This is the Place Heritage Park
The Pioneer Center
The Pioneer Center at This Is The Place Heritage Park stands near the point where thousands of Latter-day Saint immigrants emerged from Emigration Canyon and had their first real view of their new home in the Salt Lake Valley below. From 1847 until the transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869, this site was referenced in the journals, sermons, and personal histories as a kind of sacred place, a site marking the end of a long and difficult journey and the beginning of a new life of spiritual freedom. It was in a very real way the gateway to Zion.Â
The most historical among museums in Salt Lake City, the Pioneer Center was built in 2021 to honor the Utah Pioneers and their remarkable journey to settle the American West. It offers a glimpse into pioneer life through exhibits, artifacts, and interactive experiences. This historical landmark in Utah also hosts events and educational programs that showcase the pioneer culture and heritage. The Pioneer Center is not only a tribute to the pioneers, but it also serves as a reminder of their strength, resilience, and determination in the face of challenges.
History of Utah at
This Is The Place Heritage Park
The Pioneer Center officially opened
in March 2021 and was named to honor the intrepid pioneers ennobled as “the builders of a nation” in a well-known Latter-day Saint hymn. Inside the center, multimedia displays incorporating history, art, architecture, music, video, and narrative provide an overview of the founding of the West, making it one of the most significant museums in Salt Lake City. In recounting this founding story, the Pioneer Center is intended to complement the sculptures and words of the This Is The Place Monument—and thus to appropriately capture the bravery, faith, and courage of the settlers and founders of the Salt Lake Valley.Â
“We dedicate this beautiful Pioneer Center… to the state of Utah for visitors and our citizens who will come and have renewed feeling in their hearts of the great blessing of pioneers, of those who were willing to blaze the trail and give to us what we have today”. - M. Russell Ballard, Church News, April 3, 2021
Giant Rustic Beams pay tribute
to the sturdy nature of Utah’s pioneers. Beautiful features throughout the building merge art and architecture to symbolize or underscore important elements of Utah’s pioneer story.
Defining elements of the pioneer story are central to the building’s design by renowned architect Niels Valentiner, Valentiner collaborated with several local artists in planning details of the project. Tom Holdman’s stained glass chandelier represents a wagon wheel illuminated by morning light shines through amber and blue glass panels.Â
Then and Now sculpture by Roger and Stephanie Hunt beautifully illustrates the importance of preserving Heritage links between those who preceded us, ourselves, and future generations.Â
Painted for the Milwaukee Public Museum
as one of a series of works portraying American history, it was produced when panoramic landscapes representing historical events were at the height of their popularity. Artist George Peter depicts a band of pioneer immigrants arriving at a point above the Salt Lake Valley after a long journey across the plains. In the clouds above the horizon are the future Salt Lake Temple, the Tabernacle and Hotel Utah. The mural was originally located at the Treasure House in Heritage Park and then moved to the Pioneer Center in 2020.
Artist George Peter was born in 1859 in Vienna, Austria. He came to the United States in 1886 after studying art in Vienna and Germany. Peter’s work as a scenery painter earned him acclaim as an important American artist. In 1917 he painted the above twenty-two-foot mural of Latter-day Saint pioneers entering the Salt Lake Valley.
Using photos, maps, and 3D printing Technology, a diorama model was created which depicts the scope and magnitude of the park in stunning detail. Representing roughly 110 acres of the 450 acre park, it was created for the Pioneer Center by WhiteClouds, a local 3D modeling company in Ogden, Utah.
1921 dedication
“We hope that at some time in the future this small monument may be replaced with one more imposing in size and that these grounds, now in primitive state, may be made beautiful as they should be.” - Anthony W. Ivins, 1921 dedication of the white obelisk.
Display windows tell the story of the first monuments built to mark the spot where Brigham Young declared “This is the Place.”
Thirty-foot-high windows form a dramatic frame around the This Is The Place Monument, under-scoring the grandeur of Mahonri M. Youngs artistry.
This Is The Place Monument
The “This Is The Place Monument” room tells the story of the monument through historic film and print. In 1939, Mahonri M. Young was awarded $50,000 to build the monument. He sculpted the monument at his Weir Farm studio in Connecticut with the help of one assistant, Spero Anargyros.
“Renowned Utah-born artist Mahonri M. Young stands at the foot of what is perhaps his best-known work, Salt Lake City’s This Is The Place Monument, after its completion in 1947. Young, a grandson of pioneer leader Brigham Young, was commissioned to design the epic granite memorial and to create its bronze statuary, honoring the Mormon pioneers of 1847, as well as the Indians, mountaineers, explorers and trekkers who preceded them.”
“Next month, come the ninth of August, I will be 70 years old. This is the greatest day of my life.”
— Mahonri M. Young at the dedication of the This Is The Place Monument, July 24, 1947
The “Mahonri—The Artist Behind the Monument” room shares the story of the artist from his youth through his creation of the “This Is The Place Monument,” which he called “The Big Job.”
Will You Be A Pioneer?
In this multimedia feature, the historical narrative of the 1846-1847 pioneer journey from Winter Quarters to the Salt Lake Valley is recreated through narrative, art, and video.
“One of the things we hope happens when people come here is that they’ll start thinking about their forefathers—to study and know them and appreciate them and see their accomplishments.” —M. Russell Ballard, Church News, April 3, 2021
“It’s so important to preserve our history. . . . We invite all Utahns and others who come to our great state to visit and learn about the remarkable origins. Whether your family has been in Utah for generations or only just arrived, . . . this history matters. It’s your history now. If you live here, you are a Utahn and this is your history, this is your legacy. It is something to be proud of. We can’t forget that history because it guides us to our future.” —Governor Spencer W. Cox, at the dedication of the Pioneer Center, March 26, 2021.
This Is The Place Heritage Park, including its Pioneer Center, Heritage Village, and the Pioneer Children’s Memorial, is a heritage & cultural destination for locals and travellers alike. It is one of forty-six state parks throughout Utah. Ours is different than other museums in Salt Lake City, as it preserves the story of the Mormon pioneers who travelled west in the 1800s to settle in what is now known as Utah.
