The Summit

Before he left Nauvoo, Brigham Young said that Joseph Smith, the deceased prophet, had appeared to him in a vision and had shown him a place where the banner of liberty should wave. When he viewed this peak as he entered the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847, Brigham reportedly said, "This is the place," adding "I want to go there." Two days later, still weak from mountain fever, he insisted on climbing to the summit. Eight others made the hike with him where they spent several hours in prayer and counsel. They gazed over the valley and made plans for the new city. They wanted their new home to become the "ensign for the nations" of which Isaiah had prophesied in the Bible, hence the name Ensign Peak. No ensign, or flag, was flown on that occasion, but perhaps a yellow bandanna, tied to a cane, was waved as a symbolic gesture. Within a few weeks, an American flag was hoisted on the summit. The elevation of Ensign Peak is 5,416 feet. This is 1,085 feet above the southeast corner of the temple block where the Salt Lake Baseline and Meridian were established on August 2, 1847 while Orson Pratt was laying out the city. At that point, the city is 4,331 feet above sea level.

Salt Lake City, Utah · United States