Located within This Is the Place Heritage Park in Salt Lake City, Utah, Mormon Battalion Plaza features large sculptures and reliefs that represent and detail the history associated with what is recognized as the only religious unit in United States military history. The efforts of the Mormon Battalion have been remembered and celebrated across the city and in various states, but the landmarks that define the Mormon Battalion Plaza uniquely embrace the legacy that it has come to represent for audiences across the city and region.
Honoring Hardships and History
In 1846, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) were seeking U.S. government aid for their migration west. Their leader Brigham Young recognized that a call to arms from the U.S. Government to serve in the Mexican War represented an opportunity to establish a mutually beneficial arrangement that would enable this support. Over 500 LDS Church soldiers, women and children would embark on a march to the California coast. The accomplishments of the Mormon Battalion were as far-reaching as they were defining for the LDS Church and the United States as a whole.
The hardships and history associated with this journey and these results are recounted and displayed all across Mormon Battalion Plaza. Dedicated in 2010, two large sculptures dominate the space. “Duty Calls” depicts Brigham Young with his hand on the shoulder of a departing enlistee stooped down to receive the embrace of his young daughter. “Duty Triumphs” features soldiers assisting a colleague amidst other Battalion members who are deep in prayer.
Multiple reliefs further honor and depict the history and impact of the Mormon Battalion. One relief depicts the Mormons who left from New York aboard the ship Brooklyn to join their pioneers who had followed Brigham Young to the Great Basin. Another honors the wives of battalion volunteers. The most prominent relief mentions that the trek was “one of the longest infantry marches in U.S. history.” It also displays a map that showcases the path that was taken.
This direct connection to the legacy of Mormon Battalion has enabled engagement within the plaza that organizations like the Mormon Battalion Association have been able to further cultivate. With enough space to hold small events as well numerous spots that honor donors and supporters, the Mormon Battalion Plaza showcases what it can mean to celebrate a legacy that impacts audiences across multiple eras to create a positive impact on the culture and economy of an entire region.
A Celebration of Salt Lake City
Designed to be a celebration of all the pioneers who have made Salt Lake City what it is, Mormon Battalion Plaza is equal parts history and commemoration. It blends into the natural setting of the mountains on multiple levels, allowing audiences to experience a formative event for the modern city while enabling countless connections that will positively define the future.
