Old Fort Site

This one was built for a war that never reached it. In 1853, as the Walker War spread alarm through the territory, the 161 settlers along Big Cottonwood Creek did what their neighbors did and threw up a fort — a four-acre square meant to hold them if the fighting came this way. It never came. By the town's own account, the local Ute people stayed friendly, and the walls guarded against a danger that didn't materialize here. The fort left little behind but this marker, a reminder of how much of frontier life was spent bracing for trouble.

What the plaque says

During the Walker Indian War in 1853 161 settlers on big cottonwood creek built a fort at this location. The fort enclosed four acres, but was not needed as the Indians proved to be friendly.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

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

More markers nearby

• Holladay's 1853 Fort — steps away
• The Tithing Yard — 0.2 mi
• First Utah Pioneer Cemetery (Outside S.L.) — 0.4 mi
• Holladay's First Church & School Bldg. — 0.4 mi