Black Rock Resort

Utah's love affair with the lake started at this rock. Three days after reaching the valley, Brigham Young's party rode out and waded in — the first recorded swim in the Great Salt Lake. The town held its first Fourth of July here in 1851, and by the 1860s Heber C. Kimball had built a stone house and let visitors bathe. A real resort followed: bathhouses, a boardwalk, swings, crowds floating like corks in the brine. Grander places up the shore later stole the trade, but the playing started here, at the black rock the Donner Party named.

What the plaque says

PIONEER BLACK ROCK RESORT On July 27, 1847, an exploring party of pioneers bathed near historic Black Rock. In 1851, the first recorded Fourth of July celebration was held here; 150 vehicles and 60 horsemen arrived from Salt Lake City. A huge, homemade flag was unfurled. About 1860, a rock home was erected where guests were entertained. In 1880, Alonzo Hyde and David J. Taylor erected 100 bathhouses, a bowery, boardwalk, and other amenities. Steamboats sailing the lake were an attraction. Originally erected: July 27, 1949 Replacement plaque: 2015 #118 East Pleasant Green DUP Camp Tooele Valley Company

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Saltair — 7.8 mi
  A haunting lakeside resort with a storied past
• Great Salt Lake — 14 mi
  The largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere
• Bingham Canyon Mine — 14 mi
  The largest man-made excavation on Earth
• International Peace Gardens — 16 mi
  A hidden garden where 28 countries are represented in miniature

More markers nearby

• Garfield & Lake Point Resorts — steps away
• Buffalo Park — 2.0 mi
• Adobe Rock — 4.6 mi
• E.T. Benson Grist Mill — 5.4 mi