This Is the Place Heritage Park

 

 

 

 

The West...just as it was. Step back in time with a visit to This Is The Place Heritage Park, Utah's premier living history attraction. There is plenty to see and do, and we had loads of fun!

Summum

 

 

 

 

 

What in the world does that quote mean anyway?  Who cares?  I hesitate to give this much space for something so bizzare... but I'm equal opportunity.  This is the sanctuary and world headquarters of the Summum religion and philosophy. It uses some less than chaste practices as a means to spiritual ecstasy, as well as drinking alcoholic nectars before meditating, and mummifying pets and humans after death.  It was founded by Claude Nowell.  While meditating one night he says he heard an intense, high-frequency and opened his eyes to discover "Summa individuals" who began to plant information into his head.  These beings began appearing to him regularly during his meditations, teaching him concepts on which he based his new religion.  He changed his name to Summum Bonum Amen Corky Ra.  Followers claim to have seen him cry tears of blood, turn a blue sky into a rainstorm, and light a candle just by looking at it.  He has the right to believe anything he wants- this is America after all.  But I must admit that I wonder what is in that nectar he drinks, and truthfully, he sounds scary enough I wouldn't really want to meet up with him!

Gilgal Garden

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This garden is hidden in a residential block in downtown Salt Lake City.  The garden was originally a backyard obsession of Thomas B. Child, Jr., a stonemason with no formal art training.  He was a devout Mormon who built this as a monument to his religious beliefs.  The garden features twelve original sculptures arranged in a rough circle.  There are more than seventy stones inscribed with poems and scriptures.  Gilgal is named for a biblical settlement along the River Jordan, and means "circle of stones."  It is well worth the hunt to find it, and we loved wandering through the garden, reading the many inscriptions.

Brigham Young Historic Park

 

 

 

 

 

The Weeping Virgin Tree

 

 

 

An image of the Virgin Mary appeared spontaneously in an elm tree in a small park in Salt Lake City.  What appeared to be a robed figure in a sawed-off branch of the tree was sighted.  Sap oozed from the head of the figure, as if she was crying.  Unfortunately, vandals chopped out the apparition in 2002, leaving this jagged hole.  Mourners flocked to the tree.  Despite the damage, the site continues to attract a steady stream of believers ten years later.

Worth Visiting...

The Our Little Angel Statue can be found in the Salt Lake City Cemetery. It was commissioned by Richard Paul Evans, author of The Christmas Box, after he heard that grieving readers were seeking out the angel. The bronze statue really is beautiful, and it's obvious that it is frequently visited. There is an invitation on the plaque inviting visitors to place a white flower at its base.

 

After a longer than expected hunt, we found the grave of Brigham Young, Utah's first governor and the second President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It is in a peaceful and beautiful little park. There are also several other graves, including four of his wives and poetess, Eliza R. Snow.

 

 

This large mural, called SLC Pepper, on the side of a parking garage has dozens of famous faces on it. The artwork is a take on the Beatles' iconic "Sgt. Pepper" album. Jann Haworth, the woman behind the project, helped design the album's original artwork.