Wilford Woodruff's Farm 1850

Before he led the church, Wilford Woodruff worked this ground. On twenty acres watered by Parley's and Emigration creeks, the future fourth president of the Latter-day Saints farmed for more than forty-five years — and farmed curiously, filling his journal with experiments in cotton, sugar cane, indigo, madder, melons, and grapes alongside the usual wheat and potatoes. One year's entry famously records a harvest of "bushels of crickets," a rueful nod to the insects that plagued the early valley. Four of his family's original homes still stand a few blocks from here, on 500 East.

What the plaque says

Wilford Woodruff's farm was 20 acres located between Kensington Avenue (about 1500 South) and 1700 South between Easington East. This rich farmland was irrigated with water from Parleys Creek and Emigration Creek. Wilford Woodruff farmed here for over 45 years, providing for his family. He also grew numerous experimental crops. His journal makes reference to wheat, potatoes, cotton, sugar cane, melons, currants, madden, indigo, strawberries, apples, grapes, and "bushels of crickets." Wilford Woodruff, one of the first pioneer settlers of the Salt Lake Valley, was the fourth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He and other Mormon Pioneers came here to escape persecution for their religious beliefs. Four of the original Woodruff family homes remain on 500 East at 1590, 1604, 1622, and 1636 South.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Gilgal Sculpture Garden — 0.7 mi
  A surreal and eccentric sculpture garden hidden in a residential neighborhood
• Liberty Park — 0.7 mi
  Salt Lake Citys beloved 80-acre urban park since 1882
• Salt Lake City — 2.6 mi
  Utah's capital and largest city — where the Wasatch Range meets the Great Salt Lake.
• Temple Square — 2.6 mi
  The spiritual and architectural heart of Salt Lake City

More markers nearby

• First Encampment Park — steps away
• How the Park Came To Be — steps away
• Others Who Came — steps away
• Herman L. Franks — 0.5 mi