Ensign Peak - Capitol

Look north from Capitol Hill and Ensign Peak stands out — a round knob rising from the low ridge behind the city. Two days after reaching the valley in July 1847, Brigham Young and a party of church leaders climbed it to study the land, though Young, still weak from the mountain fever that had nearly killed him on the trail, came up last of all. Wilford Woodruff, first to the summit, thought it a place to "set up an ensign for the nations," and the peak took its name from the phrase. This marker frames the view.

What the plaque says

From this point, looking northward, one has a clear view of ensign peak, a round hill, projecting up from the low range of which it is a part. On July 26, 1847, two days after the Mormon Pioneers entered this valley, Brigham Young and party climbed to that point, and with the aid of field glasses made a careful survey of the mountains, canyons and streams. In addition to Brigham Young, the party included Heber C. Kimball, Wilford Woodruff, George A. Smith, Ezra Taft Benson, William Richards, Albert Carrington, and William Clayton. Wilford Woodruff was the first to ascend the peak, Brigham Young the last,due to a recent illness. It was suggested that this would be a fitting place to "set up an ensign for the nations" where the Lord "shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth" as foretold in Isaiah 11:12. It was then named Ensign Peak, and in later years a standard was erected on its summit.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Salt Lake City — 0.4 mi
  Utah's capital and largest city — where the Wasatch Range meets the Great Salt Lake.
• Temple Square — 0.4 mi
  The spiritual and architectural heart of Salt Lake City
• Ensign Peak — 1.0 mi
  A short hike to the spot where Brigham Young surveyed the valley
• Liberty Park — 2.3 mi
  Salt Lake Citys beloved 80-acre urban park since 1882

More markers nearby

• The Constitution Revered — steps away
• Civil War Monument — steps away
• Utah and the Civil War (4) Markers — steps away
• Lest we Forget — steps away