Of the over 600 markers placed by the Daughters of Utah Pioneers that commemorate places with historical significance, only one is for a tree: the Cedar Tree Shrine.
When the first pioneers reached the Salt Lake Valley in 1847, the desert landscape looked nothing like their green homeland. According to legend, they encountered a single large cedar tree at the north end of the valley. This tree became a key gathering spot, where they prayed, played and sang hymns.
But, as is often the case with trees — and history — nothing is simple. First, the tree was most likely a juniper, not a cedar. And it certainly wasn’t the only tree in the valley, as pioneer journals describe cottonwoods and oak trees being used for firewood.
Still, the so-called “Lone Cedar Tree” was beloved. When it died, the Daughters of Utah Pioneers moved its 10-foot-tall stump into a protective pavilion near the city center, accompanied with a plaque.
Tragically, in 1958, vandals cut down most of it, leaving only a 20-inch nubbin. Later, the original plaque disappeared. Today, the remnants of that monument sit in the same pavilion, with a new plaque that reads: “In the glory of my prime, I was the pioneer’s friend.”
Those early pioneers did find a friend in that tree: it provided the same things that our human friends do: comfort and camaraderie.
The Cedar Tree Shrine is found in Salt Lake City on 600 East, between 300 and 400 South.
