State Capitols – Salt Lake City, Utah - Inside

West Atrium, Utah Capitol, Salt Lake City (20 June 2014)

Two grand staircases are illuminated by barrel-vaulted

skylights. As with so many western capitols, the

most prominent artwork depicts valiant pioneer

settlers crossing the plains to fulfill our Manifest Destiny.

I like this capitol for its clean, uncluttered look. Maybe it’s the straight, conservative sensibilities of the population or it’s the 20th century’s emergence from the fancy Victorian and Beaux Art styles that were all the fashion prior to that. It’s the ionic capitals on the smooth/round columns and not the flowery, complex Corinthian tops on fluted columns. Statuary is confined to significant alcoves under the rotunda and the fourth floor. That floor was used for offices before the renovation and is now an art gallery with rotating exhibits on Utah history and heritage.

The building sits on a hill that is a tad less than it was before they decided to put the capitol there. The site, called ‘Arsenal Hill,’ was a munitions depot where gunpowder was (rather poorly) stored. On April 5, 1876, two boys tending cattle were taking pot shots at passing birds when a burning paper wad from their gun ignited some loose powder. That eventually set off 45 tons of explosives. The blast killed the boys and hurled hundreds of tons of debris that damaged every building within a two-mile radius of the hill.

Rotunda, Utah Capitol, Salt Lake City (20 June 2014)

A 95-foot chain suspends the ‘Circle of Light,’ a 3-ton chandelier from the center of the dome. I did take a picture straight up for that collection of balanced circular designs, but I prefer to show the space with its artwork that (again) extolls the pioneer spirit so prominent in western civic spaces. The thin, shadowy figure across the way is one of Utah’s favorite sons. Philo Farnsworth was an inventor whose patents made modern television possible. This bronze statue is also one of Utah’s two figures in Statuary Hall in our Washington capitol. Brigham Young is the other.

Seismic Base Isolator,

Utah Capitol, Salt Lake City (20 June 2014)

Recent studies confirmed that the capitol was vulnerable to even moderate earthquake events. In 2004, the legislature created a board to oversee a seismic upgrade and widespread restoration of the building. The photo above shows one of the 265 seismic base isolators that were installed under the building.

This top-to-bottom (literally) renovation and restoration included adding new art work and returning the official and public spaces to the architect’s vision and original beauty. While the entire capitol originally cost $2.7 million to build, the four-year restoration and seismic fortification cost $227 million.

Utah House of Representatives (20 June 2014)

The Utah House has 75 members who are elected to two-year terms.

Science and Technology

Utah Capitol, Salt Lake City (20 June 2014)

The extensive renovation also included artwork for the space under the rotunda. Four classic allegorical sculptures depicting traditional themes were added by 2008. Each eleven-foot presentation has an adult mentor and a youthful student that portrays the ideas of ‘Immigration and Settlement’, ‘Land and Community’, ‘Arts and Education’ and my favorite, ‘Science and Technology.’ The sculpture shows how discovery leads to technical advances like the wheel and an aqueduct.

Utah Senate (20 June 2014)

The Senate has 29 members who are elected to four-year terms.

Utah Capitol, Salt Lake City (20 June 2014)

Like the Lone Star in Texas and the Palmetto

Palm in South Carolina, the bee hive is a

ubiquitous presence in the Utah capitol.

Not only was Salt Lake City the capitol of the territory, it was the center of the faith and the hub that supported radiating Mormon settlements throughout the west. Brigham Young was the leader of the church AND the Governor of the territory. It would be like the Archbishop of Canterbury also being the Prime Minister. The Mormon settlers sought to build a perfect society on earth so there was little distinction between religious and secular life. Although modern Utah is becoming more diverse, it remains the only state in the Union where a majority of the population belongs to one church.

Utah might have achieved statehood sooner were it not for the elected leaders and their theocratic impulses. The practice of plural marriage was something the rest of the nation had trouble accepting. Governor Brigham Young had 55 wives…that is not a mis-print. Once polygamy was outlawed nationally and Utah agreed to include a specific ban in its constitution, the state was admitted to the Union.

Statue of Brigham Young by Kraig Verner [1993]

Utah Capitol, Salt Lake City (20 June 2014)

Occupying a central location on the second floor of the capitol, Utah’s Founding Father strides forth and is a regular stop on tours. The typical American visitor will appreciate the fact that Hall of Fame NFL quarterback, Steve Young is a direct descendent.

Bronze statues have a way of showing where our attentions lie. Apparently, some tour guides encourage visitors to pull on his finger for luck. A bust of Abe Lincoln outside the Senate chamber has his nose shined by lobbyists for the same reason. I may have to do a post on abused bronze sculptures. We just can’t help but rub certain parts.

State Capitols – Salt Lake City, Utah - Outside

Utah Capitol in Salt Lake City (20 June 2014)

Constructed: 1912-15

Architect: Richard Kletting

State Admitted to Union: January 4, 1896 (45th)

State Population (2010): 2,763,885 (34th)

The Idaho-Montana-Utah Capitol Jaunt ended in Salt Lake City. It was a wonderful week in some of the most scenic areas of the country.

