"Seagull Monument" Top 5 Page for this destination Temple Square Tip by Yaqui

Well-known to Mormons is the story of how seagulls saved the crops of Utah's early settlers from an invading horde of crickets. In the spring of 1848, 5,000 acres of crops had been planted, and a good harvest was expected, according to the Nov. 19, 1960, issue of the Church News.

On Oct. 1, 1913, the Seagull Monument was unveiled on Temple Square, just east of the Assembly Hall - "Erected in grateful remembrance of the mercy of God to the Mormon pioneers." President Joseph F. Smith dedicated the monument and addressed the gathering.

The monument, sculpted by Mahonri M. Young, consists of a granite pedestal weighing nearly 20 tons, and a granite column more than 30 feet high. On top of the column is a granite ball on which two bronze seagulls covered with gold leaf are perched with wings outstretched. A pond and fountains surround the monument. Panels on the side of the monument briefly tell the story of the arrival of the saints in the Salt Lake Valley.

The plaque reads:The Mormon pioneers planted crops in the spring of 1848, after suffering great hunger during their first winter in the Salt Lake Valley. As the crops ripened, hordes of devouring crikets descended upon them from the foothills east of the valley. The Saints fought them with clubs, fire, and water. As they despaired of saving the next winter's food, their prayers for deliverance from almost sure starvation were answered when thousands of sea gulls came to feed on the crickets. The Sea Gull Monument commemorates this modern-day miracle. The sea gull is now the Utah State bird.

Address: 50 West South Temple, Salt Lake City, 84150
Directions: Temple Square
Phone: 801-240-1245
Website: http://www.visitsaltlake.com/home.shtml