Gilgal Sculpture Garden

 The Gilgal Sculpture Garden located near downtown SLC is a neat little garden area that features a number of weird Mormon themed statues. We’ve been here before, but with our other adventure today, downtown, I thought it would be a good easy add on.

Gilgal Garden is the legacy of Thomas Child’s desire to give physical form to his deep-felt beliefs. As an experienced mason, he started work on it in 1945, it consumed much of his time and money until his death in 1963.

I don't particularly care for the overly religious stuff, however I do find this garden to be interesting.

Quick Details:

Length: About a mile depending on what loops you do.
Trail Type: Balloon, scribble (random wandering, depending on what grabs your interest).
Difficulty: DR2. Its flat and mostly paved. Some optional parts with paver stones.
Elevation Gain: NA
Restroom: No
Dogs? Must remain leashed, and cleaned up after.
Other Info: Be sure to grab one of the pamphlets it will give helpful information about the sculptures.

To Get Here:

Take i15 to the 6th south exit in SLC. Head east. Turn left on 7th east, right on 5th South. About halfway down the block between 7th and 8th east there will be a sidewalk leading behind some houses. Street parking is available.

We decided to add this on to another adventure we had downtown, so first a quick walk around downtown while we sought out lunch.

Fun play on words at this business.

This is a neat old archway that appears to have been recently uncovered. I am glad they appear to be preserving it.

Entering The Gateway.

Neat mural on the stairs.

After lunch we drove out to Gilgal Garden.

Old sign (Passenger Seat Photography (PSP)). Some time in the 90’s or early 2000’s they cracked down on “cruising” State street. 30 some odd years later and it seems all that did was move the problem to Redwood Road. But you know, that's the west side so, whatever. 

The Trail:

The sidewalk between houses.

With Gilgal on the fence.

Park hours. I think technically we are technically past the March hours, but that did not appear to be an issue.

Gilgal. The word Gilgal means a circle of sacred stones.

Gilgal is mentioned in the bible as being created by the Israelites after god stopped the waters of the Jordan River to allow them to cross into the promised land. One man from each of the 12 tribes of Israel took a stone from the bottom of the river. They placed the stones in a circle to as a memorial to the miraculous crossing.

Child constructed a new Gilgal to illustrate his belief that the LDS Church had established a new Zion on the bans of another Jordan River. Each of the 12 stones in Child’s Gilgal is distinct and was selected to represent one of the 12 tribes of Israel.

The Alter.

Various scriptures carved into stone.

This one is kind of neat. It is called Captain of the Lord’s Host.

More carved scriptures.

This is my favorite sculpture. The Joseph Smith Sphinx. Although it is just called The Sphinx.

“The Sphinx is drowsy,
Her wings are furled,
Her ear is heavy,
She broods on the world:
Who’ll tell me her secret
The ages have kept?
I awaited the seer,
While the slumbered and slept.”

“That it suggests
”Infinite Wisdom”
A past without beginning
and
A future without an end
A repose after lightless
Experience,
A peace to which nothing
Matters.”

Most of the quotes are a little too scriptury for my taste, but I like these 2.

The Sphinx again.

After Child’s death the garden was transferred to new private owners. in 1997 Friends of Gilgal Garden was organized to prevent the site from being sold to developers. They worked with Trust for Public Land and Salt Lake City to purchase it in 2000 and make it a public park.

Imagine creating a garden space that was so neat that people worked with the city to make it a public park! And it is not the only one. Not too far from here is a similar, less religious Allen Park.

The Testimony of Job.

Malachi. The white heart represents the dead, while the red heart represents the living. Two carved hands reach down and turn the hearts toward each other.

Fun fact, the hands were missing for years. Friends of Gilgal Garden hired a sculptor to recreate the hands using the one original hand that had been kept safe by the previous owner of the garden as a model.

“After me comith a builder. Tell him, I too have known.”

I love this archway. It is called: The Monument To The Priesthood.

Oh, I guess the spire with Moroni at the top is part of it.

The Monument to the Trade.

“Of all craft followed by man
in this world
Masonry hathe the moste notabilite
-------
Facts become art through love.
Which unifies them, and lifts them
to a higher plane of reality.”

The Monument to Peace.

The neat archway again.

The Last Chapter of the Book of Ecclesiastes.

Another passage.

I think this is Elijah’s Cave.

Some snow drops coming up.

This one does not appear to be on the map. Oh! I found it! This is an incomplete sculpture that was meant to be a globe placed on the stack of books in The Monument to the Priesthood, but he died before completing it.

The back side of The Monument to the Priesthood, the globe was going to go on those books.

Moroni again.

Old staircase that I think might have been the original entrance? But I am just pulling that out of thin air so yeah... 

Oh dang, I was able to confirm that random guess with the next picture. The steps did indeed lead to the private yard of Child’s former residence.

Bertha Child Memorial. There is an inscription that I did not get a picture of: “Soul partner and sole part of all my joys, dearer thyself than all”. According to family, the bust is not a particularly good likeness.

The full The Monument to the Priesthood, with Moroni.

Closer look at Moroni. According to Landis, he is facing the wrong direction, West. Moroni should be facing East. I am kind of surprised that such a devoutly spiritual person would get this little detail wrong. Unless there was a reason for it. If there is, I didn’t come across it.

The Eagles. Child salvaged 4 stone eagles from Salt Lake City’s Bamberger Railway Station to symbolize his patriotism.

Big old birdhouse.

Some historical photos. I think this might have been his original workshop, but again, I am just pulling that out of thin air.

Looking south, back into the park.

I’m pretty sure that parking garage back there is new.

Petrified wood and a bonsai looking tree.

Daniel II: King Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream.

These signs are new. I really hope there wasn’t an incident that prompted them.

Fun little window.

Back to the Sphinx.

Closer.

The Alter.

The Sphinx again.

There is a likeness of the temple on it’s chest.

Across the park towards The Monument to the Priesthood.

Dedication plaque.

More religious quotes.

Most of the park.

Captain of the Lord’s Host again.

Some of the plants that have not come up yet. We all agreed that we should come back when the garden is in bloom.

More garden.

Little picnic table.

Looking back into the park.

From the entrance.

Whelp, time to head on home.

The Trolley Square water tower (PSP).

This Jimmy John’s took over an old ice cream shop, Snelgrove to be specific (PSP). Their solution was just to paint the ice cream cone black. It has always made me giggle, cause you know, I’m 12.

Storms against the mountains (PSP).

While I am not a big fan of religion, particularly the Mormon religion, I do enjoy the artwork in this garden and I am glad it has been preserved for us and future generations to enjoy. Again, even though I’m not a fan of religious stuff, it is fascinating to see one man’s dedication to his devotion to it. Particularly because he was quite skilled in his craft. And again, how cool would it be to have such an interesting garden that it was preserved as a city park? 7 out of 10 squirrels.

As for difficulty, most of the main features can mostly be accessed via a flat paved road so DR2.

As for dogs, they are allowed, leashed, and they as long as they are cleaned up after.