Type 00 Pizza Flour. Designed in collaboration with Gemignani – a 13-time World Pizza Cup champion – the flour is a blend of hard wheat varieties. The chef put the flour to the test in his restaurants for six months before giving it his seal of approval.
7
Lower Family Foods
700 S. Highway 91, Richmond (435) 258-3755
THE INTOXICATING AROMA of hickory smoke often greets people driving Highway 91 through Richmond in the evening. That’s because at around 5 p.m., the 15 smokehouses of Lower Family Foods start up, cooking a vast array of beef, pork and poultry products.
Slices of Lower Family Foods pastrami topped with Swiss cheese grace the beef patties of a pastrami burger.
Workers load a pallet of organic flour at Central Milling Co., which has continuously operated since it first opened in 1867.
Many Utahns are familiar with Lower’s meats even if they don’t recognize the name. The company’s Double L Ranch Meats brand sells its Deli Craft, Carver’s Craft and Smoke Craft lines in Macey’s, Ridley’s Family Markets and other Associated Food Stores locations.
Lower Family Foods began in 1929 as a local butcher operation. The business switched to precooked meats in the early ’90s, starting with basics like roast beef and pastrami before expanding the lineup to nearly 200 products. Lee Lower, great-grandson of the company founder, dreams up new products with colleagues Mike Mortensen and Shayne Bair.
“Lee’s kind of our mad scientist for coming up with new stuff,” Bair said. One new creation developed in the last few months is the Burnt End Link, a sausage that incorporates pieces of barbecue brisket. The links are part of the hickory-smoked barbecue Smoke Craft line, which has taken off in recent years. Customers can purchase many Lower Family Foods products at a discount at the company’s outlet store at its Richmond plant.
Lower Family Foods
Adventures Bears EARS
Photographer ventures into ancient terrain to discover seldom seen ruins and vistas
and
Story
photographs by TOM TILL
Light enters Moon House Ruin, one of the ancient structures photographer Tom Till encountered on his explorations of Bears Ears National Monument.
THE PAIR OF buttes known as the Bears Ears might be the most prominent features at Bears Ears National Monument, but they are only the beginning of the wonders to be found there. The national monument in southern Utah is home to an amazing mix of ancient structures, rock art, and spectacular landscapes, while also harboring a long stretch of canyons and mesas draining into the master streams of the San Juan and Colorado rivers.
I have found the monument to be a place of great beauty, with a bit of magic mixed in. Starting in the 1970s, well before the land earned its national monument designation in 2016, my friend Glen Lathrop and I would scour this territory for lost wonders. We made one of our most memorable discoveries while hiking and scrambling practically in sight of the Bears Ears themselves.
It happened when we were looking for a ruin we thought was in the area. As it turned out, we were not even close, but on this cool afternoon with summer thunderstorms threatening, we left my Jeep and made our way down the canyon walls. Soon we were bushwhacking in tall brush, but for a little while the terrain flattened out, and jutting out of the cliff wall was a perfect arch made of Cedar Mesa sandstone.
Even with all the backcountry exploring we had done, finding a new arch of this size was remarkable, and it hasn’t happened to me before or since. At that time, I was carrying a giant 4x5 camera, which now seems almost crazy, but it was my camera of choice for all those decades. I took images of my friend Glen on top of it for scale, and we joked about calling it Tom-Glen Arch, since people in Moab had named the arches they discovered after themselves.
Petroglyphs are carved into a rock face. An adult and child’s handprints are preserved on stone. On the next page, these ruins’ exact location remains undisclosed for their protection.
We struggled back to the rim, found the ruin later and almost slipped into the half-mile deep canyon by driving on a four-wheel-drive trail covered with viscous pine needles on the ground, which were slippery as ice – a typical day of discovery and just enough danger to get the heart racing.
We have not returned to this arch, but since I published a picture of it, many doggedly motivated people have tried and failed to find it. I admire the arch hunter groups, and I was contacted by them and shared all the information I had. They even hired an airplane to look for it, but no luck. I occasionally think of that arch as a symbol of my lost youth and a more innocent time. The picture proved its existence, but somehow returning would have spoiled the magic of it for me.
