The 1847 Dugouts

Holladay's story starts in a hole in a creek bank. Months after the pioneers reached the valley in July 1847, they found a spring-fed stream a mile long running down toward Big Cottonwood Creek and named it Spring Creek — year-round water for irrigation, homes, and stock. A group planned farms along it that fall, then returned to the city for the winter, all but two or three men who stayed and dug in. Their shelters were dugouts, twelve-foot squares cut four feet into the sloping bank. Those few made Holladay the first pioneer community outside Salt Lake City.

What the plaque says

Eastward 200 to 500 yards on Spring Creek's northern side in 1847, 2 or 3 men built temporary winter shelters called dugouts only months after entering Salt Lake Valley in July. After arriving, LDS pioneers explored the valley and discovered a mile-long creek emanating from springs near 2950 East, flowing southwesterly to Big Cottonwood Creek, near Highland Drive. They called it Spring Creek. Since they needed first to form farming communities to assure survival, Spring Creek offered year-round water for irrigation, homes, and livestock. Reportedly, by fall a group was here, planning farms and a community. They returned to the city to winter, except the men who built dugouts, making Holladay Utah's first pioneer community outside Salt Lake City. Dugouts were made by digging a 12-ft.-square area about 4 ft. deep in the sloping creek bank. Corner poles 8 ft. long were set upright; secured to them was wall siding of split logs. Wood slabs, willows, and sod formed the roof, canvas or rawhide the door. Often one end of a dead tree burned in the floor's middle, the tree's other end sticking out the doorway. When the fire burned low, more of the tree was pulled into the fire.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Gilgal Sculpture Garden — 5.8 mi
  A surreal and eccentric sculpture garden hidden in a residential neighborhood
• This Is The Place Heritage Park — 6.0 mi
  A living history village at the mouth of Emigration Canyon
• Liberty Park — 6.1 mi
  Salt Lake Citys beloved 80-acre urban park since 1882
• International Peace Gardens — 6.6 mi
  A hidden garden where 28 countries are represented in miniature

More markers nearby

• Holladay's 1848 Family Homesteads — steps away
• First Settlers of Holladay — steps away
• Holladay's 1853 Fort — 0.3 mi
• Old Fort Site — 0.4 mi