A Little of St. George

We decided we needed to take a trip down to St. George to see the old part of the city.  The area was originally settled when, in 1861, Brigham Young came down to inspect the cotton fields.  He wondered if cotton could be grown in the valley, and it was thriving.  Young sent 309 families down to what they called Utah's Dixie.  Despite the searing heat and frequent flash floods, the town was established and plans for a tabernacle were hatched.

The St. George Tabernacle was started in 1863 and completed in 1876.  It is really interesting, and though I didn't take the tour, one of the guides filled me in on a few of the fine points.  The bricks were carved from the red limestone cliffs that surround the area.  Each one is a little different, and you can still see the chisel marks in them.  There are 2,244 panes of glass in the windows that were ordered from New York City.  To get them to Utah, they had to put them on a ship that sailed around South America to the port of Los Angeles.  The interior of the tabernacle is simple, but beautiful.  There are two spiral staircases, designed by Miles Romney (Great-grandfather of Mitt), that he called his crowning achievements.  They lead up to the U shaped balcony.  When Brigham Young came to visit the tabernacle, he discovered that people in the balcony couldn't see the pulpit.  With the help of 200 men, jacks & braces, the pillars holding the balcony were cut and the balcony was lowered 5 feet.

 

There are a number of old restored buildings in this area.  Many of them are shops and restaurants.  One group of homes is a unique Bed & Breakfast.

Wouldn't it be fun to stay in one of these homes for a weekend?

 

The old City Hall is full of visitor information.

Notice the sculpture in front of City Hall.  There are art pieces placed all over old St. George,

Like this huge guitar in the middle of a round-a-bout, made of scrap metal pieces.

 

There were 4 stained glass pieces on this tower/archway in the park.

 

This Bug watched over the park walkway.

And, King & Queen Frogs reigned over the waterfall/wading pond.  What a beautiful park!

After walking around, working up a thirst, we actually found a restaurant with a bar that served beer brewed in Utah!  That with a side of homemade chips, salsa and guacamole made it a great day.