Returning to our Roots Part One - Jill

Although we were both born in Salt Lake City and graduated from the University of Utah, we have been away for 46 years. So it has been fun coming back for awhile and remembering our childhoods here. 

It has been particularly neat to have meetings and even Sunday Church at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building which used to be the Hotel Utah. When the Hotel Utah opened, Jill's great grandfather was the doorman, greeting passengers coming in on the nearby railroad visiting Salt Lake City. Because of his influence, Jill's father became a bell boy here, then a desk clerk, moving up to Assistant Manager before he was 30.  He then went on to be the manager at the Hotel Temple Square before World War II.  My parents were married in the Jade Room, and had their 50th wedding anniversary dinner there as well.  Of course, now it is the Joseph Smith Memorial building.  Our missionary branch meets in the former Lafayette Ballroom!  

Also, a couple of blocks away is my grandparents' home where my father grew up. It has been redone, and apparently they put a bedroom in the attic, but it remains the sweet home where we would go visit my grandparents nearly every Sunday.  I loved the game closet in the entry way and the brass bed where I slept many times.  They had an old footed tub that was very deep and the perfect place to soak.  There was a garden in the back and a large pigeon coop.    

From our office on the 28th top floor of the Church Office Building (the tallest in Utah), I can see the LDS Hospital where my father was administrator and the area where the home in which I grew up was located. 

At least once during the summer, we used to make lunches, hike down through Memory Grove, and then go on up to Ensign Peak.  We would sometimes play in the City Creek water in Memory Grove, and usually eat our lunch there because it was shady. It was safe during those times to just go exploring with friends and no adults.   Now there is a gate, and I don't know how you get permission to go in. 

As I drove on up the Avenues, I drove by my first home at 411 10th Avenue.  It looks exactly the same.  The only difference is that my elementary school - Ensign - used to be across the street and there are condos there now.  They built a new school further East on 11th Avenue.


Driving up to 685 G Street, it was neat to see how many homes hadn't changed at all.  But when I reached the home where I lived until I married, and my folks lived in for 38 years, I couldn't even see it because of all the trees. I would love to just knock on the door and ask if I could look around the yard - it was a magical place to grow up and our children would all agree, I'm sure.  


But it was fun looking back down the street - a great hill for sledding, but a long walk home from junior high which is still on 1st South and 9th East - no buses then.

Besides being able to drive by our childhood homes and the schools we attended, we drove up Little Cottonwood Canyon a few weeks ago to visit Alta ski resort where I learned to ski. I made a snowball and we took a photo.  Again we love those mountains...