Alina Happy Hansen is a writer, poet, and blogger based in San Francisco. Besides writing nearly 24/7 and reading stacks of books, Alina enjoys watching classic horror films and listening to Stoner Metal. She holds a Bachelors of Arts in English with a Minor in Writing and Rhetoric Studies from The University of Utah.
Salt Lake City Cemetery is one of my favorite places (out of the very few in Utah). A few times a month I will go up and visit the cemetery and take a long leisurely walk around the grounds. I’ve been doing this for over six years now and still love it.
I think cemeteries are beautiful even when I was younger I would find books on the oldest cemeteries in America or funeral practices and spend hours reading and researching. There is an overwhelming sense of peace in a cemetery that I think may be similar to what religious people feel in places of worship. It is calming and comforting and the main reason why I visit cemeteries.
The Salt Lake City Cemetery is unique in that it contains graves and memorials of some popular Mormons like church presidents. What I think is great about the SLC Cemetery is that they have a “Person of the Month” and “Tree of the Month“. If I have spare time and I’m taking my walk in the cemetery, I usually look up the Person or Tree of the month and try to find them. Sometimes it’s pretty difficult but it’s a great way to get familiar with plot locations and the history of Salt Lake City’s past residents.
The SLC Cemetery also has its share of “Spooky Stuff” such as EMO’S GRAVE (allegedly visiting Emo’s grave and saying “Emo” over and over again you’ll see eyes looking back at you…I remember this story from high school) and Lilly Gray’s grave which states “Killed by the Beast 666” (also remember this one from high school…)
Even if you’re a resident or just passing through I would recommend visiting SLC Cemetery just for its beauty. It has a great view of the city below (it’s up on a hill a.k.a. the Avenues) and the trees are really magnificent plus there’s always plenty of deer and other wildlife.
SLC Cemetery (October 2018) Photo by Alina Happy Hansen