Vintage Postcard: This Is The Place Monument, Salt Lake City

Historical Context & Overview

A Monumental Gateway to Western History

Standing at the mouth of Emigration Canyon overlooking the Great Salt Lake Valley, the "This Is The Place" Monument is one of Utah's most iconic historic landmarks. This fine vintage mid-century chrome postcard captures the grand scale of the granite and bronze structure framed against the backdrop of the Wasatch Mountains. Printed from a photograph by famed color photography pioneer Mike Roberts, the card highlights the dramatic artistic monument erected to commemorate the pioneer trail end that reshaped the American West.

The Legacy of July 24, 1847

The landmark marks the historical location where Brigham Young, suffering from mountain fever inside a covered wagon, first looked down across the expansive valley on July 24, 1847. According to historical accounts, Young gestured across the landscape and affirmed to his fellow travelers that they had reached their destination, uttering the legendary phrase: "This is the right place. Drive on." That pivotal moment signaled the end of a grueling 1,300-mile journey across prairies and mountain passes for thousands of Latter-day Saint pioneers seeking religious refuge and a new homeland.

Sculptural Grandeur by Mahonri M. Young

Dedicated during Utah's centennial celebration on July 24, 1947, the monument was designed by renowned sculptor Mahonri M. Young, who happened to be Brigham Young's grandson. The central feature is a massive 60-foot granite pylon topped with bronze statues of Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, and Wilford Woodruff. Surrounding the central structure are detailed bas-relief panels and side monuments honoring earlier historical figures who traversed the region, including Spanish explorers Silvestre Vélez de Escalante and Francisco Atanasio Domínguez, mountain men such as Étienne Provost, and members of the ill-fated Donner Party.

Mid-Century Tourism and Postcard Heritage

Published by the Intermountain Tourist Supply Company of Salt Lake City, this card features "Color by Mike Roberts," a signature mark of quality in mid-20th-century postcard production. Utilizing state-of-the-art photographic color separation methods, Roberts captured the vivid blue Utah sky and the rich mountain greenery, making these souvenir postals hugely popular among post-war automobile tourists visiting Utah's historic state parks and scenic canyon roads. Today, this vintage postcard stands as both a physical keepsake of mid-century tourism and a tribute to the rich cultural heritage of the American frontier.