Ensign Peak

Craig Kuepper

History-1700-352

November 29, 2017

Professor Ken C. Hansen

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Ensign Peak is a very important and historical place within Utahs history. The principles

that it stood for have been prevalent throughout its foundation. This mount has been influential

throughout the history of Utah, most of which being good. The significance of this area is far

reaching in that it was a symbol of the settlement of Utah. This monument is located at the north

end of Salt Lake near the avenues. This area is trafficked by tourists and locals alike. The path up

to the monument is not extremely strenuous although you have to be able to climb the hill to be

able to reach the top. There are a few other trails that connect to the monument giving access to a

great variety of people. The hill is not extremely tall, it is 5,414 feet above sea level and 1.080

feet above the bottom of the valley. The great significance is that it was the first summit that was

climbed when the Mormons first entered the valley when they came to Utah.1 This area has great

significance to Utah history and to the Mormon culture.

The reason that Utah was originally settled was because of the Mormons moving west to

find a place to stay. They had faced severe persecution because of some of the controversial

beliefs that they held. The main one was their view on god along with polygamy, which was

threatening towards other religions. The successor to Joseph Smith (the founder of the church)

was Brigham Young. He was instrumental in moving the church westward. They would plant

crops and dig wells for other members coming across the plains in the rough conditions. At some

points, they would travel through snow in treacherous conditions, in which many people died.

They did the trek in groups so that they would have enough resources to make it all the way

1
Arave, Lynn. "In Utah history, Ensign Peak has a lofty prominence." Deseret News Utah. July 26, 2010. Accessed
December 01, 2017. https://www.deseretnews.com/article/700050839/In-Utah-history-Ensign-Peak-has-a-lofty-
prominence.html.
 2

across the plains. The numbers in Utah slowly grew and they were able to avoid persecution only

for a short while. By 1850 they had become a U.S. territory and more problems arose.2

The reason that the Mormons decided to settle in Utah was because of a vision from their

current president of the church. The vision was described by a later president of the church in

great detail.

George A. Smith, a counselor to President Brigham Young, described how President

Young first saw Ensign Peak while seeking divine guidance following the 1844 death of
the Prophet Joseph Smith. "After the death of Joseph Smith, when it seemed as if every
trouble and calamity had come upon the Saints, Brigham Young, who was President of
the Twelve, then the presiding Quorum of the Church, sought the Lord to know what they
should do, and where they should lead the people for safety, and while they were fasting
and praying daily on this subject, President Young had a vision of Joseph Smith, who
showed him the mountain that we now call Ensign Peak, immediately north of Salt Lake
City, and there was an ensign fell upon that peak, and Joseph said, 'Build under the point
where the colors fall and you will prosper and have peace.3

The vision was the reason that they settled in Utah and what makes Ensign Peak so special.

Without this experience, they may have settled somewhere entirely different and it would have

shaped the foundation of Utah drastically. This is a major reason why this area is so important; it

marks the foundation of settling Utah and the decision to stay and cultivate the land. Having an

idea of where you want to go shapes how you view things and the goals that you have. This is

another reason why it was so important that Brigham Young had said vision. It helped inspire the

members as to the cause for which they were embarking. This area is influential in that it was the

beginning of the settlement of Utah.

2
"Mormons begin exodus to Utah." History.com. Accessed December 01, 2017. http://www.history.com/this-day-
in-history/mormons-begin-exodus-to-utah.

3
Wright, Dennis A., and Rebekah E. Westrup. "Religious Studies Center." Ensign Peak: A Historical Preview. 2011.
Accessed December 01, 2017. https://rsc.byu.edu/archived/salt-lake-city/3-ensign-peak-historical-preview.
 3

The monument itself is very significant and has a great deal of symbolism towards the

trek of the Mormons. The monument was put up in remembrance of this significant event. The

monument is 18 feet tall and was erected by the Salt Lake Ensign Stake Mutual Improvement

Association. The monument itself is comprised of stones collected from the Mormon trail. This

adds to the significance.4

There is controversy on whether or not Brigham Young hoisted a flag when he ascended

up the hill. The other issue is whether or not it was an American flag that he hoisted. The BYU

religious center states some theories towards this specific aspect of the monument. Some believe

that the Mormons made their own flag that they raised when they got to the summit. The flag

was supposed to have been red, white, blue and purple along with a scarlet insignia. The flag was

also supposed to have symbols of the church on the flag including: stars, a moon and the sun.