CLIMBER DAVID ROBERTS, author of books about Bear Ears and the Southwest, visited the area 700 times. He told of his many expeditions to reach ancient ruins high on canyon walls and eroded spires within Bears Ears. In many cases he relates how, after climbing high on canyon walls, he was forced to accept defeat when a final stone barrier, erected by Ancestral Puebloans a millennium ago, kept even a master canyon explorer and world-class climber like him out. Made of rocks that were impossible for the best athletes to pass, these barriers seem to
indicate, as Edward Abbey theorized, that the ancient peoples were trying to keep themselves and their food safe.
Sometimes there’s a supernatural element to the stories. A Bureau of Land Management ranger told me a story about how a part of the monument’s famous Moon House Pueblo had fallen down, but on his next regular visit, he was gobsmacked to find this part of the ruin had somehow reconstructed itself. He could have been messing with me, but he seemed sincere and almost a bit frightened by the whole thing.
I have actually climbed the two Bears Ears themselves a few times. While climbing one of them, I found the only horny toad I have ever seen in southern Utah. The spectacular view from the top of the butte covered much of Monument Valley, Black Mesa, Comb Ridge, Elk Ridge and Natural Bridges National Monument. All around me storms were exploding, with rain and lighting and clouds turning every possible color by the setting sun, so I got down pretty quickly and drove out.
A few years later, in the 1980s, I visited an ancient perfect kiva in the area. A kiva is an Ancestral Puebloan ceremonial chamber, and a perfect one has an intact roof. This one also had its original ladder, held together with strips of bighorn sheep leather, and was possibly a thousand years old.
At left, Comb Ridge runs through much of the monument. Valley of the Gods has a number of monumental buttes.
A long, narrow valley known as Comb Wash runs just west of Comb Ridge. A gooseneck of the Colorado River is viewed from Dead Horse Point; the river forms the northernmost boundary of the monument.
It was hard for me to believe what I was seeing and photographing, and I was able to climb down into the kiva easily, but as I did, I stirred up a millennium’s worth of dust. Luckily, the sun rays hit the small cloud in exactly the same angle as the ladder, and the image was an accidental success, as some lucky ones are. The Bureau of Land Management did not want to leave such a beautiful and valuable article as the ladder to be vandalized or stolen, so a number of years ago it was replaced by a newly made duplicate. The original is stored at Edge of the Cedars State Park in Blanding.
Although we are in a long-lasting drought now in southern Utah, the canyons of Bears Ears are known not just for their great hiking but for their occasional danger due to water. People picture flash floods, which are killers, but an innocent pool can be just as deadly.
I once jumped into a small sandstone hole filled with cool water in the area after a long, hot hike. Finding that, because of moss growing on its sides, I was unable to climb out, I panicked. Every attempt slid me right back to the bottom. It wasn’t deep, and I pictured the headline of the story in the local paper: “Photographer dies in small pothole of water on hottest day of year.” Fortunately, I wasn’t hiking alone, and my friend easily pulled me up and out, but the advice that hikers avoid
polluting desert pools with their bodies is a good idea for several reasons.
PERHAPS MY VERY favorite places in Bear Ears are not the great ruins that make you gasp as you see them around a corner, or a deep canyon with imposing walls and a black pool, but the towers of the Valley of the Gods, the huge and almost endless uplift of Comb Ridge and, finally, the San Juan River.
The many buttes of the Valley of the Gods, seen from the air with the psychedelic patterns of the Raplee Anticline behind the dozen or so monoliths there, have great majesty. Though the Raplee Anticline is not in the monument but on Navajo lands, it can be seen from the highway to Mexican Hat. From the air, it is one of the most amazing photographic subjects in the world.
Very reminiscent of Monument Valley, the Valley of the Gods is also a photographer’s paradise. Formations with names like Castle Butte, the Seven Sailors Butte and Battleship Butte are just a few. Just to the east, Comb Ridge stretches through the whole monument down to Navajo lands, as the San Juan River invades it all with a usually slow pace that children can enjoy. I took my kids down that river when they were little, and they now take their children.
The list of wonders in this part of Utah is endless: Beauty, fun, history, magic and mystery are all here.
Towering monoliths give Valley of the Gods a passing resemblance to nearby Monument Valley.
MUSIC FORT DESOLATION FEST
AUG. 12-14 • TORREY
Utah native Jeremy Rawle has been visiting Torrey and the surrounding area, which includes Capitol Reef National Park, for decades. A few years ago, he thought it would be a perfect area for a musical event he was planning: the Fort Desolation Fest.
