Heritage Trees in Liberty Park

These two rows of Fremont Cottonwood Trees in Liberty Park are part of the state of Utah’s Heritage Trees. These Fremont Cottonwoods were planted in the early 1880s, around the time that Salt Lake City opened Liberty Park to the public. Photo 4 is a Shipler photo of these same trees in winter from 1929 (photo courtesy UDSH).

Liberty Park, winter 1929. From UDSH.

St Mark's Hospital Cornerstone

St Marks Hospital was established in 1872 and was the first hospital in SLC. It was originally a 6 bed facility in an old Adobe house in downtown SLC. It then moved to 700 North and 300 West in the early 1890s. This cornerstone from that building is now on display at the current St Marks at 1200 E 3900 South.

Early picture of St. Mark's Hospital located in north Salt Lake City.
Courtesy Bishop Watson, From UDSH.

UP Steam Locomotive 833

This is Union Pacific Steam Locomotive #833, built in 1939. It is a FEF-2 class steam locomotive. 

The large smooth metal plates on the front of the engine are called “elephant ears.” They help lift the smoke above the engine so it does not flow into the cab. The 833 was used to pull passenger and express trains, which ran through Ogden and then at the end of the steam era, it was used to pull fast freight trains. It was originally donated to SLC in 1972 where it was on display at Pioneer Park. It was eventually transferred to the Ogden museum in 1999.

It is now on display at Spencer and Dolores Dore Eccles Rail Center at Union Station in Ogden, Utah.

Rotary Snow Plow Locomotive

Designated as OWR&N 900061, this unusual locomotive is a rotary snow plow.

It was built in 1912 by Alco/Rogers as the Oregon, Washington Railway & Navigation Co. number 061, and was based out of Pocatello, Idaho. It spent its entire life working in the Pacific Northwest and was overhauled in 1951, receiving new steel sheathing and repainted silver with a red plow (it was originally brown with white lettering). The original tender was modified to be an auxiliary water tender but was not included with the donation. It was retired in 1978 as one of the last pieces of steam-powered equipment on the UP system.

It is now on display at the Spencer and Dolores Dore Eccles Rail Center at Union Station in Ogden.

American Indians Served in the US Army in the 1890s at Fort Douglas

This is the grave site of Pvt Frank Bear-Heel (Ma-to Sig-ti-e). Company I, 16th Infantry, US Army.

A member of the Brule Sioux Indian Tribe, Private Bear-Heel died at Fort Dougals by suicide on 28 August 1893, after he heard his father had died; he was buried with military honors in the Fort Douglas Cemetery, Salt Lake City. Pvt Bear-Heel was the only death of the 16th Infantry, Company I.

In the nineteenth century, the U.S. Army was a racially segregated institution. Along with the Buffalo Soldiers, Fort Douglas was briefly home to a Native American company of U. S. Army Soldiers. Native Americans were authorized to enlist in the U. S. Army on March 9, 1891; the orders allowed for an enlistment of 1,485 men but only 780 would actually enlist. Many of the enlisted were Sioux from the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota and were surviving family members to the Sioux killed on 29 January 1891 at the Battle of Wounded Knee, South Dakota.

A Salt Lake Herald Republican newspaper article described Pvt Frank Bear-Heel as about 21 years old, the oldest son of Bear Heel, a respected member of the Two Kettle Brule Sioux Tribe. He enlisted at Rosebud agency on December 27, 1892, and was quite intelligent, and able to speak and write English. He was an able Soldier in good standing and a popular man

Sources: SL Herald Republican 1893-08-29 and 30; Warriors in Ranks: American Indian Units in the Regular Army 1891-1897 by Robert Lee, South Dakota History, V21 N3.

The killing of Salt Lake City Police Detective Greenville “Green” B. Hamby and the Fate of the Skin of his Assailant

This is the story of the killing of Salt Lake City Police Detective Greenville “Green” B. Hamby (and the fate of the skin of his assailant). 

This plaque memorializes SLC Detective Police Greenville B. Hamby who was killed in the line of duty in 1921.

On the evening of February 8, 1921, after an attempt to rob the J.C. Penny store at 231 S. State, the suspect Tom Gleason (alias Tom “Blackie” Burns) fled to the nearby Nord Hotel at 59 ½ E. 200 South where Detective Green Hamby found him. 

When Detective Hamby opened the hotel room door, Gleason shot and killed the detective; in turn, Gleason was killed by Police Chief Clifford Patten.

No one claimed Gleason’s body and it was sent to the University of Utah medical school where a portion of his skin was removed and presented to the SLC Police. The police kept the skin in the evidence room, at least until 1935 at which time a local newspaper described it as a "portion of a hide of a man suspended to the wall."

During the follow-up investigation, the suspect Tom Gleason was identified by a special agent of the American Express Company as Joseph Alsheimer, an escaped convict of Madison Wisconsin.

A memorial plaque dedicated to the service of Detective Green B. Hamby was installed at the Gallivan Center in 2013.

Sources: Ogden Standard Examiner 1921-02-08 and 10. Salt Lake Telegram 1935-01-05.

William Hawk Cabin

The William Hawk Cabin located at 458 North 300 West Salt Lake City has recently been restored. It is one of the oldest surviving pioneer structures in SLC and is a local historic landmark site and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

This one-room Pennsylvania-style log cabin is constructed from Douglas fir, white fir, and quaking aspen. Dendrochronology results of the cabin reveal the log cutting dates cluster at 1846 and 1851-1852; the 1846 cluster may reflect wood salvaged from road building efforts by the Donner-Reed Party. The cabin seems to have been constructed by 1852, and then later remodeled about 1860.

The cabin is currently used as an art studio by the owner.