There arent any specific journal entries towards this but it is a wide theme among many people.

The flag was a reality, stated by the BYU religious studies:

The resulting flag became known as one of a group of flags known by the title
mammoth flag. [12] While this flag may have been publicly displayed during pioneer
times, there is no evidence that this flag or others constructed by the Saints were flown
publicly from Ensign Peak on July 26.5

The flag was a reality although they arent sure if the flag was publicly hoisted on that day. The

other idea which has been shared among Brigham Youngs relatives is that they hoisted an

American flag. The reasoning behind believing this theory is that they supposedly wanted to

foster peace with the United States. The issues that they faced with polygamy were still fresh and

they wanted to foster good relations with the United States. The final theory is that they waived a

4
"Ensign Peak." Mormon Historic Sites. Accessed December 01, 2017. http://mormonhistoricsites.org/ensign-
peak/.
5
Wright, Dennis A., and Rebekah E. Westrup. "Religious Studies Center." Ensign Peak: A Historical Preview. 2011.
Accessed December 01, 2017. https://rsc.byu.edu/archived/salt-lake-city/3-ensign-peak-historical-preview.
 4

small yellow handkerchief at the top of the hill because that was what was available.6 Despite the

controversy they have a flag and a monument currently today which stand above Salt Lake for

everyone to see and enjoy.

The reason it was named Ensign Peak is also significant towards the monument itself.

One of the main beliefs of the Mormons was the literal gathering of Zion. They believed that

when you joined their church you needed to move to Utah to gather with all of the saints. This is

the reason a great deal of pioneers crossed the plains. They wanted to be in Utah with all the

saints so they could support each other. The church needed greater numbers if they were going to

survive in a foreign land so they brought everyone to Utah. Brigham Young suggested that the

peak "was a proper place to raise an ensign to the nations," and so it was named Ensign Peak.7

The definition of and ensign being a flag or a standard for other people. This standard is what

they were trying to promote. They wanted to form a standard for their people and to ask others to

join them in their cause. The missionaries that they began sending recruited a lot of people to this

cause. The significance of calling it an ensign originates from the bible.

The significance of the name, according to the pioneers, comes from the biblical
prophecy: "He will lift up an ensign unto the nations. . . . He lifteth up an ensign on the
mountains." (Isa 5:26; 18:3). The pioneers did not erect the U.S. flag on the Peak on 26
July as widely reported, but they did plan to fly the "Standard of the Nations," an
invitation for all nations to immigrate to Utah.8

6
Wright, Dennis A., and Rebekah E. Westrup. "Religious Studies Center." Ensign Peak: A Historical Preview. 2011.
Accessed December 01, 2017. https://rsc.byu.edu/archived/salt-lake-city/3-ensign-peak-historical-preview.
7
Wright, Dennis A., and Rebekah E. Westrup. "Religious Studies Center." Ensign Peak: A Historical Preview.
2011. Accessed December 01, 2017. https://rsc.byu.edu/archived/salt-lake-city/3-ensign-peak-historical-preview.

8
Hilton, Lynn M., and Hope A. Hilton. "Ensign Peak." Utah History to Go. Accessed December 01, 2017.
http://historytogo.utah.gov/utah_chapters/pioneers_and_cowboys/ensignpeak.html.
 5

The ensign signified the acceptance of Utah. Racism comes in many forms but the settlers of

Utah wanted it clear that they were accepting of any nation. This provides a great sense of

peace and unity within their community. A great deal of the members came from out of the

country when they immigrated to Utah to be with the rest of the saints. This monument

represents the unity involved in their settlement. This was a great beginning towards

acceptance of all people.

Despite all of the wonderful things about the monument, there was some misconduct

that appeared in this area. The ensign was supposed to represent acceptance of all people but

the Ku Klux Klan had a small appearance in Utah which was very depressing. They started to

gain control of a great deal of political power within the state. Their power didnt last long

because Utah was not very accepting of their ideals. The Klan started to do rallys and

attempted to stir the population toward their favor. The BYU Religious Studies shares this:

