The Hauntingly Beautiful Mount Olivet Cemetery In Utah Has A Fascinating History
Mount Olivet Cemetery in Salt Lake City is a historic and hauntingly beautiful cemetery known for its unique history, prominent burials, and resident deer.
The Mount Olivet Cemetery can be found in Salt Lake City, Utah. First established in 1874 on Camp Douglas, a military reservation for the U.S. Army, Mount Olivet has more than quadrupled in size, and everything about this place is fascinating. From the overgrown trees to the deer who seem to thrive in the cemetery, Mount Olivet is a hauntingly beautiful place filled with history and stories that span back through generations.
Known as one of the most beautiful cemeteries in the west, Mount Olivet is also the only cemetery established by an Act of Congress, after Ulysses S. Grant signed over the land to the Cemetery Board of Trustees.
With a unique history comes some unique and powerful "residents." Many of Utah's most important and powerful citizens are buried at Mount Olivet, including governors, mayors, and mining magnates.
One of the most special, and perhaps creepy aspects of Mount Olivet is the deer. Countless doe and fawn can be found throughout the cemetery, grazing and jumping among the tombstones unlike anything you've seen in a cemetery. The deer give the place a sort of uplifting feel, but can also feel ominous.
With a vast array of tombstones, some stand out more than others. These large pillars can be found scattered throughout the grounds of Mount Olivet, but if you keep your yes glued to the ground, you may stumble upon a small headstone shaped like a book that reads only "Goodnight."
Some residents of Mount Olivet decided to go big. Huge pillars can be seen on the skyline, and W.F. James has a mausoleum with an alter and a framed picture of himself inside.
Mount Olivet is an incredibly beautiful piece of land located close to the University of Utah, right in Salt Lake City. With a storied history, plenty of stories of paranormal or unexplainable events have come out of Mount Olivet. Whether you believe the stories or not, taking a walk through the cemetery and bumping into prancing deer along the way gives the cemetery a hauntingly beautiful feel.
I love road trips! I’ve driven back and forth across this vast country of ours more times than I can even count at this point, and along the way, I’ve traveled a lot of interesting roads. Some of the most memorable roads I’ve come across on my adventures were scenic byways, some were busy highways through cities, and still others took me past well-known landmarks.
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However, I find the roads that are most interesting and that stick with me the most are the crazy ones. Roads with zig zags, desolation, huge drop-offs, and that exhibit questionable quality are the roads I like best – and I seek them out whenever I can.
One of the roads in the United States I love most that happens to meet all of the above criteria is the Moki Dugway in southeastern Utah. This road is not very long, but it’s certainly crazy. It’s kind of in the middle of nowhere so it checks the desolation box on my list, and it surely has the huge drop-offs and questionable quality that I look for, too – even though it’s pretty well maintained for where it is. I’ve driven on it on a few different occasions over the past few decades, and I recently had the opportunity to go up it and back down it once again.
Photo by Christy Articola
The Moki Dugway is a mystery. Its original purpose, when constructed in 1958 by the Texas Zinc mining company, was to allow for transport of uranium ore from mines in Fry Canyon to a processing mill near Mexican Hat. Today, though, as far as I can tell, it has no true purpose other than to give tourists an opportunity to drive up and down it for the thrill of it, and it does offer some great photo opportunities. I suppose it does offer a shortcut for the locals that live in this area, but there’s another, far better, far easier road near it that will likely get people from point to point in a similar amount of time -- this option is paved and isn’t nearly as treacherous.
Two other strange roads that I love in the United States -- The Beartooth Highway in Montana and the Loneliest Highway in Nevada -- have clearer purposes. They both are wild, yes, but they are also the most direct ways to get from Point A to Point B.
The Moki Dugway, on the other hand, seems to only exist for the adventure it provides – and I love it for that very reason. It’s amazing and wonderful that this road is still open and maintained so thrill-seekers like me can enjoy it.
Photo by Christy Articola
The first time I drove on the Moki Dugway, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I was on a Utah road trip with my mother and it looked interesting on the map, so I thought we’d give it a try. It was more than just interesting. As we approached the completely vertical red walls ahead of us, we quickly realized that we’d be driving not around that cliff... but up it. But how?
The road is paved right up to the base of the cliff. Then, suddenly, it turns to dirt, and well, up you go. No pun intended – it’s all uphill from there until you reach the top. Then, you’re literally on a whole other level. You reach the top of Cedar Mesa and it’s flat once again, for as far as the eye can see, with entirely different vegetation than you saw 1,200 feet ago.
Photo by Christy Articola
Since that trip with my mom, I’ve had the opportunity to drive up and down the Moki Dugway a few more times. It only takes about fifteen to twenty minutes to drive the three miles from the bottom to the top and then the same amount of time from the top back down to the bottom, so I’ve found it worth hitting up anytime I’m nearby, even if it wasn’t on my original itinerary. That was the case this time around. My companion and I were headed from southwestern Colorado to Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks for a few days. I realized how close we were to the Moki Dugway when we crossed over into Utah, and of course we had to make the quick detour to scale it yet again.
