Salt Lake City, Utah
I happened to have two vintage slides that are from Salt Lake City. So I have a theme!
First up is this great 1940 shot of the Mormon Temple in SLC. Strangely, this single Utah image was mixed in with some previously-shared photos from Allentown, Pennsylvania. It's not like PA and UT are right next to each other, but slides have a way of getting mixed up. Anyway, the temple is fairly easy to identify, so there was not much confusion on my part (for a change). I love this 85 year-old view!
Using Google Maps' Street View, I grabbed this relatively contemporary view as seen from Main Street (at the corner of South Temple Street. Wondering about the construction (other views show the temple completely encased in scaffolding, I discovered that the temple was closed in December 2019 for a general remodeling and seismic renovations, which were initially estimated to take approximately four years. That's a statue of Brigham Young to the right.
Next is this interesting 1969 photo of the Matterhorn after a weight loss regimen. It turns out that this is an image from the International Peace Gardens - something I'd never heard of. The garden was conceived in 1939 and dedicated in 1952. (It) is under the direction of the Salt Lake Council of Women Past Presidents Council. Each participating Utah-based nation group is allotted a plot in which to create a garden with native plantings, garden architecture, and statues of world peace leaders typical of its homeland and culture. The Peace Gardens currently represents the cultural diversity of 28 nations.
9 comments:
Major-
That's quite the 'temple'. I'm quite taken with those lovely electroliers (streetlights), however - very stylish-!
Thanks, Major.
I suppose the Utah and Pennsylvania images, being in the same lot, can be explained if the photographer that took the photos, took them as part of the same trip?
It's strange to see all those old cars in a color photo. It's like we were transported back in time, à la a Twilight Zone episode. Are those overhead wires part of an electric streetcar system?
I can see Fudgie!...... OK, maybe not. Where are the Bobsleds? Where are the Skyway buckets? Disneyland's Matterhorn is definitely funner. In some ways, this Utah Matterhorn is more like the real one, which is kind of pointy and angular, like this one.
A worthy subject for a Saturday travelogue. Thanks, Major.
^ JB, I think the Utah Matterhorn more resembles a Matterhorn macaroon.
Sue: don’t give Disneyland Merchandising any ideas!! I can totally see them wanting Matterhorn Mountain re-skinned to resemble the coconut confection!
Oh, no - a bobsledless Matterhorn! That means seven minutes of bad luck!
Wasn't the Mormon Pavilion at the 1964/65 N.Y. World's Fair was based on the architecture of the SLC temple?
That miniature Matterhorn is pretty cool! It reminds me of a Matterhorn that was located at a miniature golf course that we used to visit in my childhood (which has since been demolished). I took a photo of it along with many of the other miniature structures on the property. I need to get those out and scan them.
Thanks for the vintage visit to Donny and Marie's home state, Major!
I agree, Salt Lake City is kind of "Twilight Zone-esque"....when you fly in: there is the city: with the mountains framing it, and it really is spectacular. This was my territory for a few years, and I always enjoyed a visit here. Lots of nice people, and some general "rules" that nobody seems to explain until you are faced with them. The Temple is very impressive, with heated sidewalks, plazas...etc..so no snow when it snows....I think since they are renovating the Temple and it's environs all of this may have been ripped out and replaced...I asked to go in, "no". Surprisingly, given the dominance of the church, SLC itself is pretty liberal. I always thought it was a bit cumbersome to join a membership club to pay for a glass of wine...in my hotel...and most definitely with a meal...but rules are rules...and when you are in Rome.....I'm not sure if these laws still exist, but so be it, and the waitress was very patient as I asked a lot of questions out of sheer confusion thinking I had embarrassingly stumbled into a private club. Of course, Blue laws are still all over the US. When I lived in Denver, you couldn't buy alcohol in a store after midnight on Saturday, but you could drink it in a restaurant, where you could also smoke your brains out: as that was totally fine (at the time.) The Matterhorn is very pointy and if they put a sign on it saying "REPLICA OF THE ICEBERG THAT SANK THE TITANIC"....I would believe it. Salt Lake is very pretty, and if you go up into the mountains to Park City: even more so. In general, Utah is a beautiful state, even if you are just passing through. Sorry I missed the photos of Roy Williams yesterday: there is a story to be told there. Thanks Major!
I agree, SLC is a beautiful city in a beautiful place. You can’t go in the Temple unless you are of the LDS faith, but the Tabernacle is open for tours. We visited in 1970 (?) on the way to Yellowstone.
This was an air transfer hub for me years back, good place to change planes, but never enough time to get away to see the sights. I don’t recall any complexity with getting a beer in the airport, maybe the rules were relaxed a bit?
Ozempic Matterhorn is quite a sight, never knew of this garden.
Thanks Major!
JG
Nanook, “Electroliers”, that’s a new word for me!
JB, I can think of all kinds of ways that Utah and Pennsylvania images could get combined, and it’s actually not that unusual to have a box of old slide containing a mix of various subjects. I love having color photos from 1940, this is about as early as you’ll find for color photography (I know there are older examples, but I mean for the general public). That funny Matterhorn reminds me of a set of playing cards that were sold at Disneyland, the artwork on the back had a stretched, skinny version of the Matterhorn, very similar to that one in the International Peace Garden.
Lou and Sue, yum, I’m so hungry I want a Matterhorn-sized macaroon!
Mike Cozart, there was a time when the “creatives” seemed hell-bent on modifying the Matterhorn - thank goodness they got that out of their system.
Chuck, hopefully the bad luck only stays in Utah? Once you cross State lines, you are safe.
TokyoMagic!, yes, the Mormon Pavilion was based on the temple in Salt Lake City. And I agree, I first thought that the skinny Matterhorn was at a miniature golf course. I’d love to see your photos of the mini golf course that you used to visit!
Bu, I went to Utah just months ago, but didn’t really see any of Salt Lake City as my business was in a small town 1/2 hour south of it. My friend and I had planned on going in and doing some sight-seeing, but we didn’t have time, ultimately. I’m a bit sad that I went all that way and missed that big city! I’ve heard things about SLC, in many ways it is surprisingly progressive, though I’m sure it is also very conservative (on the other side of the coin). Blue laws, we used to have to deal with those when I’d visit my grandparents in Minnesota. It always blew my kid mind that everything was closed on Sundays.
JG, I can’t go in the Temple anyway, I would burst into flames. Very inconvenient. On a trip to Europe I was friends with a Mormon girl, and she really thought I should join the LDS! It’s not for me, but she seemed happy enough. On my visit to Utah, we left early Sunday morning, so I did not experience what the place was like on that day!
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