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Show 9/1812015 Historic Eagle Gate a prominent Salt Lake landmark (Deseret News Archi ves) The original gate was designed by Truman O. Angell, the architect who designed the Salt Lake Temple, and Hiram B. Clawson. The original eagle was carved by Ralph Ramsay and William Spring from five blocks of wood. Tradition says the model for the monument was an eagle that had been killed in City Creek Canyon. The original monument had 16-foot-wide outstretched wings and rested on curved wooden arches that used a 9-foot-high cobblestone pillars as their anchor. The eagle sat on a beehive and a star mount. The original 22-foot-wide opening was adequate for a wagon to pass into Young's 50-acre fenced compound, and allowed one-way traffic when the road became public in 1882. But in 1891 the gates were removed and the street was widened to two lanes. The Eagle Gate used to be the entrance to the Li on House and the Beehi ve House, as seen in 1860. (Deseret News Archives) According to a story in the April 18, 1960, Deseret News, the change provided an opportunity to refurbish the monument. "The eagle was taken down and shipped to Chicago where it was repaired and electroplated in copper," the story reads. "The supporting arms of huge wooden beams - reinforced with iron pipewere lengthened and new sandstone pillars were carved and replaced the old stone ones that same year." The Eagle Gate was refurbished again in 1947 for the state's Centennial Celebration, and plans were under way for a major widening in 1960 when a truck with a flatbed trailer carrying a tractor struck one of the pillars, knocking the monument off its foundation. The gate was taken down again, and it was obvious the eagle was deteriorating. The decision was made to replace it. For three years there was no Eagle Gate. Architect George Cannon Young, a descendant of Brigham Young, designed a new frame to support a new Eagle Gate. Artist Grant R. htlp:llwww.deseretnews.com/articie/printl700020286/Historic-Eagle-Gate-a-prominent-Salt-Lake-landmark.html 2/3 |
