Temple Granite Quarry

Nature did the first cutting here. The granite for the Salt Lake Temple didn't have to be blasted from a cliff face — it lay scattered across this ground as huge boulders, broken loose from the heights above by frost and time, waiting to be split. James Livingston began working them around 1862 under John Sharp's supervision, and quarrymen split and dressed the stone until the temple was finished in 1893; their names are sealed in this monument. The rough blocks rode to the temple slung beneath two-wheeled carts behind ox teams, until the railroad took over in 1872.

What the plaque says

The granite used in the construction of the Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City was quarried from a large field of huge boulders covering this area broken by nature's forces from adjacent cliffs. The quarrying of these boulders was begun about 1862 by James C. Livingston, under supervision of John Sharp. The names of the faithful quarrymen who continued the work until the temple was finished in 1893 are enclosed in the monument. Rough stones were hauled to the temple block suspended under great two wheeled carts drawn by ox-teams, until the railroad was built in 1872.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Snowbird — 6.3 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 — 7.3 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 — 9.7 mi
  Three spectacularly decorated caves connected by hand-carved tunnels
• Solitude Mountain Resort — 10 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

• Granite Settlement — 1.6 mi
• Emmaville — 1.7 mi
• Stairs Hydroelectric Power Plant — 3.7 mi
• Cottonwood Paper Mill — 4.0 mi