As the historical landmark that is at the figurative and literal heart of This is the Place Heritage Park (Place Park), the This is the Place Monument (Place Monument) has come to define a location of critical importance to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and the wider community. Located on the east side of Salt Lake City, Utah, Place Monument showcases what it can mean for a landmark to define a physical space while influencing the hearts and minds of audiences across the eras.
“This is the Place”
After leading Mormon pioneers on a journey westward out of Illinois in 1847, LDS Church leader Brigham Young is said to have uttered the words, “this is the place,” when he first saw the Salt Lake Valley. This began the emigration of thousands of other Mormon pioneers to settle the region that would eventually shape Salt Lake City.
In 1917, a monument was built to identify the spot that Young’s party had first entered the valley. In 1939, Mahonri M. Young, a grandson of Brigham Young, began work on a much larger monument that would honor and represent the groups and individuals that played such a prominent role in the pioneer era of Salt Lake City. This is the Place Monument was dedicated in 1947 to mark the hundredth anniversary of the pioneers entering the Salt Lake Valley.
Standing sixty feet high and eighty-six feet long, statues of Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball and Wilford Woodruff top the monument. Numerous bronze sculptures and reliefs honor the Mormon pioneers and many others who were instrumental in the development of the city and region. The groups include the Donner Party, Spanish explorers who came into the area in 1776, a scouting party and the first to enter the valley in 1847 and the nine horsemen who made up the exploring party.
Since being dedicated, Place Park has cultivated many more activities and attractions, the popularity of which has been actively cultivated thanks to the prominence of Place Monument. It is utilized on various pieces of merchandise and used as a means of identity for the park and beyond, highlighting the profound impact it has enabled for the culture and economy of the entire area.
While the Place Monument has a significant meaning to LDS Church members, it also honors the various people and eras that defined the development of the West as a whole. Doing so has allowed it to become a significant landmark to audiences across the region and eras.
Resonating Across Space and Time
This is the Place Heritage Park has become one of the top features of Salt Lake City, which the This is the Place Monument has helped enable and drive. The size of the piece is impossible to ignore, while the attempt to honor so many different people and groups that defined the city and region has enabled it to resonate to audiences of all types. Doing so showcases what it can mean for a monument to resonate in such a profound manner to individuals and entire communities.