In February 1925, the Klan launched their Utah offensive with a parade through the
business district of Salt Lake City. They followed up with a second demonstration on
April 6, during the Churchs semiannual general conference. Defying increasing
community opposition, members of the Klan marched up Ensign Peak and burned
several large crosses at the summit. To ensure the success of this effort, hooded
Klansmen blocked access to the summit. This resulted in a public assembly at the foot of
Ensign Peak that numbered in the thousands; some of those gathered were members of
the Klan, and others were simply onlookers who were curious over the actions of this
controversial group. While the Klan considered the event a success, it frightened the
community, causing the Klan to continue to lose influence in Utah.9

9
Wright, Dennis A., and Rebekah E. Westrup. "Religious Studies Center." Ensign Peak: A Historical Preview.
2011. Accessed December 01, 2017. https://rsc.byu.edu/archived/salt-lake-city/3-ensign-peak-historical-preview.
 6

The Klan knew that the majority of the population was Mormon so they held the

demonstrations where it would hurt the most. The Mormons hold their semiannual conference in

downtown Salt Lake, in which their leaders speak to the members of the church. Members from

around the country and even world come to see their prophet speak. This is why they focused

towards the conference building. They wanted to have a lot of viewers and create a scene so that

they would be noticed. The second spot which was Ensign Peak was also a major state and

religious spot that they sought to target. They wanted to gain as much attention as possible but as

the quote above stated it backfired on them. Defacing what people hold dear will backfire and

you and create more hatred and disgust. This monument has mostly been good but has had some

bad taints to its history.

Another controversial issue is the flags that are at the bottom of the trail leading up to the

monument. There have always been issues with the separation of church and state. The issue

seems to be very prevalent within Utah itself because of the heavy influence of religion. There

are many people who feel very strong towards one aspect or another and often quarrel on with

another on the topic. There are three flags that are flown at the bottom the trail including: U.S.

flag, the state flag and the flag of the kingdom. The flag of the kingdom is a historical flag and

the history of this state is mostly religious. Therefore, the separation of church and state when it

comes to this issue is caught somewhere in the middle. The main reason that the flag has not

been taken down is because of the historical significance. This issue will continue to persist

despite its historical significance because of the strong opinions of the people in this state.10

10
Smart, Christopher. "The state of Deseret flag still flies over Salt Lake City." The Salt Lake Tribune. July 2,
2015. Accessed December 02, 2017. http://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=2686622&itype=CMSID.
 7

The final thing that struck me was what some people wanted to put at the top of the

mount. Some people wanted to put a big cross on the top of the monument for two specific

reasons. The first was to represent the tough challenges that the pioneers had to face along with

honoring their sacrifice. The second reason was that they wanted to show that we were a

Christian state and that all religions were welcome. This went along with the peace and equality

that the ensign stands for but the idea was short lived. The Mormon religion does not believe in

displaying crosses on or in their chapels. Even members of other churches rejected the idea. The

idea could have been beneficial but it was rejected by the people so therefore never came to be.11

This monument will forever be an important place to many people. Its significance is far

reaching and will continue to persist. Many people visit this area every year because of its

historical significance. The symbolism contained in this area is very important and should

continue to be shared and appreciated.

11
Wright, Dennis A., and Rebekah E. Westrup. "Religious Studies Center." Ensign Peak: A Historical Preview. 2011.
Accessed December 01, 2017. https://rsc.byu.edu/archived/salt-lake-city/3-ensign-peak-historical-preview.
 8

References

Arave, Lynn. "In Utah history, Ensign Peak has a lofty prominence." Deseret News Utah. July

26, 2010. Accessed December 01, 2017.

https://www.deseretnews.com/article/700050839/In-Utah-history-Ensign-Peak-has-a-

lofty-prominence.html.

Hilton, Lynn M., and Hope A. Hilton. "Ensign Peak." Utah History to Go. Accessed December

01, 2017.

http://historytogo.utah.gov/utah_chapters/pioneers_and_cowboys/ensignpeak.html.

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/mormons-begin-exodus-to-utah

"Mormons begin exodus to Utah." History.com. Accessed December 01, 2017.

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/mormons-begin-exodus-to-utah.

Smart, Christopher. "The state of Deseret flag still flies over Salt Lake City." The Salt Lake

Tribune. July 2, 2015. Accessed December 02, 2017.

http://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=2686622&itype=CMSID.

Wright, Dennis A., and Rebekah E. Westrup. "Religious Studies Center." Ensign Peak: A

Historical Preview. 2011. Accessed December 01, 2017. https://rsc.byu.edu/archived/salt-

lake-city/3-ensign-peak-historical-preview.