Glimpses into Our Pioneer Past–Tour of This Is The Place Park

Latter Day Radio, now podcasting from The Intersection of Faith & Freedom.

In this episode, Latter Day Radio host GM Jarrard welcomes Brian Westover, the trades exhibit manager at the "This Is The Place Heritage Park," for a virtual tour of this historical gem east of Salt Lake City. Situated at the mouth of Emigration Canyon, the park is built around the original monument dedicated here in 1947 at the 100th anniversary of the Mormon pioneers arriving in the valley. Legend has it that Brigham Young arose from a sick bed in the back of an open-air carriage and said, as he viewed the valley below, "this is the right place, move on." And move on he and his fellow pioneers did. Within just a few years, a vibrant pioneer community was thriving in the valley below, after a number of set backs–including an invasion by crickets and rescue by flocks of seagulls. Within a couple of decades, pioneers had spread out from this point all over the Intermountain West. The park is filled with pioneer buildings, some original, some re-created, in an effort to help visitors visualize the lifestyle, the rigors and the trades of the mid 19th-century. Westover's responsibilities include managing the various tradesmen, including a blacksmith shop, a tin shop, wool spinning and even gold panning. A small train takes visitors on a familiarization tour around the village, stopping along the way, including a visit at the actual Brigham Young summer home at the west end. The park is a testament to the courage, self-sufficiency and creativity of the early Saints in the West.