The Gathering Place: An Illustrated History of Salt Lake City

by John S. McCormick, Rod Decker (Foreword by)

Salt Lake City is no ordinary place. Its "hard-gutted individuality", as Western historian Dale L. Morgan called it, gives it a "contradictory charm". The city has an extraordinary and complicated past, full of paradoxes and irresolution about its image. This is the story of a frontier outpost, founded as a haven for religious refugees, that eventually becomes a melting pot for different kinds of people -- different voices, experiences, points of view, traditions, values, and ways of life.In fact, the city has emerged from the crucible of conflict, based partly on religion but also on race, class distinction, and gender. The author's goal in his thought-provoking overview, accented by 125 historical photographs, is not to shift from the "feel good" emphasis of traditional photo-histories but to augment that approach with information about societal change, a history of groups and traditions and of the ideas and experiences that have made the city what it is today.

290 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2000

Reviews

[Ben Boulden · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enjoyable, thought-provoking, fair-handed (i.e. without bias), history of Salt Lake City from before the Mormons arrived in 1847 to the late-1990s. Its smooth and well-written narrative makes for easy access to most anyone interested in an overview of SLC's history. It looks at the heavy influence the Mormon Church has played throughout the decades as well as the Mormon people and others who have lived in and shaped the city.