When Salt Lake’s ‘Avenues’ were the ‘Dry Bench’

    Looking southward, down City Creek Canyon, with the Utah State Capitol in the background.

BEFORE there was “The Avenues” in Salt Lake City, the same area was originally known at the “Dry Bench,” lacking year-round streams.

In fact, the Salt Lake City Cemetery, 200 “N” Street, is located where it is because of the lack of water there and unlikely flooding potential.

      The Salt Lake City Cemetery's pioneer section and Orrin Porter Rockwell's monument.

The early residents on the “Dry Bench” faced a struggle in securing a steady supply of water.

The Salt Lake Herald newspaper of April 1, 1885 carried the headline, “The Dry Benchers again cry for help.”

Downtown Salt Lake City was served by a piped water system in 1877. But the “Dry Bench” had to have water hauled from City Creek. A diversion of City Creek to the area had been made in 1884, but only reached Sixth Avenue or below.

It was not until 1910 that a higher water diversion on City Creek was made, high enough to reach the rest of the Avenues.

-“Utilize the Canyons” was an august 19, 1884 headline in the Salt Lake Herald. The story noted how residents often went far away from the area for recreation. They thus ignored the opportunities in Red Butte, Emigration, Parley’s, or any of the other canyons above the Salt Lake area.

“…In the course of a few years the cool and pretty canyon gorges opening on this valley, would be filled with cottages and the latter filled with merry healthy people during July and August.”

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