The Wasatch Range boasts a colorful history populated with legends and lore—Mormon twists on classical beasts, appropriations of Native American history and natural wrath from above.
Boy meets girl. Boy pretends to be a god. Girl jumps off mountain.
While it is not an actual Native-American legend (its origins can be traced to a tale told by a BYU professor around a campfire in 1922), the tale of Red Eagle, or Timpanac, the Indian warrior and Utahna, or Ucanogas, the Indian princess, comes in many forms. In one telling, our Romeo falls for Utahna and convinces her that he’s a god to win her love. Typical. Their love affair ends when Utahna learns he is not a god. What a let-down, right? In her grief and to atone for Red Eagle’s hubris, Utahna jumps from Mount Timpanogos. The outline of a woman in Timp’s profile is the form of Utahna, obviously.
The Gadianton robbers will get you
A Mormon legend of evil spirits who haunt the mountains.
In The Book of Mormon, The Gadianton robbers were a notorious gang of thieves and murderers, and legends that their spirits still haunt the world are told to frighten young children. As in: “Eat your vegetables or the Gadianton robbers will get you.” In an 1861 address, LDS Church President, Brigham Young told his flock that the Wasatch mountains is home to the spirits of the Gadianton robbers, “There are scores of spirits here, spirits of the old Gadianton robbers,” Young intoned. “There are millions of these spirits in the mountains—they are ready to make us covetous.”
The Secret of ‘Cecret Lake’
A historic typo in Little Cottonwood Canyon.
In the late 1800s, Little Cottonwood Canyon was the site of a mining boom (and subsequent bust, of course). Many of the place names were coined by miners or taken from the titles of mining claims. While industrious, the miners weren’t winning any spelling bees. Cecret Lake (pronounced Secret) is a popular hike during wildflower season and a widely accepted misspelling. The USGS even goes along with the “Cecret” on its maps of the area.
The ‘Lost’ Mine
A family secret gets out and is useless.
The LDS pioneers came to Utah in 1847; two years later, in 1849, the California Gold Rush was on. Brigham Young, not wanting to lose all of his able-bodied men to gold fever, forbade his followers from heading west and, not wanting to attract outsiders and distract folks from farming, outlawed prospecting in Utah. But people being people, there was some poking around. A hunting party was exploring Ferguson Canyon, east of Cottonwood Heights, and supposedly discovered gold in them thar hills. When Brigham heard the news, he swore the men to secrecy. One by one they died, until the last, on his deathbed, decided to tell his family the secret. But his fevered directions were vague and searches for the gold were fruitless. In another account, the man is actually “Brother Ferguson” who tried to lead his family to the gold but on the way had a heart attack and died.
Fun Fact:
UDOT owns six Howitzer artillery pieces that it uses to fire shells onto slopes to deliberately trigger avalanches.
Alta: ‘Home of the Avalanche’
Mining was a tough life (and death).
The mining boom in Little Cottonwood canyon had another side effect: The large population was vulnerable to the frequent avalanches. By 1872, Alta Town had become the home of several thousand miners and camp followers and that winter 10 died in a December avalanche. In 1885, 16 were killed in a deadly slide that destroyed the town and left 50 feet of snow on its ruined Main Street. The frequency and deadly nature of the slides prompted The Deseret News to dub Alta the “Home of the Avalanche.” Today, avalanches in Little Cottonwood canyon are still a threat but are mitigated by the Utah Department of Transportation’s aggressive avalanche control and the brave men and women of Alta and Snowbird’s ski patrols.
Does Bigfoot Bear the Mark of Cain?
Mormon folklore has it that Bigfoot = Cain.
Sasquatch crossing sign in the Oregon wilderness
In The Book of Genesis, the world’s first homicide is breezily reported: “Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.” Cain is exiled and marked as a murderer. Debate over exactly what the “Mark of Cain” was often takes a racist twist, but nevertheless Cain is doomed to roam the Earth in torment and the idea that he still is knocking about, forever cursed, is part of many religion’s lore. Early LDS apostle, David W. Patten, tells a tale of meeting a strange man along the trail. “His skin was very dark (there’s that racist thing.) I asked him where he dwelt and he replied that he had no home, that he was a wanderer in the Earth (sic) and traveled to and fro. He said he was a very miserable creature, that he had earnestly sought death during his sojourn upon the Earth, but that he could not die, and his mission was to destroy the souls of men.” There have been 130 Bigfoot sightings in the Wasatch, according to the website Sasq-Wasatch (get it?), leading some tall-tale tellers to make a huge stretch and connect the tenuous dots.
