PaRkS, LaNdMaRkS, CeMeTeRiES OH MY!

I spent last week looking for dead people again. I should be called the "Ghost Whisperer" as I have to call on the on Ancestors to help me find them. I also had to go to Salt Lake to get my hair done so I thought that I would make good use of my time up north and check out parks, landmarks etc. I always read about these places but never get around to it. Well I finally decided I was going to do it. It was so much fun checking out the city. I would drive up and down each street downtown checking out restaurants and cool buildings looking for a hidden treasure landmark.

I had great success finding graves. I found Mary Ellen Tracy Bartholomew's grave. She is my Great Grandmother, Grandma Alta's mother. Then I wanted to find Mary Ellens' parents. The obituary that I had did not have the cemetery they were buried in so I had to call all the older cemeteries to find them and I did!!! I was so excited! When I find names I go to the cemetery and take pictures of the headstones. I even found some more Lowry graves that I have to research and find out if and how they are related to us. . I also found a Tracy grave that I did not know about. It is my Great Grandfather's brother.
Below are pictures of them.



Mary Ellen's Father Joseph Franklin Tracy- sorry it was rotated in my files but would keep posting this way!!



Betsy Holden Tracy- My Great Grandmother- It was raining the day I went so I need to go back.



Mary Ellen Tracy Alta Lowry's mother. Why won't it rotate??? dang it!




This grave is Albert Tracy- He is my great Grandfather's brother. His headstone was really sunken in and covered with grass. By me telling the Sexton this he said they would fix it. So I was glad to do that for good ole Albert.


While I was looking for the 1st Encampment memorial I found this awesome old LDS church. I just had to go in. Luckily the back door was open and I headed right for the chapel to see the stain glass window. It was locked..... A sister missionary was watching me be so nosey so she asked if I needed help. "I said yes, I want to see around the building". Her husband is the Bishop so she had a key to let me in! score!! It was so beautiful. She said it is the oldest church in Salt Lake. I should have asked her to take me up in the tower....I will have to go back. It had the glass room called the "cry room" that I have seen before in older buildings. It also had a door to exit to the hall up on the stand it was neat. This church is located on 7Th So. 5Th East.


Entrance to Memory Grove. You can drive right up to the gates. You park on the street.
To get there you head East on N. Temple just East of Temple square and turn left on Canyon Road.



This is what you see upon entering! It was so beautiful


This is a war memorial park. I had not been here since the 70's
and all I remember is driving through trees on a road. If the park was like this back then I don't remember. There is a trail that you can hike on. It is easy as a lady said she easily pushed a stroller up it. I don't know how far it goes. At least a mile.


This is a meditation chapel. It is not open all the time you have to sign up for a tour.




This is the view from the trail that takes you up to the capitol. On the west side of the park there are steps and a trail that puts you up a road that you can see the capitol. I walked across the street to the monument that is 3 pictures down from this one. You can drive your car to this area later.


The maintenance workers told me to drive up to 7Th E. and A street which is just above the park and gives you a great view of the park and the city. I did that and the houses up there are so fun to look at also. There was not really any traffic to deal with either.
Just one of the many fun houses up in the Avenues.


This statue is on the State Capitol grounds





This is a social Hall the Pioneers had. It is not open all the time. I think you have to have a tour for this too. I could have peeked in as a group of school kids had just gone in when I pulled up. I wasn't feeling so determined at the moment so I just walked up and read the plaque by the door and took the picture. The neighborhood houses are darling and fun to look at by themselves!

This was a neat statue that is on the capitol grounds.




One day I was watching Studio 5 and I found out about George's Salvage yard on the show. They made some really cute refurbished items with junk. I love this concept. I am always trying to make something cute out of old things.




This is George, he looked crazy to me at first but after talking to him I realized he is just a nice normal guy hiding under alot of hair and a beard. I even told him he would be so fun to do a makeover on! LOL he said he was just lazy to deal with fussing with his looks.


He loves junk and hates that these things are dumped into landfills. He is trying to do his part to save them from going there and making a satisfying low profile life. The economy is not bothering him I don't think as he is quite self sufficient. He was even growing veggies in old bath tubs!!


Some stuff I thinks definitely needs to go in the dump!


I kept thinking how I could use some of the stuff I saw. Hmmmm what could I do with all the pink and sage green toilets? ( Not shown in this picture, but he had lot's of them!)






This was another place I read about online and I wanted to go see what was there. It is a small corner lot where you will find this monument. The pioneers traveled from "This is the place Monument" 5 miles to here for the First Encampment.

There are names of the pioneers engraved on the rocks.

I have been wanting to go to Gilgal Garden for about 3 years. The word "Gilgal" means a "circle of sacred stones." I read it about somewhere and it had me all curious about it. So last week I finally went and explored the garden. It is a unique little place and fun to check out. It is less then a block east of Trolley square 749 E. 500 So. so you can go to the garden and then you could go to lunch at Trolley to make it a fun little outing. Make sure if you go to get a brochure before you go in out of the box on your left. ( I grabbed mine on the way out and read it when I got home. I was alone and trying to hit alot of places of interest in one day. ) Anyway, it makes alot more sense if you read about each rock as you are looking at it instead of just thinking this is a weird sculpture..... There was a purpose to each of his creations.

This is the view as you first go in.

Daniel II King Nebuchadneszzars Dream

The monument to the Priesthood
There are more things to see then what I posted, I didn't want to give it all away. There are lots of stones to read. Go check it out! I think it would be a fun date night because downtown Salt Lake is fun to drive around in and there are so many cute restaurants to eat at.
I also ended up at "This is the Place" park after hours and had fun wandering around with no people or cars to bug me. I couldn't get into the Pioneer village so I will go back to do all that. It was overcast and a great time to read all the monuments and enjoy the scenery.
I took a ton of pictures and enjoyed another "mini-staycation". You really should get out and check them out! It was free and easy. All you need is the time and patience to go do it.