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Photo by Christy Articola
I’ve been the driver of a car going up this road myself before on several occasions. This time my companion wanted to give it a try, so we switched drivers so he could. There are no guardrails on this road, and the drop-offs on the side of the road start almost immediately as you begin your ascent. In some places, the grade of the road is as much as 10%, but it seems even steeper than that when you try to peek over your car’s hood. In all honesty - it's not that dangerous. This road is well taken care of; it's just steep and narrow, but it sure feels like you could easily plummet off the edge at any time.
Photo by Christy Articola
This visit was on a weekday, so I knew we would have the road mostly to ourselves - and that was a good thing. There’s plenty of room for two cars to pass along it, but when one is coming, it’s natural to question that fact. Any time a car did approach us coming from the opposite direction, he expressed a bit of fear and apprehension, but all in all, he did just fine. He white-knuckled it the whole way, but we made it to the top in no time – and he felt very accomplished for successfully tackling this driving challenge. I rewarded him with praise and high-fives.
Photo by Christy Articola
I took over again to drive us back down. Driving up the Moki Dugway is far scarier than driving down it, so admittedly, I had the easy part of the journey. We stopped a few times on our descent to take photos. The views from the overlooks along this road are absolutely incredible. You can see for miles. This panoramic view will take your breath away. On a clear day, it’s possible to see landmarks like Monument Valley, Shiprock in New Mexico, Sleeping Ute Mountain in Colorado, and more. The colors all around you are truly spectacular, and seeing how skinny the road you drove up on is, now far below, really offers some perspective.
Photo by Christy Articola
The Moki Dugway is amazing and is well worth going a little out of your way to conquer. It’s not like any other road I’ve ever been on and I love the challenge, the fear, and the feelings of accomplishment when reaching the top. I’m sure this journey up and down it will not be my last; I’ll take it on anytime I’m in southern Utah. You should, too. Driving the Moki Dugway is a scary but rewarding experience, and you’ll love it. It’s a truly unforgettable adventure in the American Southwest.
Of course, the Moki Dugway is only one of many fantastic adventures you can enjoy in southeastern Utah. Don't miss Four Corners to the east, Monument Valley Tribal Park to the south, and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area to the west. You might even consider taking a 4x4 Backcountry Tour in Monument Valley to immerse yourself more deeply in the beauty of this region. Southeastern Utah is a destination that is often overlooked over the Bryce/Zion and Moab areas, but its absolutely worth a closer look.
On September 11, 1857, one of the most horrific massacres in U.S. history occurred in Southern Utah. It played a tragic piece in Utah history that many still reflect upon today. While the story is heartbreaking and awful, it is creepy and spooky as well. In fact, today, the Mountain Meadows Massacre site is said to be the most haunted place in Utah.
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The Baker-Fancher wagon train was made up of men, women, and children from Arkansas who were traveling through Utah to California. The wagon train was attacked by a group of Mormon Militia on September 11, 1857.
During the attack, between 120 and 140 men, women, and children were slaughtered. The Mormon militia fabricated a story, blaming the Paiute for the massacre. They hastily buried the bodies in shallow graves, which were promptly dug up by coyotes and other wild animals. Within a few days of the massacre, bodies and body parts were scattered over two miles, left to rot in the sun.
The youngest members of the party were spared, and the 17 surviving children (all of whom were under the age of seven) were "adopted" by local Mormon families. When the children's relatives from Arkansas attempted to take the children back home, they were refused. It took two years, and intervention from the U.S. Army, for the children to be returned.
News of the massacre made national headlines and people all over the country were horrified.
This ink drawing of the victims' bodies was placed on the cover of Harpers Weekly. After the initial outrage, nearby settlers collected the most obvious body parts and buried them, mostly in two mass graves.
Throughout the years since the massacre, many visitors to this area report that it's haunted.
Mostly, people report an eerie feeling of being watched. But, some say that they hear the cries of children, women screaming, and men shouting. Since the dead weren't properly buried, it would make sense that the pioneers who were butchered so violently would not be at rest.
A few visitors have reported seeing a woman walking across the meadow, acting as though she's searching for something — perhaps her children? Others report seeing school-aged children running through the fields, laughing.
These aren't the only reports of paranormal activity at this historic site.
There are a few accounts of an older man, seen in broad daylight at the memorial, sobbing. He's wearing clothing from the 1800s and is thought to be the ghost of John D. Lee, the man who was executed by firing squad for the massacre. Lee was the only man punished for the crimes, and historians believe he was a scapegoat to divert attention from other officials who knew about, ordered, and orchestrated the massacre of so many innocent people.
If you've never visited the Mountain Meadows Massacre, take time to stop by this memorial. It's located off U.S. Highway 18, near St. George.
If you sit quietly and listen, you just might hear the voices of the dead on the wind.
Do you think the Mountain Meadow Massacre site is the most haunted place in Utah? Have you visited the area? Did you see or hear anything creepy there? If so, let us know in the comments!
Despite this piece of tragic Utah history, the Mountain Meadow Massacre site is an excellent road trip stop. However, before you go, make sure to check out our ultimate road trip packing list.