This August is the second ever Fort Desolation Fest, featuring performances from artists Amos Lee, Elle King, Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, Rayland Baxter and others representing the broad Americana genre. The three-day festival is ideal for vehicle-supported adventure travelers, with the beautiful landscapes of southern Utah to explore during the day and nights full of music and community.
Rawle learned through a friend about the event site, Cougar Ridge Ranch, a luxury resort that is also a working ranch. Red rock hills surround the 40-acre prop-
CULTURE. ADVENTURE. HISTORY.
by RACHEL FIXSEN
erty, home to horses, donkeys, alpacas and ducks. Guests can rent an elegant lodge or smaller villas.
“From the first time I rolled onto it, I knew it was the location for this event that we wanted to put on,” Rawle said.
With big-name artists, a stunning location, smaller crowds and attention to details like proximity of camping to the stages and cleanliness of the property, Rawle said the festival is a premium experience. It’s also a chance for like-minded people to meet. At the campsites, guests enjoy each other’s company.
“They’re having drinks together, they end up sharing meals and cooking with each other, at night there’s campfires where people are breaking out guitars,” Rawle said. “People are making friends for life, and we’ve witnessed that firsthand.” (435) 425-2091.
This three-day festival assembles Americana music acts at the scenic Cougar Ridge Ranch.
WHERE TO EAT HUNT & GATHER
Hunt & Gather features local ingredients, including wild game, locally made cheeses and ciders, and organic vegetables. The “hunter” side of the menu offers elk, filet mignon, and wood smoked duck; the “gatherer” side offers vegan and vegetarian options made with fruits and vegetables, rice, mushrooms, and for pescatarians, rainbow trout. 599 W. Main St. (435) 425-3070.
WHERE TO STAY TORREY SCHOOLHOUSE
If you’re not the camping type, consider nearby lodging at the Torrey Schoolhouse B&B Inn, a sandstone block building built between 1914 and 1916 and renovated in the early 2000s. The second-floor bedrooms are still named after school subjects: arithmetic, music, reading and writing. Famous outlaw Butch Cassidy was known to attend community dances and events held in the building, another claim to fame for the inn. 150 N. Center St. (435) 491-0230.
Jess Leonard
FAMILY
UTAH ASIAN FESTIVAL
JULY
9
• SALT LAKE CITY
Now in its 45th year, the Utah Asian Festival has been going on long enough that adults who remember enjoying the performances, music, food and crafts as children can now bring their own kids.
“It really warms my heart when there’s another generation that enjoys bringing their family,” Festival Chair Eunice Lane said.
The festival was created in the 1970s to share the stories of the diverse Asian cultures that thrive in Utah. The event has continued to serve as a cultural bridge: In the late 1990s, before Salt Lake City was selected to host the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, an Olympic bidding committee attended the festival to experience the area’s cultural diversity.
Festival attendees at the Utah State Fairpark’s Grand Building enjoy performances of traditional music, dance and martial arts; a variety of traditional food from different countries; and participate in activities, especially for children, such as calligraphy or kite-making. Admission is free, while parking costs $5.
A spirit of connection and fun infuses the festival. Shu Cheng, executive director of the Asian Association of Utah, which puts on the event, recounted a memory from a festival held in the Chinese Year of the Rooster. A camera crew walked through the crowd and filmed an emcee asking festivalgoers what sound a rooster
makes in their country of origin. Answers varied from “cock-a-doodle-doo,” to “chicchirichi,” to “gu-gu-guuu!” (801) 467-6060.
WHERE TO EAT TAKASHI
This acclaimed sushi restaurant blends tradition and innovation in creating sushi rolls and other Japanese cuisine. The restaurant’s website invokes the concept of “shokunin,” an attitude of craftsmanship that combines technical skills with a dedication to excellence. 18 W. Market St. (801) 519-9595.
WHERE TO STAY EVO HOTEL
The new evo Hotel opened at the start of 2022 and is aimed at adventure travelers interested in exploring both the city and nearby outdoor sports opportunities. Reservations include passes to a skate park; climbing, yoga and workout facilities are onsite. Its chic modern rooms feature exposed brick walls and unique artwork. 404 W. 700 South. (385) 386-8585.
Attendees can experience music, food, crafts and performances from many Asian cultures.
