Walking into the secluded park, we felt a sudden calmness as we settled onto a bench beneath the Eastern redbud trees lining the entryway. The air seemed cooler, as if the temperature had dropped 20 degrees. The constant cacophony of honking horns and roaring engines from nearby 700 East and 400 South melted away, replaced by the hush of a natural recording studio.
Gilgal Park, tucked into the Trolley Square neighborhood of East Central Salt Lake City, has been an eclectic fixture in the city’s landscape for nearly 80 years. In 1945, local mason and visionary Thomas Battersby Child Jr. began shaping a garden of flowers, rocks and trees in his backyard. He chiseled scripture into flat stones and even experimented with fire, using heat to oxidize rock and alter its color. At the entrance, he planted a single almond tree, a symbol of renewal and faith.
That almond tree died in 1963, the same year as Child. Yet the park endured, preserved by neighbors and volunteers who recognized its quirky brilliance. Today, Gilgal is a public city park, open daily to anyone with a quizzical mind or a simple need for a quiet place to reflect.
Child named his creation “Gilgal” after the biblical site where Joshua placed 12 stones as a memorial. The word translates as “circle of standing stones,” and Child embraced that symbolism in form and spirit. His park holds dozens of stone carvings inscribed with biblical verses, surrounded by winding paths, trees and secluded alcoves.
The centerpiece of the garden is Child’s most famous work, “The Sphinx.” Unlike its Egyptian namesake, this sphinx bears the head of Joseph Smith, the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is startling and mysterious, blending ancient imagery with modern faith in a way that has puzzled visitors for decades.
As artist, Child followed his vision, which often led him into the Cottonwood Canyons in search of just the right block of stone. He once hauled out a 62-ton rock! He was explicit and intentional, having a vision for what he wanted to create and the innovation to find an artistic pathway to his goal.
Child’s “Monument to the Trade” stands tall, a shrine-like composition created with the help of his friend Maurice Brooks. Here, a life-sized caricature of the artist himself presides over a stage lined with meticulously hand-cut flagstones. The work exemplifies Child’s mastery of stone: smooth surfaces, altered hues and a craftsman’s patience all on display.
Child was not a trained sculptor in the academic sense, but he was relentless in pursuing what he saw in his mind’s eye. His artistry blended masonry skills with innovation, scripture with symbolism, and eccentricity with devotion. The result is a garden unlike any other in Utah, or perhaps anywhere.
As I wandered through the park, much of it simply didn’t make sense to me. In the back, though, an open exhibition hall featured over a dozen interpretive placards detailing his work and vision.
On the night of our visit, the park was bustling with friends of a bride and groom gathering for an evening bike ride through Salt Lake City. The leader climbed up on the altar to give a little history to the group. They quickly gathered up their bikes and headed out into the evening.
Today, Gilgal Park offers more than curiosities in stone. It offers perspective. In the middle of a bustling city, Child’s creation remains a sanctuary of imagination and belief, inviting each visitor to pause and ponder. Surrounded by the hum of traffic just beyond its walls, Gilgal continues to whisper: Take a breath, look closer, and find meaning in the stones.
DETAILS
Getting There: It’s just a 30-minute drive from Park City to the park, located at 749 East 500 South in Salt Lake City. It’s open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
Dining: The Trolley Square neighborhood offers lots of options, but we especially love the legendary Hire’s Big H just around the corner.
Information: Gilgal Park is owned by the City of Salt Lake and managed through the generosity of the Salt Lake Gardening Association and Friends of Gilgal Sculpture Garden.
Coming Up: Join friends in celebrating the 25th anniversary of Gilgal Garden as a city park on Sunday, Sept. 21, from 1-5 p.m.
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