Dr. Walter P. Cottam

Red Butte Garden grew out of one man's curiosity about trees. Walter P. Cottam, a University of Utah botanist and a co-founder of the Nature Conservancy, spent decades planting species across campus to see what would survive the Salt Lake climate — and in retirement became famous for hybridizing oaks, the first person in the country to cross two oak species from different classes. His experimental grove at the canyon mouth became the seed of this garden. He was also an early, unpopular voice against overgrazing, willing to be disliked for the land's sake.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Red Butte Garden — steps away
  A 100-acre botanical garden with panoramic valley views
• Natural History Museum of Utah — steps away
  A world-class museum built into the foothills above Salt Lake City
• This Is The Place Heritage Park — 1.1 mi
  A living history village at the mouth of Emigration Canyon
• Emigration Canyon — 2.3 mi
  The final stretch of trail the Mormon pioneers took into the valley

More markers nearby

• Original Cemetery Gate — 0.3 mi
• Fort Douglas Cemetery — 0.3 mi
• Bear River Battle Memorial — 0.4 mi
• Patrick Edward Connor — 0.4 mi