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This is the Place Monument

This is the Place Monument is a historical monument at This Is the Place Heritage Park on the east side of Salt Lake City, Utah, near the mouth of Emigration Canyon. It was named to honor Brigham Young’s famous statement about settling in the Salt Lake Valley. Mahonri M. Young, Brigham Young’s grandson, sculpted the monument between 1939 and 1947 at Weir Farm in Connecticut, with Spero Anargyros as chief assistant. Dedicated on July 24, 1947, it commemorates the Mormon pioneers as well as the explorers and settlers of the American West. The monument replaced a much smaller nearby monument.

This Is the Place Monument with bronze pioneer statues on top and covered wagon sculptures around the base.
This Is the Place Monument in Salt Lake City, topped by bronze figures and surrounded by pioneer scenes at the base.
November 2009 © PerryPlanet · Public domain
This Is the Place Monument with bronze pioneer figures, horses, and wagons at its base
This Is the Place Monument, with bronze pioneer sculptures around the base, set against snow-capped mountains.
© · CC BY-SA 4.0
This Is the Place Monument framed by trees with Salt Lake Valley and distant mountains beyond.
This Is the Place Monument overlooks Salt Lake Valley beneath an overcast sky.
© · CC BY-SA 3.0
This is the Place Monument with bronze figures at its base and a tall stone shaft rising into the cloudy sky.
The This Is the Place Monument rises above bronze statues at its base in Salt Lake City.
© · CC BY-SA 2.0
The This Is the Place Monument with three bronze men standing on a stone pedestal against a blue sky.
The top of the This Is the Place Monument shows three bronze figures atop a stone pedestal inscribed with “THIS IS THE PLACE.”
October 2023 © · CC BY-SA 4.0

Identification

TitleThis is the Place Monument
Typehistorical monument; sculptural composition
Original Spanish titleEl monumento «Este es el lugar»

Historical context

Named afterBrigham Young's 1847 declaration that the Mormon pioneers should settle in the Salt Lake Valley
Quotation associated with name“This is the right place, drive on.”
Quotation dateJuly 24, 1847
Subject commemoratedBrigham Young's stop near the future site of Salt Lake City on July 24, 1847, marking the beginning of Mormon settlement in the Salt Lake Valley
Commemoratesthe Mormon pioneers and the explorers and settlers of the American West
Annual observancePioneer Day in Utah, celebrated every July 24

Creator

SculptorMahonri M. Young
Relationship to Brigham Younggrandson of Brigham Young

Discovery and provenance

Sculpting locationWeir Farm, Connecticut
Replacementreplaced a much smaller monument nearby
AssistantSpero Anargyros, chief assistant
Commission award$50,000
Sculpting period1939–1947
Commission year1937
Commissioned bythe government of Utah and a commission of representatives of various denominations

Physical characteristics

Height60 feet (18 meters)
Length86 feet (26 meters)
Overall structurethree large pedestals with two stelae between them

Materials

Materialsgranite and bronze

Appearance

Side stelae imageryprocessions of pioneer wagons with families
Settler groups depictedthe Spanish expedition of 1776, the Donner Party, and trappers of the American Fur Company led by William Ashley
Outer pedestalssculptural groups of settlers
Reverse sides of the side stelaeÉtienne Provost, Washakie, Peter Skene Ogden, Benjamin Bonneville, Jim Bridger, and John C. Frémont
Central pedestal figuresBrigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, and Wilford Woodruff
Base plaquea plaque giving information about the creation and history of the monument
Figures near the baseOrson Pratt on horseback and Erastus Snow standing, both waving hats in greeting
Lower decoration on central pedestalbas-reliefs of nine mounted riders on both sides
Inscription below central figures“This is the place”
Text on pedestal below base figuresquotations from Isaiah 2:2 and 35:1

Location and ownership

LocationThis Is the Place Heritage Park, east side of Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, at the mouth of Emigration Canyon

History and restoration

Replacement monument on sitea white stone obelisk installed in 1921 that still stands east of the 1917 monument
Restoration year2007
Related site historythe adjoining park began with restoration or replication of historical pioneer-era buildings from around Utah and later expanded into a venue for receptions, corporate parties, family reunions, and youth events
Nearby site developmentThis Is the Place Heritage Park was built adjoining the monument in the mid-1970s
Land acquisition and park creationin 1957 private individuals bought much of the land around the site and donated it to the state to prevent commercial development, resulting in a park of more than 1,500 acres
Unveiled tonearly 50,000 people
First monument on sitea wooden monument installed in 1917 by Brigham Roberts and a group of Boy Scouts
Historical precursor on sitea simple wooden cross stood there until 1915
Dedication occasionthe 100th anniversary of the pioneers' arrival in the Salt Lake Valley
Dedicated byGeorge Albert Smith, president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Dedication dateJuly 24, 1947

Significance

Historical significancecommemorates the start of Mormon migration to the Salt Lake Valley