Payson Scottish Festival
July 8-9 • Payson
This festival is a cultural celebration, athletic competition and spectator event. Competitors in kilts launch stones, toss logs and launch hammers in the Highland Games. There are also musical performances and parades. (801) 465-4408.
Days of ’47 Cowboy Games & Rodeo
July 20-25 • Salt LakeCity
Held at the Utah State Fairpark, this event features carnival rides, food trucks, vendors, exhibits, live music, fireworks and, of course, rodeo. There are also mutton bustin’ events for kids, where sheep take the place of broncs. (844) 436-4788.
Day of the Cowboy Singer Songwriter Festival
July 22-24 • Fairfield
Camp Floyd State Park was an 1800s U.S. Army camp. In addition to preserving that history, the park also hosts events like this outdoor festival highlighting cowboy poetry and music. (801) 768-8932.
Country Fan Fest
July 27-30 • Tooele
The largest outdoor music festival in Utah features Chris Janson, Brooks & Dunn, Dustin Lynch and more. Each day has a theme – cavemen, superheroes, disco and America – and attendees are invited to dress up accordingly. (855) 948-6255.
Raspberry Days
Aug 5-6 • GardenCity
Garden City is rightfully proud of the raspberries that grow near Bear Lake. This festival celebrating the small fruit includes zumba classes, a parade, live music, bingo, a pie-eating contest and nighttime boat parade. (435) 946-2901.
Utah Asian Festival
People don creative costumes to ride their bikes through Antelope Island State Park.
OUTDOORS
ANTELOPE BY MOONLIGHT
JULY 15 • ANTELOPE ISLAND STATE PARK
Normally, the public can only enter Antelope Island State Park during the day, unless they are camping in the campground. During one night of the summer, visitors can enjoy the park on two wheels by the light of the moon. Antelope by Moonlight is a noncompetitive, roughly 24-mile night bike ride through the scenic state park.
The ride was founded in the 1990s, soon after the causeway that gives vehicle access to the island was rebuilt. Discover Davis Tourism Marketing Manager Megan Christensen is working the event for the sixth time this year, assisting with registration and logistics. Her favorite part is the pre-party, where participants enjoy music
and food trucks, and show off their costumes and decorated bikes. Each year has a theme, and riders are encouraged to embrace it. This year’s theme is “Ride into the Moonlit Sky,” inspired by the new movie Top Gun: Maverick, a sequel to the classic 1986 film Top Gun. Christensen remembers fun costumes from last year’s theme, which was inspired by the Roaring ’20s. People dressed as flappers or gangsters; one cyclist had children riding in a sidecar decorated to look like a classic ’20s car.
“It’s fun to see people come in their costumes and their bikes all decked out and colorful,” Christensen said. “People of all ages and skill levels come out and ride their bikes.” (801) 725-9263.
Antelope by Moonlight Bike Ride
WHERE TO EAT SILL’S CAFE
Open since the 1950s, Sill’s Cafe is best known for its scones, served with the family-owned restaurant’s signature honey butter. The breakfast menu is full of other traditional hearty plates: omelets, hash browns, bacon, chicken-fried steak, pancakes and biscuits and gravy. 335 Gentile St., Layton. (801) 544-7438.
WHAT TO DO
ANTELOPE ISLAND STATE PARK
Antelope Island is also great by daylight. Hiking, biking and equestrian trails traverse the island’s peaks and shores. The park is home to one of the largest publicly owned bison herds; visitors may spot other wildlife like pronghorn, bighorn sheep or porcupines, and millions of birds are drawn to the shoreline habitat in the park. Archaeological and historical sites give a glimpse into the island’s human history. 4528 W. 1700 South, Syracuse. (801) 773-2941.
Beaver Canyon Marathon
Aug. 6 • Beaver
This Boston Marathon qualifier starts at Eagle Point Ski Resort at 10,000 feet and drops 4,000 feet through forests and past lakes and vistas. Racers can sign up for the Beaver Canyon Marathon Online Coaching Program. (801) 787-5865.
Indian Food Fair
Aug. 13 • Salt Lake City
This event features not only the savory, sweet and spicy flavors of traditional cuisine from India, but also clothing, jewelry, art, crafts, music and dance performances and henna ink art. Events take place in large, lush Liberty Park. (801) 979-5850.
