Calder's Park

Utah's oldest public golf course used to be an amusement park. George and Mary Calder cleared this swampy ground with ox teams in the early 1860s, turned a spring into a boating lake, and built Calder's Park — dance pavilion, racetrack, merry-go-round — into one of the finest pleasure grounds in the West, drawing 100,000 visitors a season under the later name Wandamere. Charles W. Nibley bought the fading resort in 1921 and gave it to Salt Lake City, which opened Nibley Park golf course on the ground in 1922. The spring-fed pond is still there.

What the plaque says

In the early 1860's George and Mary B. Calder built one of the first amusement parks on this spot. They cleared the land with oxen, planted grass and trees and converted a natural spring of water into a lake for boating. It was spanned by a picturesque bridge. A dance pavilion, racetrack, ball park, merry go round and other attractions were built. In the year 1909 it was improved and the name changed to Wandemere. After changing hands several times, Charles W. Nibley purchased the resort and presented it to Salt Lake City for recreational purposes. Wandemere Camp South Salt Lake City County

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Gilgal Sculpture Garden — 2.3 mi
  A surreal and eccentric sculpture garden hidden in a residential neighborhood
• Liberty Park — 2.4 mi
  Salt Lake Citys beloved 80-acre urban park since 1882
• International Peace Gardens — 2.9 mi
  A hidden garden where 28 countries are represented in miniature
• This Is The Place Heritage Park — 4.2 mi
  A living history village at the mouth of Emigration Canyon

More markers nearby

• Old Brickyard Chimney — 0.8 mi
• Kearns - St. Ann's Orphanage — 1.1 mi
• Jordan & Salt Lake City Canal — 1.2 mi
• Sugar House Monument — 1.2 mi