Holladay's 1853 Fort

Fear built this fort in a hurry, and it shows. Raised in 1853–54 after Indian attacks spread alarm through the territory, it was a rough rectangle of adobe mud and straw — walls eighteen inches thick at the base, tapering as they rose five or six feet, with narrow portholes in the south wall and a house doing double duty as part of the east. The north side was left open, and the fort was probably never finished. The ground it stood on outlasted the scare, serving as Holladay's church, school, and community center for more than a century.

What the plaque says

Here in 1853-54 on about 4 acres, Holladay settlers built a fort to defend against possible Indian raids. Fear swept pioneer Utah in the fall of 1853 from a half dozen Indian attacks, primarily in central Utah. Subsequently this fort locale served as Holladay's Church, school, and community center for more than a century. The rectangular fort of adobe mud and straw, with walls 18 inches thick at the base and tapering in thickness to a height 5 or 6 ft. on the fort's eastern, southern, and western sides, probably was never finished. The southern wall had 2 portholes, about 2 ft. square on the inside and tapered to a small slot on the outside. At least 1 existing house-perhaps 2-helped form the eastern wall; the north side was left open. (A plaque on Olympus Junior High School's eastern end also marks the fort locale.) Holladay's 161 residents were invited to move into the fort if they desired, but few if any did. For the safety of schoolchildren and Church, social, and public gatherings, all such functions were transferred from the 1849 Church and school building a half mile west to an adobe house inside the fort purchased for these purposes. The house, remade into a church and school, is said to have been under the northeastern part of Olympus Junior High's auditorium. Soon the house was enlarged to 14 by 30 ft. until a new adobe Church and school building was built in 1861 on the same site. In 1873 Church and school functions in the same building ended when a church was built, still at the fort locale, near the northwest corner juncture of Murray-Holladay Rd. and 2225 East, yet not too distant from the Church's nearby tithing yard and store-house. Various remodelings of this church served LDS members until 1972. In the meantime, the new 1873 church left the 1861 building for school and civic needs until, in 1876, a 2-room District 28 schoolhouse was built on the same site to accommodate additional schoolchildren. In 1893 a 2-story, 4-room school was built immediately south of the 1876 school, which was turned into a gymnasium in 1905. Also in 1905, the school was renamed Irving School. In 1910 a 3-story Irving Junior High was built a little west of the 1893 structure (the school's name was changed in 1943 to Olympus Junior High). In 1928 Holladay Elementary School was built about 200 yards northeast of the old fort. Thus, setting aside a fort area in 1853 created what would become Holladay's historic community center.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Gilgal Sculpture Garden — 5.6 mi
  A surreal and eccentric sculpture garden hidden in a residential neighborhood
• This Is The Place Heritage Park — 5.8 mi
  A living history village at the mouth of Emigration Canyon
• Liberty Park — 5.9 mi
  Salt Lake Citys beloved 80-acre urban park since 1882
• International Peace Gardens — 6.3 mi
  A hidden garden where 28 countries are represented in miniature

More markers nearby

• Old Fort Site — steps away
• The Tithing Yard — steps away
• Holladay's 1848 Family Homesteads — 0.3 mi
• The 1847 Dugouts — 0.3 mi