South Cottonwood Campground (Half-way Camp)

Hauling the temple's granite was a job measured in days, not hours. Every block of the Salt Lake Temple's stone came by ox team down from the Little Cottonwood quarry, and this ground at South Cottonwood — roughly midway between the quarry and the temple site — was where the haulers rested. A loaded wagon crawled, and the road punished it: summer heat, spring and fall mud deep enough to swallow a wheel, and equipment never quite equal to the weight. The men who camped here were moving a temple one slow load at a time.

What the plaque says

This area, 56th South and Vine Street, known as South Cottonwood, was one of the early religious and social centers for the Church in the Salt Lake Valley. To the north of here about 600 feet was a campground used by the stone haulers for the Salt Lake Temple, the site being approximately halfway between the quarry and the temple ground. Also, may it be remembered that for those sturdy men who struggled here; the summer heat, spring and fall mud, and inadequate equipment made the task difficult. But they prevailed. Site No. 33 Murray Chapter Sons of Pioneers Dedicated 1990

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• International Peace Gardens — 5.8 mi
  A hidden garden where 28 countries are represented in miniature
• Gilgal Sculpture Garden — 6.5 mi
  A surreal and eccentric sculpture garden hidden in a residential neighborhood
• Liberty Park — 6.6 mi
  Salt Lake Citys beloved 80-acre urban park since 1882
• This Is The Place Heritage Park — 7.8 mi
  A living history village at the mouth of Emigration Canyon

More markers nearby

• The Old Rock Granary — steps away
• Mahonri Moriancumer Cahoon — 0.3 mi
• Murray Smelting — 0.7 mi
• Pony Express Station — 0.7 mi