Just hours after being sworn in, President Joe Biden signed an executive order calling for a review of the boundaries for Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments. The monuments—designated by Barack Obama in 2016 and Bill Clinton in 1996—were reduced by roughly 2 million acres by former president Donald Trump, and the executive order is seen as move towards restoring the original boundaries.
Read the full story through the link in bio.
📸Bears Ears National Monument: Courtesy of Utah Office of Tourism...
If you've never been to @dokidessert, I can assure you- you're missing out. ⠀
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Doki Doki is one of Salt Lake City’s most authentic Japanese bakeries. And the authenticity shows through their delicately handcrafted pastries and cakes. Plus- fluffy pancakes, can it get any better? ⠀
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Check the link in bio for a fun little write up! ⠀
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Meet 9th & 9th's newest, cutest, tastiest "hole-in-the-wall" (quite literally)! @piefightslc is serving up delicious hand pies packed with flavor 🥊⠀
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You can eat a pie and go for a walk at the same time- who knew?! 🥧⠀
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Check the link in bio for our little review!...
People used to say a group of hobbits smoked their pipe weed and padded around on their furry feet in this little cul de sac off 1300 East near Westminster. Others claimed a family of Little People lived there and would chase away outsiders and curiosity-seekers who happened in.⠀
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But, actually, the eccentric street of tiny houses are on a wooded lot once owned by George Allen, a doctor and animal lover (he was instrumental in founding @hoglezoo and @tracyaviary) He and his family lived in the log cabin and rented out the little houses to students or anyone who wanted to live in such a small space.⠀
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Check the link in bio for full story....
Our Jan/Feb issue is out on stands now! This issue means so much to us. Made with lots of love and tears. We hope you’ll grab a copy and enjoy every moment of reading it. ❤️...
This is what our NYE looks like. Staying in with a @meat_my_cheese_utah charcuterie board ⭐🤤🥂⠀
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We’re incredibly lucky to have local culinary-craftswomen here in the Salt Lake area, like @mavenoakcreative and @meat_my_cheese_utah. Handcrafting each charcuterie board and box to perfection. Making every stay-at-home birthday, anniversary, date-night and holiday feel that much more elegant. 🧀🍇🥖⠀
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Check the link in bio to meet Salt Lake's artisan charcuterie masters!...
Holding back tears, the owner of our beloved Himalayan Kitchen, Surya Bastakoti, told @fox13now that they "might go out of business" ⠀
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Himalayan Kitchen has long been one of our favorite local restaurants. A trusty go-to for lunch or after work drinks and a heart-warming dinner. A place to bring out-of-towners (veg and vegan friendly) for a special experience only found here in SLC. Always filling, with a true sense of nourishment in every bite. Food to feel good about.
EVERYTHING on their menu is full of flavor and authenticity. Himalayan Kitchen’s cuisine is required to be authentic because it’s a gathering place for the Salt Lake City Nepali and the local climbing community. They know Nepal.⠀
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COVID-19 has completely devastated our local restaurant community—these are our friends and family. Help them out. If you have the means, order something yummy for NYE dinner and support Himalayan Kitchen or any of your favorite local restaurants. ⠀
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Go to saltlakemagazine.com and look in the Eat & Drink section for a list of what restaurants are serving and then make a phone call, order online, etc. ⠀
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Go to the link in bio to order online now!...
Here's one from our upcoming Jan/Feb issue out on stands in just a few days. We hope you’ll grab a copy and enjoy every moment of reading it.
Mary photobombs Lisa Barlow at the premiere party for Real Housewives of Salt Lake. Below is a snippet from Mary's last editor's letter:
"It’s all a little crazy.
Sometime in 2020, the world stopped making sense for a lot of us. Between one of the ugliest election cycles the U.S. has ever been through and the most mysterious disease most of us have ever experienced, normal was canceled. We can’t get together with friends, hug our loved ones, be in the room with them when they die. But somehow we have to go on, right? Somehow we have to continue to work and love and laugh. This issue of Salt Lake magazine holds a lot of frivolity, the main one being an extremely silly TV show, The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. There I am in a pink fur coat in a car with our cover housewife, Lisa Barlow and her boys."
Pick up our Jan/Feb issue at your local grocer and read the full letter. ❤️
Link in bio to subscribe....
Merry Christmas Eve-Eve. We absolutely loved seeing all of your gingerbread homes! Thank you for sharing!⠀
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The winner of a 1 year subscription to Salt Lake mag will be announced in our story!...
