Travels with Auntie M: Utah State Capitol, Salt Lake City

Utah's Capitol Building...look familiar?

That's because it was modeled after 'The Capitol Building' in Washington D.C.

Across the street, Tinky Winky finds a couple of Bison to ride.

The Bison were located next to the Old City Hall (now known as Council Hall) a red sandstone building. Build in 1864-65 at 120 East 1st South, it was removed brick by brick to be reassembled in this location. It had served as the seat of government for 30 years, where the Territorial Legislature met and passed laws. Today it holds a Visitors Center with a lovely gift shop and several historic photographs along the hallway.

Below is the view as you approach the East side of the Capitol Building, were the visitor entrance is located. TW stops to pose with Massassoit and then runs to the entrance where there are two large white lions.

This one is Fortitude:

Below is Integrity. I didn't know at the time, there are two more lions on the West side named Honor and Patience.

Looking around the corner to the front of the building:

Below, the Mormon Battalion Sculpture commemorating the 500 Mormon pioneer volunteers who joined the U.S. Army during the Mexican War.

This 100-foot granite and bronze monument was created by Gilbert Griswold in 1927.

I was surprised to find there was no guards or metal detectors at the entrance. I also thought it looked very unimpressive; but, then the guided tour began and I realized the first floor is under the main entrance where the rotunda and the view of the dome is located.

This is the second floor....I lay down in the center of the circle in the foreground, to get this view of the 165-foot high dome:

Flying across the blue sky of the dome is the state bird, seagulls.

From the third floor, you can see the seagulls. The guide said they have a 25-foot wing spread.

There are so many beautiful paintings that it seems more like an art museum than a capitol ceiling.

Utah is one of only two states to outlaw ALL forms of gambling.

In 1848, the California Gull saved the pioneers by eating hordes of crickets which were destroying their crops.

The state flower is the Sego Lily. Pioneers made flour from the pounded dried bulbs.

Utah has five wonderful National Parks (Zion, Canyonlands, Arches, Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon), five National Historic Trails, six National Monuments and a National Recreation Area.

26 years before it became a state, Utah granted women full voting rights in 1870...on the other hand, it is one of 15 states did NOT ratified the US Equal Rights Amendment.

Utah is one of 18 Alcoholic Beverage Control states.

It is called the Beehive State. Before it was a state, it was called the provisional State of Deseret; which is a word from the Book of Mormon, meaning honey bee. My tour guide said, Brigham Young told the pioneers they had to work like bees in order to survive. The Official Utah websites, doesn't mention Brigham Young, they use the word 'industry' as what the pioneers used to survive.

Tinky Winky found another Abraham Lincoln. His nose has lost it's patina because so many people touch it.

Below: The red arrow is pointing to a small black hole under a painting in the Supreme Court Camber. It is one of over 350 cameras that are used as the security system for the building. That is why there were no metal detectors; they wanted the Capitol to be open to the public.