Salt
City
Wine & Dine
Aug. 27 • Sandy
This inaugural event is held at the 20-acre La Caille estate at the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon. More than 35 restaurants, distilleries and wineries offer samples. Entertainment includes live music and a magician. saltcitywineanddine.com
Photographs
Page 12 A juniper overlooks the Colorado River. Cottonwoods grow at the Green River. Page 13 Red Butte Gardens and Arboretum. Tumbleweeds tumble in Monument Valley.
Soar high above the clouds and gaze down on breathtaking views. Gateway Canyons Air Tours specializes in providing lasting memories that will delight, dazzle and inspire your imagination. Taking you beyond the expected and up to a higher place. Come see for yourself.
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943 • Montezuma Creek, UT 84534 www.tourancientwayves.com Tour Southeast Utah with expert Indigenous guides from Ancient Wayves River and Hiking Adventures. Choose from guided single-day hiking and multi-day backpacking adventures through this sacred landscape.
Wayves River and Hiking Adventures
Blowhard Trail | Dan Ransom
Zoe Galligan-Stierle (left) as The Little Girl and Aaron Galligan-Stierle as Tateh in the Utah Shakespeare Festival’s 2021 production of Ragtime Karl Hugh | Copyright Utah Shakespeare Festival 2021
EDITORS’ CHOICE
THE MILKY WAY stretches across the evening sky as the very last light of sunset casts a dim glow on Sunset Arch in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
Photographer Grant Collier planned this shot carefully. He used the free software Stellarium to determine when the Milky Way would appear in exactly the right spot during astronomical twilight –the darkest of the three levels of twilight.
He timed the shot to have a dark enough sky to see the stars but enough residual daylight to see the arch. The photo is different from the scene he witnessed with his own eyes – the long, 46-second exposure Collier used allowed his camera to pull in more light than humans can see on their own.
Still, taking in this unpolluted night sky was a profound experience. “When you’re out there,” Collier said, “It gives you a different perspective when you realize how small we are and how enormous the galaxy and all the other stars are.”
IN EACH ISSUE , Monumental Exposure features a reader’s photograph of Utah – landscapes, architecture, attractions, events, people or wildlife.
Submit your best photographs for the chance to be published in Utah Life . Send digital images with detailed photo descriptions and your contact information to photos@utahlifemag.com or visit utahlifemag.com/contribute.
This image was created with a Canon 5D Mark II camera with a Nikon Nikkor 14mm lens with Canon adapter, exposed at ISO 6400, f/2.8 for 46 seconds.
PHOTOGRAPH BY GRANT COLLIER
WHY IS IT that other states have popular songs written about them – like “Sweet Home Alabama,” “Oklahoma!” “California Dreamin’, ” “Rocky Mountain High,” “Georgia on My Mind” and “Private Idaho” – and we don’t? Are we too boring? Is it because there aren’t any decent words that rhyme with Utah (other than grandma, blah and coleslaw)?
Since it’s unlikely that Taylor Swift or Beyoncé are going to come to our rescue with a catchy ballad about the Beehive State, it’s up to us to create our own song. To get things started, I suggest we repurpose an existing tune that’s already familiar to most Utahns; it would be a simple matter of changing lyrics and title.
For example, we could capture the diversity of political views in our state with a new take on that classic Donny and Marie song where she sings, “I’m a little bit country …” and he responds, “And I’m a little bit rock ’n’ roll.” For Utah, it could be, “I’m a little bit Fox News …/And I’m a little bit Rachel Maddow?” Or reverse the order:
I’m a little bit Pelosi …/And I’m a little bit anti-Joe,
I’m a bit woke and self-righteous … / And I’ve got QAnon paranoia in my soul.
I don’t know if it’s good or bad …/But I know I love it so:
I’ve got a sticker-covered Subaru …/ And I’m a bit alt-right troll.
Maybe that’s too divisive? OK, let’s move on.
Would it be appropriate to borrow some familiar tunes from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints hymn book? Probably not, which is a shame, since a few of them could be reworked into celebrations of our state’s economic boom: “We Thank This Facade for a Home-Flipping Profit,” “I Stand All Amazed at the Salary and Benefits This Tech Start Up Offers Me,” “Because I Have Been Given Much (I Too Must Immediately Look for a Different Job That Pays Even More),” “Come, Come Ye Utahns, No Toil Nor La-
story by KERRY SOPER illustration
by
JOSH TALBOT
Utah Needs a New State Song
bor Fear (Unless It’s a Demanding Service Sector Job That is Traditionally Filled by Eager, Hard-working Immigrants).”
