Wood for Pine Valley Chapel and Salt Lake Tabernacle Organ

When the builders of the great Salt Lake Tabernacle organ needed wood for its pipes, they sent three hundred miles south to this valley. The organ maker wanted pine that was flawless: straight, fine-grained, free of knots and gum. In 1866 Robert Gardner walked these slopes choosing the perfect trees. They grew too big for the local mills, so the logs were cut and shaped by hand and hauled north. The next fall, the finished organ sounded for the first time in general conference. Every note it has played since carried a little of Pine Valley in it.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Snow Canyon State Park — 15 mi
  Red and white sandstone cliffs with ancient lava flows
• Kolob Canyons — 19 mi
  The quiet, uncrowded back door to Zion National Park
• Hurricane Canal Trail — 19 mi
  The hand-dug canal that built Hurricane, now a walking trail blasted into the Virgin River gorge
• St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site at Johnson Farm — 20 mi
  Real dinosaur footprints preserved in ancient sandstone

More markers nearby

• Pine Valley Chapel & Tithing Office — steps away
• Pine Valley — 1.3 mi
• Mountain Meadow Memorial (5) Panels — 8.7 mi
• Mountain Meadows Trail & Camp — 9.1 mi