Utah is a special state with a history different from the others. Its founding and continuing narrative is as one of our most theocratic states. By the mid-19th century, Mormons could not co-exist within the State of Illinois and headed west. They started to settle here in 1847 and continue to celebrate ‘Pioneer Day’, July 24, when Brigham Young’s wagon train arrived and Utah history began.

Utah Capitol Dome (20 June 2014)

The dome is copper, reflecting Utah’s place

as the second-leading copper mining state.

One minor complication at the time was that the land was in Mexico. We settled that matter quickly by starting a war with the weaker nation and taking 40% of their territory after smacking them around… ‘Spoils of War’ and ‘Manifest Destiny’ you know. Among its places in the nation’s progress, Utah was the last link in the first transcontinental telegraph in 1861 and the last link in the first transcontinental railroad in 1869.

The settlers in the Salt Lake area wasted no time and thought big. Almost immediately, they petitioned Washington to grant statehood to ‘Deseret,’ a term from the Book of Mormon said to mean ‘honeybee.’ The beehive is the state symbol and “Industry” the state motto.

The Official State Symbol,

Utah Capitol, Salt Lake City (20 June 2014)

The proposed boundaries of Deseret encompassed land currently in nine western states and extended to the Pacific Ocean in southern California. President Fillmore granted them territorial status with more modest boundaries and Brigham Young became the first territorial governor.

Centrally-located Fillmore was the first capital. Named for the president who denied their premature and grandiose statehood request but granted territorial status, the town was quickly abandoned for lack of accommodations and facilities. Salt Lake City has been the center of territorial and state government since 1856.

By 1911, Utah had been a state for fifteen years and they still hadn’t found a way to construct a capitol building. The legislature finally agreed to raise a million dollars but what put them over the top was the inheritance tax from the estate of Union Pacific Railroad magnate E. H. Harriman.

Chief Massasoit by Cyrus Dallin [1959],

Utah Capitol, Salt Lake City (May 1995)

We’ve shown that many western state houses include statues of Native / Original Americans. This particular bronze depiction stands outside the east entrance to the capitol and has caused some consternation among the Utah tribes. The renowned sculptor, Cyrus Dallin might have lived most of his life in Massachusetts but he was born and raised in the Utah Territory. The figure is actually the Wampanogas chief who is said to have greeted the Pilgrims when they landed at Plymouth Rock in 1621. The artist donated the plaster original to the state and this bronze cast was made later. Navajo residents of Utah have objected, suggesting that a better example could have been made with a resident subject.

Mormon Battalion Monument by Gilbert Riswold [1927]

Utah Capitol, Salt Lake City (20 June 2014)

The Mormon Battalion Monument commemorates the 500 volunteers who joined the U.S. Army to fight in the Mexican War. The only religious unit in U.S. military history, the Mormon Battalion existed for a year during the war. Although they never engaged in any battles with Mexican forces, the unit was present across the southwest and contributed to the eventual acquisition of all that Mexican territory.

The next post will take us inside this fine state house.

Impressions of Jackson, Wyoming

Jackson, Wyoming is a charming gateway to Grand Tetons National Park. It offers understated western charm and minimal neon. Nothing like Gatlinburg, Tennessee or some other towns that prosper because a great natural wonder is just outside the city limits. We flatlanders and tourists like to call it ‘Jackson Hole’ but the last name was meant to describe the valley. The town is just, ‘Jackson.’ It has a tourist economy as a ski destination in the winter and the entrance to the National Park year-round.

One of the Elk Antler Arches, Jackson, Wyoming (19 June 2014)

At the four sides of the town square are massive arches made of elk antlers. The arches were originally installed between 1953 and 1969. Each arch contains around 2000 racks and weigh between 10,000 and 12,000 pounds. Antlers, not being the most durable material, means the arches are replaced every forty years or so.

The Boy Scouts of Jackson have a pretty good thing going. Since they live in elk country and since elk shed their antlers every year and since elk antlers have value, the scouts have struck an agreement with the feds and are allowed to collect discarded antlers and auction them off. The Elkfest website confirms that the scouts manage to recover an average of 8000 pounds of antlers every year and bidders fork over an average of $17 per pound for them. A quarter of the proceeds go to fund scout activities and the rest goes to the Elk Refuge to help manage the herd.

Another Elk Antler Arch, Jackson, Wyoming (19 June 2014)

Apparently, the best I can find as to WHY people flock to Jackson to buy antlers is to use them in furniture, art and jewelry designs. Yet the auction site documents the price per pound…not a very aesthetic way to put it.

I’m reminded that there are cultures that prize horns and other animal parts for their medicinal and other lifestyle enhancement qualities. The demand for animal parts can support an African poacher’s family but it is driving certain species to extinction. While that’s not the case for American elk, the rhinoceros is fast disappearing. This is when I imagine a busload of Chinese tourists cruising by the town square, reacting in wide-eyed awe at the sight of the arches created from tons of antlers.