Larger than two football fields and allegedly sporting the worlds largest dance hall, it sat above the water on 2,000 pylons pounded into the lake bed. The most prominent feature was the resort s vast dance floor, proclaimed as the largest in the world. Salt lake city history minute the great saltair youtube. The royal crystal plant stood a mile east and a little south of saltair beach resort.
Saltair pavilion magna 2021 all you need to know before you. The resort was named for the large black rock monolith thats in or along the lake, depending on its level. In 1893 the mormon church built saltair on the south shore of the great salt lake, about sixteen miles from downtown salt lake city. Today we celebrate utah and what makes it the place to be. The vision for a resort as extravagant as saltair began in 1891, according to nancy d. Saltair is a strange, moorish structure built on the shore of the great salt lake, in the hope that someone will come. The plant, previously owned by both the intermountain salt and inland crystal companies, was later acquired by morton salt. Kimballs old ranch house was turned into a hotel, and the resort had swings and a merrygoround, pulled by a horse.
Saltair, the storied salt lake beach resort originally owned by the lds. For more information or to leave questions, concerns, or comments, contact the saltair at 801 2506205. Jun 29, 2017 the lost history of saltair a book and documentary project. Along the shores of the great salt lake in utah stands the saltair resort. Mccormicks history of the vacation spot titled saltair. With great faces in history like gandhi, scott joplin, and h.
Saltair utah project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. Magna, ut saltair the cursed resort page 4 roadside america. But a much larger and grander resort, saltair, opened in 1893 and put black rock out of business by the mid1890s. July 1876, and an 1879 guide book of salt lake city attractions explained that during. It is hard to imagine that in the days 1920s half a million of people visited this recreational bathing resort that contained the largest ballroom in the usa 1914. Advertised for both recreation swimming, bathing, eating, etc.
According to an obituary, george henry snell was a successful business man in the salt lake city area during the latter half of the 19th century. It was a bathing resort on the southern shore of the great salt lake in utah. Please contact the historical society for information regarding specific use of this collection. Its the most comprehensive book on saltair that ive ever come across. Jul 09, 2012 called saltair, it was an immediate success. World heritage encyclopedia, the aggregation of the largest online encyclopedias available, and. Geographic saltair resort utah topical history genre form. While gps technology allows us to pinpoint any location on the planet, mark the location, and share it with others, waymarking is the toolset for categorizing and adding unique information for that.
The saltair pavilion you see today is the third building. I got a book recently by linda dunning who writes great books about the hauntedm. In that year, officials from the church of jesus christ of latterday saints organized the saltair beach co. The current third saltair was built in 1981 out of a salvaged air force aircraft hangar. It stood abandoned until it too was destroyed by fire in 1970.
Or try combining great salt lake with the largest manmade hole in history, the kennecott utah. Uc santa barbara scholars book examines how mormons survived an effort to. This concert pavilion on the shore of the great salt lake has been destroyed by fire, water, and disinterest but keeps coming back. Utah capitol building, the original salt palace and other historic utah. Dont detour off of i80 thinking youll get to stroll through history. Great salt lake saltair beach resort on great salt. The saltair photograph collection is the physical property of the utah historical society, salt lake city, utah. Saltair iii opened in 1982, but the lake shifted and reached its highest water level in history, flooding. Willard marriott library 295 south 1500 east, suite 5400 salt lake city, utah 84112. Heres a flyover contrast of utah s famous resort of the pas.
Outfitted with a large stage and a state of the art pa system, the grand hall has plenty of space for concertgoers to dance while listening to high quality concert sound. The current third saltair was built in 1981 out of a. At the turn of the century a dozen companies mined salt on great salt lakes south shore. The most popular and the bestremembered resort was the early saltair. Many of the original posts can still be seen today, over a hundred years after the resort s initial construction. Saltair the cursed resort saltair is a strange, moorish structure built on the shore of the great salt lake, in the hope that someone will come. Magna, ut saltair the cursed resort roadside america. Unspecified ingested source found in 1 collection or record. Todays saltair iii is just an old converted airplane hangar, where you can listen to concerts. The tragic fire of 1925 utah communication history. In its original conception, the saltair resort pavilion was a lush wooden.
Today i am featuring a few photos and some history about saltair, a resort built along the shore of the great salt lake in utah. History and archaeology of the old saltair resort on. Book length history of lagoon park old pictures, old. Apr 29, 2016 the most popular and the bestremembered resort was the early saltair. Opened in 1893, saltair attracted bathers and hosted picnics and dances. But, between 1870 and 1960, the resorts along the lake were the closest thing. On another point, funny that you guys should be talking about this. In their 1993 book saltair, nancy and john mccormick describe how the. The lost history of saltair a book and documentary project.
