Brigham Young Industrial Center

The biggest gristmill in Utah Territory once ground away near the mouth of this canyon. Built between 1849 and 1852 on Brigham Young's two-hundred-acre farm north of Parleys Creek, it ran on a twelve-foot water wheel fed by a mile-long millrace drawn from the creek. The mill shut down in 1857 as Johnston's Army approached, restarted, then gave up its grinding machinery in 1863 and worked on as a cotton and then a woolen mill until fire finished it. This 1992 marker near the canyon mouth keeps the industry's memory.

What the plaque says

Built on a 200 acre farm land north of Parley's Creek and east of 20th East between the years of 1849-1852, it was the largest gristmill in the Utah territory. It operated between 1852-1857 and was shut down in 1857 due to the entrance of Johnson's U.S. Army. The mill was operated by means of a large water wheel located on the northeast corner of the mill. Water in turn was conveyed by a millrace from Parleys Creek (just east of Suicide Rock) approximately one mile to the spillway and on to a 12 foot diameter water wheel. The shaft of this water wheel conveyed take-off power for belt drives to the Industrial Center's machinery. Following an 1857 start-up, the milling equipment was removed in 1863 and the plant was changed over to a cotton mill and then a woolen mill until its demise by fire.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Gilgal Sculpture Garden — 2.6 mi
  A surreal and eccentric sculpture garden hidden in a residential neighborhood
• This Is The Place Heritage Park — 2.7 mi
  A living history village at the mouth of Emigration Canyon
• Liberty Park — 3.0 mi
  Salt Lake Citys beloved 80-acre urban park since 1882
• Natural History Museum of Utah — 3.3 mi
  A world-class museum built into the foothills above Salt Lake City

More markers nearby

• Golden Pass Road — steps away
• Golden Pass Road and Tollhouse — steps away
• Blue Star Memorial Highway - Sugarhouse Park — 0.9 mi
• Mary Jane Dilworth — 0.9 mi