A brief departure from the environs of Salt Lake City with this view of a typical 1940s era motel, this one located on the now extinct US Route 91 as it passed west and north of the town of St. George.
The description states:
The Haven Motel
3 blocks W. of center of town on U.S. 91
St. George, Utah
Phone 576
New De Luxe, air conditioned units. Electrically heated. Accommodations for 1 to 6 people.
–This structure is unlikely to have survived to the present day. Such buildings were normally demolished as the newer Interstate Highway roads replaced the U.S. highways and diverted tourist trade away in the 1970s. This card dates from the 1940s.
Author: desteede
Sea Gull Monument, Salt Lake City, Utah
This monument tells a very unusual story, and is located in the Temple Square in sight of the Mormon Temple, visible in the right background.
The description states:
SEA GULL MONUMENT
The Sea Gull Monument, situated in the famous Temple Square, was erected in commemoration of the miraculous delivery of the Mormon pioneers from starvation when a plague of crickets threatened destruction of their crops in 1848 and 1849. Flocks of sea gulls appeared and preyed upon the destroyers until the pests vanished and the people were saved.
This card likely dates from the 1940s.
Eagle Gate, Salt Lake City, Utah
This long view of the road leading to the State Capitol in Salt Lake City emphasizes the so-called Eagle Gate. This picture appears to be a colorized photo rather than an artist’s rendering.
The description states:
EAGLE GATE
Eagle Gate, as it is called, is immediately east of the Bee Hive House; it was originally the gateway leading into the President Young’s private grounds. The eagle was carved from wood.
–While this card has a marking of the 1947 Centennial, the image shows only cars from the 1930s and earlier, and not a single car from the 1940s. It is likely this image was made before the Second World War, and the card published in the late 1940s with the older image.
Brigham Young, Mormon Leader
This card shows a carefully edited picture of the Mormon leader Brigham Young, lightly colorized after being photographed.
The description states:
BRIGHAM YOUNG
Brigham Young was born June 1st, 1801 in Whittingham, Windsor County, Vermont; ordained an Apostle February 14, 1835; sustained as President of the Church December 27, 1847; and died in Salt Lake City, August 29, 1877.
–On the back is a city seal and the legend “1847 1947 UTAH CENTENNIAL, which clearly places this card in the 1940s.
Utah Capitol Dome, Salt Lake City, Utah
This evocative view of the State Capitol looks through an archway at the Memory Park.
The description states:
This is an unusual view showing the Dome of the State Capitol and a portion of Memory Grove. Within this arbor is located a Bronze Tablet giving the names of these men of the state who made the supreme sacrifice in the First World War.
–The memorial only mentions World War One because the card was made near the end of World War Two, before the memorial could be expanded. This card likely dates to the 1940s, like the others in this series.
Tabernacle Choir and Organ, Salt Lake City, UT
We now move inside the Tabernacle itself and reveal the massive organ and choir population as presented in this era.
The description states:
The “Mormon” Tabernacle Choir is a volunteer, unpaid organization with a membership of 325. It is famous for rite long, continuous serve in the “Mormon” Church, its many years of national weekly radio broadcasts and its frequent concert tours.
The Great Organ of nations renown was originally built in 1867 by Utah artisans. It has been thoroughly rebuilt and enlarged front time to time until it stand today the peer of, if not superior to, any pipe organ in existence.
–A comparison of this image with another posted previously on this site here shows that the arrangement of the singers has changed considerably in the intervening years. This earlier image shows the women completely separated (likely sopranos from altos) by the male contingent. In the other image, from the 1960s, the women and men are on opposite sides of the risers in single groups. It is not known if this was done to improve the quality of the performance, or simply to present a specific image for that card producer. However, this is an artist’s rendition, while the other is an actual photograph.
This card dates from the 1940s.
Mormon Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, UT
This is an illustration of the world famous Tabernacle located on Temple Square in Salt Lake City.
The description states:
This mammoth auditorium is 150 feet by 250 feet and 80 feet high. It is unique and severe in design and employs a self-supported, vaulted type of roof which accounts in part for the unusual acoustics of the building. A nation-wide radio program, featured the great Tabernacle organ and choir, originates in this auditorium.
–The radio program expanded into a TV show as well, and with the arrival of the internet, the choir is broadcast online as well. This card dates from the 1940s.
Mormon Temple Night Illumination, Salt Lake City, UT
Closing in some from the previous card, and descending to ground level, the artist has rendered the Temple building at night with the appearance of lights on the upper half of the towers.
The description on the back states:
THE ‘MORMON’ CHURCH, whose official designation is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, was organized in Fayette, Seneca County, New York, April 6, 1830, with six members. The week of April 6, 1930 was celebrated as Centennial week wherever a unit of the Church was then located. The illumination of all ‘Mormon’ Temples was part of the ceremonies. The Church now has approximately 1,000,000 members.
–Obviously, now that nearly 75 years have passed, there are far more members of the LDS church. This card dates from the 1940s.
Temple Square at Night, Salt Lake City, UT
This card image is an artist’s rendition of a more common daytime scene, but with a dark cast and a few added lights to imply nighttime. On the right is the Mormon Temple, and center is the domed building of the Tabernacle.
The description states:
The Temple Block is a ten acre square, encompassed by a solid stone and adobe wall, 12 feet high an d3 feet thick, with large gates on each of the four sides. Within the wall red the Great Mormon Temple, Tabernacle, Assembly Hall, Museum, the First House built in Utah and Bureau of Information.
–This card dates from the 1940s.
Swimming in Great Salt Lake, UT
This image is an example of the kind of swimming possible in a lake so saturated with salt that one can easily float like a cork without any effort at all. The threads and perforations indicate that once there was a small bag of salt attached to the card.
The Great Salt Lake has receded and refilled a few times since this image was made, and it is unlikely the buildings shown are still in use. The famous Saltair resort was the most active venue along the lake, and has seen many ups and downs.
The description states:
Great Salt Lake, located 15 miles west of Salt Lake City, is the largest of its character in the world. The water is about 22% solids and one may float upon its surface without effort. Thousands of tons of salt, obtained by solar evaporation, arer produced annually by the industries on its shores.
–This card, like the others in the same series, dates from the 1940s.