Skip the milk and cookies this holiday and leave out something that Santa really wants 🍺😉🎅
Check out our local holiday beer round up for last minute gift ideas! Link in bio!...
Mary's last-minute holiday gift ideas from last year are still as true and relevant today...
"The planet we live with and the creatures on it need all kinds of things. Polar bears need presents, tree frogs in the Amazon need gifts, our Utah canyons and our national parks need help."
Check the link in bio for full write up....
🎶On the LAST day of giveaways Salt Lake mag gave to me...🎶⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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$100 to @slcharbor 😋🍪☕️
Here's the idea: ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⭐ Like this post and tag a friend who you believe should win the giveaway item! The person you tag is then entered to win! (Friends can tag one another) 💑⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⭐ Be sure to follow us (@slmag) and @slcharbor on insta! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⭐ Entry deadline will be at 10PM. The winner will be announced at 11:59PM and a new prize will be posted in the AM each day!...
🎶On the 11th day of giveaways Salt Lake mag gave to me...🎶⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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$100 to @streuselslc 😋🍪☕️
Streusel Bakery located at 67 w 1700 s! Support local and get pastries, cookies and a little bit of sass at this beautiful judgement free bakery!
Here's the idea: ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⭐ Like this post and tag a friend who you believe should win the giveaway item! The person you tag is then entered to win! (Friends can tag one another) 💑⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⭐ Be sure to follow us (@slmag) and @streuselslc on insta! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⭐ Entry deadline will be at 10PM. The winner will be announced at 11:59PM and a new prize will be posted in the AM each day!...
🎶On the 10th day of giveaways Salt Lake mag gave to me...🎶⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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1 Free month at Maven Create @mavencreate
Maven Create is a unique, open office space designed to inspire and empower!
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Here's the idea: ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⭐ Like this post and tag a friend who you believe should win the giveaway item! The person you tag is then entered to win! (Friends can tag one another) 💑⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⭐ Be sure to follow us (@slmag) and @mavencreate on insta! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⭐ Entry deadline will be at 10PM. The winner will be announced at 11:59PM and a new prize will be posted in the AM each day!...
🎶On the ninth day of giveaways Salt Lake mag gave to me...🎶⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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1 box of @maddoughslc doughnuts for 4 weeks!! 🍩
We’re so excited to have teamed up with @maddoughslc for this awesome giveaway treat! Mad Dough launched back in April! Mad Dough serves up top quality Bismark style doughnuts with flavors inspired by favorite childhood treats 💖 The perfect gift to brighten someone’s day (or brighten your own day)! Support this awesome small business this holiday!
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Here's the idea: ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⭐ Like this post and tag a friend who you believe should win the giveaway item! The person you tag is then entered to win! (Friends can tag one another) 💑⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⭐ Be sure to follow us (@slmag) and @maddoughslc on insta! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⭐ Entry deadline will be at 10PM. The winner will be announced at 11:59PM and a new prize will be posted in the AM each day!...
🎶On the eighth day of giveaways Salt Lake mag gave to me...🎶⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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A beautiful essential gift set from the wonderful @acrelyfarms 🌿
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Here's the idea: ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⭐ Like this post and tag a friend who you believe should win the giveaway item! The person you tag is then entered to win! (Friends can tag one another) 💑⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⭐ Be sure to follow us (@slmag) and @acrelyfarms on insta! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⭐ Entry deadline will be at 10PM. The winner will be announced at 11:59PM and a new prize will be posted in the AM each day!...
There was never a time there wasn’t Mary Malouf. Until now. Today, Mary died when a rogue wave swept her out to sea off the coast of Northern California. Only she – perhaps the world’s foremost lover of Bronte, BBC mysteries and, of course, Moby Dick – would appreciate such poetic drama.
“I know not all that may be coming, but be it what it will, I'll go to it laughing.” — Mary Brown Malouf. Ooops. Herman Mellville....
🎶On the seventh day of giveaways Salt Lake mag gave to me...🎶⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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⛳️ (2) 9 Hole Rounds at @saltlakecitygolf 🏌️♀️⠀
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Here's the idea: ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⭐ Like this post and tag a friend who you believe should win the giveaway item! The person you tag is then entered to win! (Friends can tag one another) 💑⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⭐ Be sure to follow us (@slmag) and @saltlakecitygolf on insta! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⭐ Entry deadline will be at 10PM. The winner will be announced at 11:59PM and a new prize will be posted in the AM each day!...