Part 2: Utah’s Cultural & Historical Landscapes
Because Utah’s historical landscapes are a direct result of our cultural history and historic interactions with the landscape, the periods of landscape history correlate with significant periods in Utah history. According to Esther Truitt in her 1986 thesis, the history of Utah and the resulting landscapes can be broken down into four periods. These are Pioneer (1847-1869), Post Pioneer (1869-1896), Americanization (1896-1918), and finally Suburbanization (1918-Today). (Truitt 1986). I have added a fifth category for landscapes resulting from human interaction with the landscape prior to the arrival of the pioneers which I have titled Indigenous (prehistory-1847).
The 5 Periods of Utah's Historical Landscapes
1. Indigenous
The indigenous period of Utah’s historical landscapes dates back to the earliest known human inhabitants of the region at approximately 10,000 B.C. These early inhabitants were followed by the emergence of the Freemont Culture in the northern part of the state, beginning in about 400 A.D. The Freemont grew to develop masonry dwelling structures as well as sophisticated basketry and pottery by A.D. 800-900. Eventually the Fremont people were displaced by Numic peoples around 1000 A.D. (Arrington).
In the south-eastern portion of the state, the landscape is littered with the remains of the Anasazi culture (approximately A.D. 400 – A.D. 1200-1400). The word “Anasazi” is actually a Navajo word meaning “the ancient ones.” This sedentary culture relied on agricultural practices. Their relatively stable environment allowed them to produce expansive architectural communities that consisted of “rectangular masonry dwellings and large apartment complexes that were tucked into cliff faces or situated on valley floors like the structures at Grand Gulch and Hovenweep National Monument.” According to the Utah State History Encyclopedia, the Anasazi people were eventually dislocated by “climactic changes, crop failures, and the intrusion of Numic hunter-gatherers” (Arrington).
These Numic peoples evolved into four primary native American groups that inhabited the state of Utah before it was settled by Mormon Pioneers. These groups include: the Northern Shoshone, Goshute or Western Shoshone, Southern Paiute, and Ute tribes. (Arrington). The Navajo peoples inhabited the south-eastern part of the state for a brief period of time from the 1700’s through the 1740’s.
Today, remnants of the indigenous period can be found in diverse archeological sites across the state including the famous cliff dwellings of south-eastern Utah. It marks a period of Utah’s history where humans lived in a close symbiotic relationship with the landscape. Fortunately, the importance of preserving these ancient treasures is already recognized, although many new sites have yet to be discovered in Utah’s vast open spaces.
Anasazi State Park in Boulder, UT contains remains of several ancient cliff dwellings (Credit, Utah.com).
2. Pioneer 1847-1869
The pioneer landscape era begins with the arrival of the Mormon Pioneers in the Salt Lake Valley in July 1847. For the following 10-year period ninety settlements were established along the north-south line of the Wasatch Front and Wasatch Plateau. This string of settlements extended from Cache Valley on the north to Utah’s Dixie in the South (Arrington). Following the first decade of initial settlement, the approach of the Utah Expedition of General Albert Sidney Johnston in 1857 led Mormon leaders to “call in” all colonists in outlying areas. Following this incident (the Utah War),112 new communities were founded in Utah. Some of the cities settled during this period include Logan (1859), Gunnison (1859), Morgan (1860), St. George (1861), and Richfield (1864).
The Plat of Zion, a concept of city planning promoted by Mormon prophet Brigham Young, defines cities during this period. This plan prescribed a central church-civic center surrounded by a grid-iron plan with large garden lots defining the urban center, surrounded by expansive agricultural fields. Families lived in town as a community, and men worked the fields during the day. This resulted in a landscape of self-sufficiency and community-based agriculture, with garden lots, urban orchards, a community network of irrigation ditches, and the separation of outdoor spaces through the construction of cobblestone/adobe walls and picket fences.
The Plat of Zion prescribed a central church-civic center surrounded by a grid-iron plan with large garden lots defining the urban center (Plat of Zion plan, from the BYU Digital Collections).
3. Post-Pioneer 1869-1896
The Utah History Encyclopedia describes the beginning of the post-pioneer era as follows: “Historians agree that the driving of the golden spike marking the completion of the transcontinental railroad at Promontory Summit, Utah, on 10 May 1869 was one of the most important events in United States history, as it was also in Utah history. In fact, 1869 is considered to be a benchmark year in Utah history–the pioneer era coming to an end with the coming of the railroad” (Arrington).
Io LandArch researched the history of and wrote the National Register of Historical Places nomination for the Ephraim Relief Society Granary, constructed circa 1872-1875. This vernacular classical-style stone granary building is located along Main Street in the rural town of Ephraim, Sanpete County, Utah and is one of only nine such granaries remaining in the state.