Shoot, some hymns could also be morphed into state anthems about a variety of thriving industries: “The Essence of Lavender Like a Fire Is Burning (On My Skin),” “If I Could Hie to My Mid40s (with the Help of Botox Injections),” “Where Can I Turn for a Piece (of the Herbal Supplement Market)?,” “A Rich Wayfaring Man of Fast Food Beef,” “Outdoorsy Instagram Influencer, I Would Follow Thee,” “Be Still My Coal (the Fracking Horde is on My Side)” and “How Firm is my Foundation! (Made by this Cosmetic
Surgeon’s Excellent Work).”
Realizing that rah-rah, boostery songs like those – that are also mildly blasphemous – might not sit well with everyone, I’ve been playing around with a few protest anthems that put an ironic spin on some generic primary tunes: “I looked out the window and what did I see? Unchecked development flattening that apricot tree.” Or this: “Once there was a snowpack, snowpack – tall, tall, tall/In the drought it melted, melted – small, small, small.” Yeah, that one might be too depressing. But how about this one about air pollution: “Teach me to endure the blight of this smog/Teach me to learn how to
walk, bike or jog/Teach me to leave my big SUV in the garage/Teach me, teach me, to carpool with Rog’. ”
I’m aware that we also need options for the younger folks in our state, so I’m working on repurposing some contemporary pop songs, too. As an example, we morph Imagine Dragon’s song “Radioactive” into “Radio(Less)Active” – and we have a tune about the ambivalence among some Gen-Z Utahns toward organized religion. Or Carly Rae Jepson’s popular hit “Call Me, Maybe” could now be about young adults in the state putting off the responsibilities of adult life, like getting jobs: “Hey, I just graduated from the U/ And this is crazy/But I might take three gap years/So hire me, maybe.” Or not getting hitched: “I’m more into video games than marriage, baby/But I’m on Insta/So DM me, maybe.”
The downside to most of these ideas so far is that they don’t have a universal appeal to all Utahns. Poaching from the
Beatles songbook could be one way to remedy that. Who could resist, for example, singing along to one of these reworked classics: “Lucy, 19-year-old BYU Coed with a Diamond,” “Money Can’t Buy Me Love (or an Affordable Starter Home),” “I Get Pie with a Little Help from My Friends (at the Ward Potluck),” “Twist and Shout (at that Dumb Guy in the Pickup Truck who Cut Me Off on I-15),”
“(Protein-boosted) Strawberry Smoothies Forever,” “The Long and Winding Road (of Idling Cars Waiting to Get into Arches National Park)” and “Hey JudeLynn/Don’t feel bad/Your mom just took an odd name and made it weirder.”
Shoot, I’ve got a few more: “Help! You know we need some rainfall!/Help! Maybe just an inch or two?/Heck – any kind of moisture would do!” Or, “When I find the Jazz in times of trouble/Larry Miller comes to me/Speaking words of wisdom: ‘Shoot a three! SHOOT A THREE!’ ” (Or maybe, “Block ’em out of the key!”)
The song “Yesterday” might work for our population boom: “Yesterday, all my neighbors seemed so far away/Now, these rich Californians are here to stay …/Suddenly, my view’s not what it used to be/ Poorly built McMansions looming over me/That green space is gone so suddenly.”
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Come to think of it, maybe the Beatles can even help us bridge our political and cultural divides? I’m not sure if our state is ready for John Lennon’s classic song: “Imagine there’s no religion/No political parties too ….” Ha. But how about something as open ended as this: “All You Need Is Love (and Maybe Some Variety of Caffeinated Beverage)?” Or even better, we just add a few regional food favorites into a late-period Beatles anthem and we have something for everyone: “Come together Utahns, right now (to share some ham and funeral potatoes) under a tree.” Yeah, still a bit awkward, meter-wise, but better than something about grandma and her unfortunate coleslaw. Happy singing. The More Than A Flag initiative is a statewide conversation honoring Utah’s rich history while considering a new flag design that represents us all. Professional designers have been hired to submit flag designs inspired by public cues. In August, we’re inviting Utahns to weigh in with comments on the finalists. What designs represent our state and each other? Flag.Utah.gov
