Skip to main content

Saltair Resort photograph collection

 Collection
Identifier: P1818

Scope and Contents

The Saltair Resort photograph collection contains 5 albumen prints of Saltair Resort, located on the Great Salt Lake in Utah. A caption on one photograph reads: "East Front Pavillion at Saltair Pavillion in its early days, circa 1890s. The verso has the imprint of E. Mehesy, Practical Furrier and Taxidermist in Salt Lake City, noting a 'Branch Store at Saltair Beach Pavillion during the bathing season.' Under the caption on the photo is the credit 'S. +J. Photo.'"

Dates

  • 1893-1900

Creator

Language of Materials

Collection materials are in English.

Conditions Governing Access

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.

Conditions Governing Use

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances.

Permission to publish material from the Saltair Resort photograph collection must be obtained from the Special Collections Manuscript Curator.

Historical Note

Situated on the southern shore of the Great Salt Lake, the Saltair Beach Resort opened on June 8, 1893. The resort was jointly owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Salt Lake and Los Angeles Railroad Company, later renamed the Salt Lake, Garfield and Western Railway. The railroad company constructed a special line to the resort. The church sold its share of the resort in 1906. Open from Memorial Day through Labor Day, Saltair was dubbed the "Coney Island of the West," and was a popular destination for tourists and locals.

The pavilion burned down in April 1925, and was rebuilt in just four months; the rebuilt resort was called Saltair II. However, after this fire Saltair was never able to regain its popularity, in part due to the Great Depression of the 1930s and to the shrinking water levels of the Great Salt Lake. The resort had a number of other accidents, including a fire in 1931 and a windstorm in the 1950s that blew down a rollercoaster. Saltair closed during World War II; after reopening, it continued to face low attendance, and both the resort and the railroad shut down in 1958. Attempts to refurbish and reopen the resort were halted by a 1970 arson fire which destroyed what remained of Saltair II. In 1981, Saltair III was built out of a salvaged aircraft hanger. Despite a flood in the year that it opened, the receding waters of the Great Salt Lake have prevented Saltair III from functioning as a beach resort. Instead, the third incarnation of Saltair has been used primarily as a concert and special event venue.

Extent

5 Items

Abstract

Situated on the southern shore of the Great Salt Lake, the Saltair Beach Resort opened on June 8, 1893. This collection contains 5 albumen prints of Saltair during its early years, from approximately 1893 to 1900.

Arrangement

Arranged by subject

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Purchased in 2018.

Processing Information

Processed by Special Collections staff.

Creator

Title
Guide to the Saltair Resort photograph collection, 1893-1900
Author
Finding aid created by Claire A. Kempa
Date
2022
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid encoded in English in Latin script.

Repository Details

Part of the J. Willard Marriott Library Special Collections Repository

Contact:
295 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City Utah 84112 United States
801-581-8863