Introduction
City Creek Canyon lies directly north
and then runs northeast from Salt Lake City to the ridge-line of the Wasatch Front. It is divided into two separate and individually
accessible areas. The lower canyon and the upper.
MEMORY GROVE
The
lower canyon is a veteran's memorial park locally known as Memory Grove (Identified as "Memory Park" on Google Maps).
A number of statues and monuments as well as the old Memorial House are located in this part of the canyon. This area is a
favorite for walkers and perfect for quiet meditation. A paved road runs the length of Memory Grove, (just over a mile) but
vehicles are no longer allowed in this portion of the canyon except by special permit.
Access to Memory Grove is by way of North Canyon Road.
North Canyon Road be reached by starting at the intersection of
North Temple and State Street in downtown Salt Lake City. At this intersection North Temple, a two-way street going west,
becomes a one-way street, 2nd Ave., going east. Travel east 1/2 block from State Street on 2nd Ave., then turn Left (North).
Proceed one block north to 3rd Ave. Stop at the stop sign. Cross Third Ave.. Continue north and you are on North Canyon Road.
The gate at the south end of Memory Grove is just beyond this point. Limited parking is available on the streets outside the
gate.
While Memory Grove has no real tie to
Utah mining history, if you have the time, it is well worth the stop.
Now, for the area that does tie to Utah's mining history, the
upper part of the canyon.
CITY CREEK CANYON
The area above Memory Grove, is the area
commonly referred to and known today as the beginning or entrance to City Creek Canyon. This is the area we will be exploring. It
begins just north of Memory Grove and is accessible only by way of Bonneville Blvd., a one-way street that travels from the
Avenues area on the east rim of the canyon to the State Capitol building on the west rim of the canyon.
Bonneville Blvd. is a one-way street that begins at the intersection
of "B Street" and "11th Avenue". This location is two city blocks east and eleven blocks north of
the intersection of State Street and South Temple Street in Downtown Salt Lake City.
The upper canyon is
a favorite of walkers, hikers and bikers and has been for decades. Development in the canyon has been limited since the earliest
of pioneer times when the canyon was deemed a precious natural resource by then Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
(Mormon) church president Brigham Young.
Water from the canyon provided not only
drinking and irrigation water for the city, but also provided power for early grain mills. Some logging took place from 1847
to the early 1850's to help in building early crude cabins, but for the most part little development was ever allowed or encouraged
in the 1850's and 1860's. This would all change by the 1870's.
Excitement of the
rich finds in Bingham Canyon, Ophir Canyon, and Little Cottonwood Canyon had prospectors searching everywhere, including City
Creek. It wasn't long before claims were located, and those claims were being worked with vigor.
The
battle for City Creek was on. The Salt Lake City Council would protest and discourage any development of the "mining
kind" especially would-be cities, for fear that the activity would polute the water among other things.
Like
it or not, the mining did happen, and the Adams Mining District was organized in so to the small town that would be called
Modoc City, and the even smaller one Hangtown.