It had a giant roller coaster known all over the state. Saltair was once the busiest amusement park in the west. The lake provided a natural recreation site, and manmade improvements made it an attraction for vacationists from earliest times. Since 1893, the great saltair was built to be utah s answer to coney island, but it just kept burning down. Saltair, also the saltair, saltair resort, or saltair pavilion, is the name that has been given to several resorts located on the southern shore of the great salt. More about saltair resort utah history sources subject term type.
Sadly the book is out of print so you pay a high price for used copies. I have written a 37 page detailed paper about the coasters of saltair and would love to have it published to help preserve this history in an easy to read and engaging format. To learn more be sure to like my facebook page the lost history of saltair. Snell operated the utah soap company and was one of the original stockholders in the saltair beach resort. Louis, he moved to the salt lake valley as a young child. The girth of the resort rested on over 2,000 pylons, driven into the bed along the lakeshore. The fifteenodd miles separating salt lake city from the great salt lake was a logical location for a railroad. Located on the southern shore of utah s great salt lake, the saltair pavilion opened its doors for business in 1893. Salt air resort located on the great salt lake, ut circa 1920 salt lake city. In our collection, we have a sheet of the original plans from 1893. Lagoon fans other stuff utah attractions the lost history of saltair a book and documentary project.
Thus ending the resorts 65 year reign on the shore of the great salt lake. Still hosts seasonal evening events, from shows by janes addiction to food bank benefit concerts. The first saltair building, pictured above, was destroyed in a massive fire on. On sunday we explored the ruins of the old saltair resort on utah s great salt lake. See more ideas about utah, salt lake city, salt lake city utah. This concert pavilion on the shore of the great salt. This resort would be the one to start the bathing resort craze and that would eventually spawn lagoon and saltair. Many of the original posts can still be seen today, over a hundred years after the resort. Online community centered around lagoon amusement park in farmington, utah. Utah attractions the lost history of saltair a book and documentary project. Mar 11, 2020 the saltair resort, opened in 1893, was located deep into the briny reaches of the great salt lake.
Ever wanted to know more about the saltair beach resort that used to be in utah. The lost history of saltair a book and documentary. Saltair was not the first resort built on the shores of the great salt lake, but was the most successful ever built. Lake side was located southwest of kaysville but close to the farmington border and opened in.
Wells, dotting the timeline, it is no wonder that saltair has a vivid history, filled with all of the ups and downs of the ages. Literary rights, including, may belong to the authors or their heirs and assigns. Saltair village was a unique place to live history to go. There are excellent photos in the book and it is the definitive history of beach resorts on great salt lake. Jul 26, 2018 the vision for a resort as extravagant as saltair began in 1891, according to nancy d. Even more striking was klettings last and most famous workthe utah state capitol building, which was completed in 1916. Along with the main concert hall, saltair now offers a picturesque amphitheater, seated along the side of the building, overlooking the peaceful waters of the great salt lake. On this day 125 years ago utah became the 45th state admitted to the united states. Day saints headquarters in temple square our guide book pointed out.
Many of the celebrations and meetings working on statehood were held at the resort. The saltair bathing resort on the great salt lake, utah. Saltair resort utah history sources subject staff only subject source. Saltair became one of the intermountain wests most popular resort attractions. Completed in 1893, the resort was unlike any other building in utah, with its intricate woodwork and moorish appearance. The first completed in 1893 went down in a blaze of glory in 1925. An important cultural symbol, it is deeply imbedded in utahs history and has long interested artists, essayists, folklorists, and historians.
Saltair is a 4600 capacity all ages concert and events venue that offers all the ambiance and accommodations promoters look for. History of the saltair spanning most of the 20th century and reaching into the 21st, saltair stands on a historical past that includes 22 u. The great saltair magna 2021 all you need to know before. One of the the church of jesus christ of latterday saints goals in building saltair was to show to the world that they were normal people. Photos show a sprawling, fourstory gingerbread building with a massive central dome surrounded by oniondomed turrets and accessed by a broad causeway. This is a book and a documentary i am working on that cover the resort in detail as it never has been before plus never before published images of the resort, that no one else has. Spanning most of the 20th century and reaching into the 21st, saltair stands on a historical past that includes 22 u.
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