Erected in 1930, the Sugar House Monument has long stood as a testament to the hard work of early Salt Lake pioneers making the valley sustainable.

In 1855, City leaders sought to create the first factory in the western United States to process beets into refined sugar. Those early attempts were not successful and the sugar mill was closed in 1866.

Despite the failed sugar mill, Sugar House prospered as Salt Lake’s second downtown thanks to local merchants and a bustling streetcar system.

In the 1920s, Sculptor Millard F. Malin pitched the idea of erecting a monument in honor of early manufacturing to the Sugar House Business Men’s League. The league and City of Salt Lake jointly funded the $2,000 monument sculpted by Malin and his two fellow artists; Edward Anderson and Lorenzo Young. The monument was completed and dedicated in November 1934.

The obelisk stands approximately 200 hundred feet east of the original site of a Mormon Pioneer sugar mill.

Visit Salt Lake City Arts Council’s website to learn more.