Northern Utah
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Brigham City
The Golden Spike National Historic Site at Promontory, (435) 471-2209, is located 32 miles northwest of Brigham City. The Golden Spike was driven in 1869 to celebrate the completion of the nation's first transcontinental railroad, www.nps.gov/gosp.
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Davis County
On Antelope Island, accessed via a causeway from I-15 Exit 332 in Syracuse, the Fielding Garr Ranch House was built in 1848, and lived in until 1981. Fielding Garr established the first permanent residence on the island. For information, call (801) 451-3237 or visit www.davis.travel/.
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Fairfield
This boomtown from the 1850s, when Johnston's Army was stationed at Camp Floyd, is 20 miles southwest of Lehi via State Hwy. 73. It is the site of Stagecoach Inn State Park, an overnight stop on the historic overland stage and Pony Express route, (801) 768-8932.
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Heber Valley
Heber City Tabernacle is a magnificent stone building that contains a collection of Daughters of the Utah Pioneers artifacts. The Huber Grove, located at Wasatch Mountain State Park, represents the early homestead practices in Heber Valley. The Homestead Resort's Virginia House is listed with the National Register of Historic Sites. The resort was built around natural hot springs, including the 60-foot deep, 92° Homestead Crater.
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Lehi
Lehi Roller Mills, family-owned and operated for three generations, is one of the oldest continuously operating flour mills in the country, (801) 768-4401, www.lehirollermill.com.
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Logan and Vicinity
With many historic mansions and one of Utah's finest old railroad stations (now an upscale Mexican restaurant), Logan's Downtown Center Street has been designated a National Historic District, (435) 755-1890 or (800) 882-4433. In Garden City, a marker designates a portion of the first Oregon Trail, and Rendezvous Beach on Bear Lake is near the location where the Rocky Mountain Fur Company held mountain man rendezvous' beginning in 1826, (800) 448-2327.
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Ogden
Ogden's 25th Street is remembered as a place of excitement and variety. Saloons and bordellos stood side by side with businesses, which thrived on Ogden's status as a railroad hub. Today, 25th Street offers a glimpse into the past with the opportunity to enjoy unique shops, antique stores and restaurants, (801) 778-6250. The Egyptian Peery Theatre, with its Rococo terra cotta exterior, was built in 1924 on Washington Blvd. It is now a state-of-the-art performance venue and the centerpiece of the Ogden Eccles Conference Center, (801) 689-8700, http://oeccutah.com/.
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Park City and Vicinity
Main Street is the heart of this thriving resort town. Hearkening back to the city's early days as a silver mining boom town, restored buildings on the street house purveyors of food and drink, as well as chic shops and galleries. The Park City Museum on Main Street, which recently underwent a major renovation and addition, is a must-visit attraction for history buffs, (435) 649-6100, www.visitparkcity.com.
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Salt Lake City
On top of the hill at the northern end of State Street is the Utah State Capitol building completed and dedicated in 1916 and patterned after the nation's capitol. Guided tours are offered most of the year. Directly across the street to the south of the State Capitol is Council Hall, home of the Utah Office of Tourism. Built in the 1860s as Salt Lake City Hall, it was dismantled stone by stone in 1963 and moved to Capitol Hill. On the western side of Capitol Hill is the Marmalade Historic District, where many original pioneer-era homes are located, (801) 533-0858. Memory Grove at the mouth of City Creek Canyon, is dedicated to Utah's war dead. City Creek Park and Brigham Young Memorial Park provide pleasant open space in a busy city center. Free outdoor concerts are held throughout the Summer, Tuesdays and Friday evenings. South Temple Street is lined with historic churches including the Rhenish Gothic-styled Cathedral of the Madeleine, 331 E. South Temple Street, built in 1909, www.saltlakecathedral.org, (801) 328-8941. A red sandstone exterior marks the First Presbyterian Church at South Temple and "C" Street, (801) 363-3889, www.fpcslc.org. One of the most fashionable streets in the city, South Temple also has numerous elegant mansions. The Kearns Mansion, 603 E. South Temple Street, was built in 1902 as the residence of mining magnate Thomas Kearns. It is now the official residence of Utah's Governor. Tours are offered, (801) 538-1005, www.utah.gov/governor/mansion/index.html. One block off South Temple Street, the Cathedral Church of St. Mark, 231 E. 100 South, was built in 1871, making it Utah's oldest non-Mormon church, (801) 322-3400, www.stmarkscathedral-ut.org. The City and County Building between 400 and 500 South on State Street was an early encampment for Mormon settlers. After Utah became the nation's 45th state in 1896, this impressive building served as the State Capitol for 19 years. At 279 S. 300 West, the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Holy Trinity was built in 1923, replacing a church built in 1905, when the Greek Community of Utah was first organized, (801) 328-9681.
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Tooele County
Benson Grist Mill is a living museum and visitor's center where farmer markets, festivals, and pageants are held every year. It is reportedly the oldest and best-preserved historic building between Salt Lake City and Reno, Nevada. 325 State Rd 138, Stansbury Park, www.bensonmill.org, (435) 882-7678. Veterans Memorial Park provides a beautiful space in downtown Tooele where free outdoor concerts are held every Friday evening June through August. The park also hosts a Farmer's Market throughout the summer and early fall months.
