Although St. George ranks as one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, its historic downtown core retains significant remnants of its pioneer past, including several venerable buildings open for public viewing free of charge. Get a feel for life in frontier times when you stroll through yesteryear on a self-guided walking tour past 30 early buildings or take a narrated tour of six historic sites with costumed guides on tours offered summers only for a small fee.
St. George lies 120 miles north of Las Vegas on Interstate 15. To reach the center of the original town, use the Bluff Street exit, then turn left. Drive to St. George Boulevard and turn right to reach the tour's starting point at the old Washington County Courthouse. When planning your visit, keep in mind that St. George operates on mountain time, an hour's difference.
Step inside the handsome 1866 red brick courthouse with its white trim and jaunty cupola, now housing the St. George Chamber of Commerce. Pick up a printed walking tour guide when gives you the history of private and public buildings in the downtown area within several blocks of the courthouse. The elegant old building served area needs for 150 years. One of the first public edifices completed after the arrival of the first 300 Mormon settlers in the area in the early 1860s, the old courthouse exhibits fine 19th century craftsmanship.
View pioneer artifacts, documents and early photos at the nearby Daughters of the Utah Pioneers Museum, open free Mondays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Allow at least 30 minutes, then proceed to the nearby restored opera house, which hosted community events from 1875 until the 1930s. Later it served as a sugar beet seed sorting and storage facility. It then stood derelict for years until rescued and restored.
The old opera house, with its unique adjustable floor that slants for theatricals or lies level for dances, now serves as part of the Pioneer Center for the Arts complex. Visit the St. George Art Museum in this complex to obtain tickets for the living history tours of several historical buildings offered Tuesdays through Saturdays at 9 and 10:30 a.m. from Memorial Day through Labor Day. For a $3 fee, those on the tour learn fascinating stories from guides outfitted in period costumes. Call for details at (435) 634-5942.
The walking tour continues through an early residential neighborhood, passing many pioneer-era dwellings, some still housing families and others converted to charming bed and breakfast inns. These streets retain the look of early Mormon towns, planned with generous width, tree-lined sidewalks, large lots with room for gardens and easy access to the central business district.
Prominent among these homes, the Victorian-style Brigham Young Winter Home welcomes visitors for free guided tours daily from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Afflicted with rheumatism, the early Mormon leader fled Salt Lake City's harsh winters for the milder climate in St. George. Young built the home over several years starting in 1869. From there, he oversaw construction of the St. George Temple and directed church business, keeping in touch by private telegraph line. Huge mulberry trees shading the property provided leaves to feed silk worms used to produce cloth, part of the Mormon plan for self-sufficiency.
Visit the striking, white St. George Temple separately, as it is located too far from downtown to be on the walking tour. Tour the grounds and visitor center daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., free of charge. The oldest Mormon temple still in use, the 1877 structure shows up beautifully when illuminated at night.
The steepled, sandstone tabernacle, which served pioneers as a meeting hall, remains a favorite among the historically significant buildings on the walking tour. Elegant hand-crafted twin staircases inside access its second floor. It boasts wonderful acoustics, important for early speakers before the age of microphones. Still in use, the stately hall hosts free musical presentations Wednesdays at 7 p.m. and organ music Fridays at 12:15 p.m. Visitors tour free from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in summer and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in winter.
Margo Bartlett Pesek's column appears on Sundays.
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