The arrival of the railroad in Utah brought great adjustments to the settlements. In addition to these new external forces, there were also many internal catalysts to change in the coming era, including the issue of overpopulation. To accommodate an increasing population, the original city lots based on the Plat of Zion were subdivided, and farmland outside the city began to be developed into streetcar neighborhoods. As influence from the east made its way to Utah via the railroads, the landscape began to evolve. Homes of fired brick and stone began to replace many of the old adobe homes. At the same time Victorian iron fences began to replace pioneer walls and fences.
The resulting wealth from the Mining and Railroad industries also created landscapes of opulence. New millionaires built large, extravagant mansions that were surrounded by equally extraordinary landscapes. Utahns began importing building materials as well as plant material from the east. The art of landscape gardening became increasingly popular as romantic gardens were enhanced with fountains and stone parterres.
Originally built in 1889, the Thomas A. Whalen Home is one of two iconic, eclectic Victorian twin homes that are a central landmark of the Jefferson Avenue Historic district in Ogden, Utah.
The Larsen Residence is a Victorian home with Queen Anne characteristics, originally built in 1890 by John W. McNutt, an Ogden drug store owner. The home was painstakingly rehabilitated by Io principal and co-founder Shalae Larsen.
4. Americanization 1896-1918
Utah’s receipt of statehood in 1896 ushered in the Americanization period in Utah. This allowed the previously disjoined territory to begin to acclimate to the remainder of the country, beginning to more closely follow national trends in architecture and landscape development.
The national Arts and Crafts Movement which emphasized simplicity, craftsmanship, and nature, marks this period. This movement largely responds to the pollution and mechanization of the industrial era. It also resulted in an increased interest in residential landscaping, and the blending of architecture with nature. Fences began to vanish between properties, and flood irrigation was replaced by sprinklers and hoses.
During this period more suburbs continued to be developed on the urban edge, including elite neighborhoods established on east bench areas. Market gardens just outside of the cities supplied fresh produce. Many rural communities remained agriculturally based, while Salt Lake, Ogden, and Provo continued to grow into regional hubs, becoming increasingly urban in scale.
Io completed the successful nomination of the J.M. Wilbur Company Blacksmith shop in Eden, Utah to the National Register of Historic Places. The shop is a one-part block commercial building with a stepped gable parapet with late Victorian commercial details.
Io LandArch completed a historic landscape survey of the Union Stockyards in Ogden. As a prominent western railroad hub, Ogden was once home to the largest livestock market west of Denver.
5. Suburbanization (1918-present)
America’s entrance into World War I initiated the suburbanization period. Many Utah citizens were called upon to fight in this global conflict, and as a result the State became more patriotic and ingrained into national culture. Despite the major cultural changes that resulted during the war, much of the suburbanization period evolved after the war’s end. The return of hundreds of American troops resulted in the construction of large numbers of new suburban housing – a trend which would be repeated at a much larger scale following World War II in 1945.
Increasing development of suburban tract housing and rising dependence on the automobile defines this era in Utah’s historical landscapes. Animals rarely trailed through city streets, eliminating the need for front yard fences, and the idealized American landscape was a clean and green suburban one. In fact, in the 1940’s the Salt Lake Tribune initiated the Tidy Town Awards to encourage such beautification. Outdoor living also decreased dramatically with the invention of Television, resulting in less emphasis on gardening and the development of outdoor spaces.
Tract housing styles range from Period Revival (1915-1945) to Craftsman Bungalows (1904-1925) and Ranch style homes (Post-WWII). Both home sizes and lot sizes decreased dramatically to accommodate the tepid economy of the era, while attached garages minimize side yards.
The historic Thomas Carr House is a California Bungalow-style home built in 1910. It features shingled gables, a large, symmetrical front porch and unique leaded glass windows with a Mormon Cricket motif.
During the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) stationed at Leeds, Utah worked to construct a series of erosion control features to protect the Washington Fields Dam, just outside of St. George. Io LandArch was retained by Washington County to document these historic features before they were destroyed, when the land they were built on was purchased from the BLM by a private developer. The features include large, earthen berms with rock spreader features along with gully traps and small berms in series. All of these features were designed and constructed to slow the movement of water and disperse it across the site, minimizing erosion and preventing flooding.
Click here to learn more about our historic landscape preservation practice.
Works Cited
Alexander, Thomas G. Utah The Right Place: The Official Centennial History. Salt Lake City, UT: Gibbs Smith Publisher, 1995.
Arrington, Leonard J. Utah History Encyclopedia Online. October 2007. <http://historytogo.utah.gov/utah_chapters/index.html>
National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Preservation Brief 36 Online. October 2007 <http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/tps/briefs/brief36.htm>
The Cultural Landscape Foundation Website. October 2007 <http://www.tclf.org/ October 2007>
Truitt, Esther Ruth. Home Gardening on City Lots in the Salt Lake Valley, 1847-1918. M.S. Thesis: The University of Connecticut, 1986.