Years ago, the first time I saw the stone building from afar up on the hill above Red Butte Garden, it felt mysterious, maybe even dangerous. My husband and I were hiking above the cultivated part of the garden. We thought we didn't have time to walk all the way to the building. We weren't even sure it was allowed. So, we more or less forgot about it.
This past Thursday, two of my daughters and I decided to explore the wild area of Red Butte Garden again. This time I took a map from the front desk. The map is remarkably accurate, even to the point of showing where many of the benches rest. It makes it clear, going to the "Stone House" is possible.
So after we hiked to the top of the garden, all the way to the deer exits, we continued on the trail that more or less parallels the fence.
Up there, the wind blew wild and strong. Flying seemed possible.
Then we hiked down and over to the "Stone House" as it's called on the map. On the trail, not far from the house, there's a little red sign that indicates, "Now Leaving University Property," or something like that.
My daughter looked up the Stone House on the internet once we arrived. She told us it's called the Quarry House. It's now owned by the U.S. Forest Service, but maintained by the garden. The red sandstone from the area was used to help build Fort Douglas, City Hall, and the Salt Lake Temple. As far as the temple goes, maybe it was the very sandstone that ultimately was removed and replaced with granite. It began to decay, even before the temple was completed.
I loved being there. Investigating the area was a fun way to spend a morning with my daughters.