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Vernal and Vicinity
In northeastern Utah, at Browns Park, the BLM's John Jarvie Historical Property has pioneer buildings, a cemetery and artifacts, (435) 781-4400. The Oscar Swett Ranch is a capsule of frontier life. It is a half mile north of Greendale Junction on US 191 off State Hwy 44, (435) 784-3445. Still standing, about six miles east of the Dinosaur National Monument Quarry, is the cabin of cowgirl Josie Morris, who was linked with Butch Cassidy and other outlaws
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Vernon
On the Pony Express Trail between Vernon and the Nevada border, signs mark original Pony Express stations, (435) 781-4400.
Central Utah
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Delta
The Great Basin National Heritage Route between Delta, Utah and Ely, Nevada was designated in September of 2007. This route offers opportunities to learn about the unique geography of the Great Basin, settlement of the area, as well as mining, the Pony Express and Overland Stagecoach routes and even the Topaz internment camp near Delta, Utah which was the home of Japanese Americans during World War II. US 50 from Delta on into Nevada has been dubbed "the loneliest road in America" but this historic designation should help build tourism for the communities along the way. The Topaz War Relocation Center west of Delta is a National Historic Site. A monument in Delta City Park honors the memory of the 11,000 Japanese Americans who lived at Topaz during World War II, (435) 864-4316, www.topazmuseum.org.
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Fillmore
Mormon colonizer Brigham Young chose the settlement of Fillmore to be the seat of territorial government - with cities radiating from the capital like the spokes on a wagon wheel. The Territorial Statehouse had barely been completed when it was judged impractical to have a capital city 150 miles south of the territory's major population center. The Territorial Statehouse is now a state park and museum, (435) 864-1400, www.millardcounty.com/.
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Green River
Green River City is divided by the river for which it was named. The city's location is significant as it is the site of a centuries-old river crossing along the historic Spanish Trail, contact the John Wesley Powell River History Museum, (435) 564-3427.
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Helper
Helper has done a remarkable job of keeping its history and culture alive through restoration and preservation. Helper's assets include its historic main drag, an incredible art community, and the Western Mining & Railroad Museum, (435) 472-3009.
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Junction
The former Piute County Courthouse, located on US 89 in Junction, was built in 1903. Its stately architecture is reminiscent of the Victorian era. The building is listed on the State and National Historic Registers, (435) 577-2840.
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Marysvale
The Canyon of Gold driving tour begins at the Fishlake National Forest boundary in Bullion Canyon west of Marysvale and continues up the canyon for two miles. A brochure, available at the trailhead, interprets historic mining features including Miner's Park with a quarter-mile walk.
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Spring City
This entire small pioneer-era town is listed on the National Historic Register as a pristine example of an agrarian Mormon village. The city has since become an arts colony of sorts, but its historic designation remains intact.
Southwestern Utah
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Beaver
Beaver has a designated National Historic District with over 30 significant buildings from log cabins to unique basalt rock houses, www.beavercountytravel.com
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Bryce Canyon National Park
The Bryce Canyon Lodge is a National Historic Landmark. Many of the Park's other buildings are also on the National Register, www.brycecanyonforever.com.
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Capitol Reef National Park
Some of Capitol Reef's most delightful surprises are the remnants of the tiny hamlet of Fruita. The Historic Gifford Homestead and a one-room schoolhouse are located among orchards planted by Mormon settlers in the 1800s, (435) 425-3791.
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Hanksville
BLM's Wolverton Mill is a log structure once used to mill wood and crush ore. It is one of very few mills in the country constructed and used to perform both of these functions, (435) 542-3461.
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Orderville
Orderville is widely known as the town where they lived the "United Order." The early pioneers who started the township of Orderville largely came from the settlements of the Muddy Mission. On the July 14th, 1875 the pioneer Mormon Saints who chose to live the Order organized themselves under the name "Orderville United Order." www.townoforderville.com
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Panguitch
The whole town of Panguitch was recently added to the National Register of Historic Places' list of historic landmarks. Most of the buildings constructed in the 19th and early 20th centuries, including a Carnegie library and a community social hall, are still standing undisturbed by technology or modernization, (435) 676-8585, www.panguitch.org.
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Parowan
The small town of Parowan prides itself on preserving its heritage. The town features an historic district including the Old Rock Church Daughters of the Utah Pioneers museum, Jesse Smith Pioneer Home, Dr Meeks Cabin & Urban Fishery, Veterans Memorial Garden, and Parowan Heritage Park. It also features a self-guided cemetery tour that highlights the unique stone masons of the late 19th Century, (435) 477-8190, www.parowan.org.
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St. George
St. George has a grand historic district. A walking tour brochure is available at the St. George Area Chamber of Commerce, 97 E. St. George Blvd, (435) 628-1658, www.atozion.com.
Southeastern Utah
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Moab and Vicinity
Thirty-five miles northeast of Moab on State Hwy.128 is the Dewey Bridge, a single-lane cable suspension bridge built across the Colorado River in 1916 and used by vehicles until 1986, www.discovermoab.com.
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Monticello
The Old Log Church, a replica of the original, which was built in 1888, has been constructed in Pioneer Park in downtown Monticello. An Emerson-Brantingham BIG 4 Tractor is on display in Monticello. One of only a few such tractors in existence, this one was shipped new to the area in 1913. It is an important part of the farming history of the Great Sage Plain.
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Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park
In Monument Valley, Goulding's Trading Post and museum re-create life in the 1920s and document the Valley's starring roles in movies and television through the decades. Nine miles west of Goulding's is the Oljato Trading Post, which is on the National and State Registers of Historic Places.
