Granite Settlement

A mining town called Granite once stood at the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon, and then it didn't. In the 1860s, men working the silver mines up at Alta and its neighbors built the settlement here at the canyon's foot, where the road met the diggings. When the mines began closing around 1882, Granite emptied with them. But farming families had settled the surrounding country, and their Granite Ward, organized in 1877 under Bishop Solomon Despain, outlasted the mining camp — worshipping first in a rock building, then in a one-room ward house finished on this block in 1890.

What the plaque says

In the 1860's, a town named Granite was located at the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon by ore miners of Alta, Silverton, and Tannersville. Its desertion began as the mines closed about 1882. The surrounding country had been settled by Latter-day Saints. Granite Ward, organized July 1877, chose Solomon J. Despain, Bishop. A rock ward house was used for worship and school until the completion in 1890 of the one-room building on this block.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Snowbird — 7.9 mi
  The aerial-tram resort of Little Cottonwood Canyon, with steep terrain, deep snow, and one of the longest seasons in the country.
• Alta Ski Area — 8.8 mi
  One of America's oldest and snowiest ski areas — ski-only, fiercely independent, and built on an old silver camp.
• Timpanogos Cave National Monument — 10 mi
  Three spectacularly decorated caves connected by hand-carved tunnels
• Solitude Mountain Resort — 12 mi
  The uncrowded, Alterra-owned resort at the head of Big Cottonwood Canyon, with Honeycomb Canyon's bowls and a quiet village base.

More markers nearby

• Emmaville — 1.4 mi
• Temple Granite Quarry — 1.6 mi
• Union Pioneer Cemetery — 3.4 mi
• Mormon Battalion Monument — 3.4 mi