liberty park 2014

A little summer outing was the name of the game today.

We started out here, bright and early.

Early, like 7:10am arrival.

Why so early you ask?

Because holy hanna it's so hot right now and we wanted to have fun while it was still cool outside.

We took our delectable delights to Liberty Park to meet up with the Grands and some cousins.

(ALA I thought of you and missed you the entire time we were there!)

Some of the very first pictures of the day were dark and mystical.
Mystical as in sprinkler mist.
Ha.

Why Liberty Park you ask?

My, you're so inquisitive today....

Because of this:

The Chase Home. As in Issac Chase, my fourth great grandfather on my mom's side. He built this two story adobe home and a mill which are both still standing today.

And, ahem, we just realized it was here, at the park, 30 miles from my house.

Isaac Chase House

In 1847 pioneer Isaac Chase built a one-room shanty and a sawmill on Emigration Creek. A few years later he joined with Mormon leader Brigham Young, owner of the adjacent allotments, and together they built a flour mill and this house, the centerpiece of a 110-acre pioneer-era farm now known as Liberty Park.

Construction on the house began in the winter of 1853 and the Chase family lived here until 1860, when Young gave Chase land in Centerville in exchange for his interest in this property. The Brigham Young Jr. family, followed by other millers and their families, subsequently lived here. In 1881 the farm was sold to Salt Lake City for use as a city park, and for eight decades park employees lived in the house. In 1964 the Daughters of Utah Pioneers opened the house to the public as a museum, and in 1983 it became a gallery and later a museum for the Utah Arts Council.

The Chase home is one of a few remaining houses in Salt Lake City that date from the 1850s. Its symmetrical façade, smooth stucco, and boxed cornices with gable-end returns are all hallmarks of the Greek Revival style that was popular with early Mormon builders. The distinctive two-story front porch was a later addition, having been built sometime after 1916. In 2000 the home was renovated with donations from Salt Lake City, the State of Utah, and the LDS Church.

I have no idea if this fireplace insert is original, but it looked neat and looked oldish, so maybe?

View of the original adobe bricks.

We then walked a little to the south to see the Issac Chase Mill.
It's inside the fence of the Tracy Aviary, which wasn't even open, we were there so early. These pictures are from the east side.

CHASE MILL Built in 1852 by Isaac Chase, a native of New York State, who came to Utah in Sept. 1847. His daughter Louisa drove the ox team across the plains which brought the mill stones and mill irons, which were used in the manufacture of flour. In 1854 Brigham Young became a partner with Isaac Chase, and the mill was fitted out with improved machinery. During the famine of 1856-57 many families were furnished flour gratis and the lives of many men, women and children were saved. Brigham Young acquired full possession of the mill in 1860. It ceased operations when the farm with its buildings were purchased by Salt Lake City in 1880.

The original mill stones shown below.

See the B.Y.?
Yep, Brigham Young.
He and Issac were homies.

The funny thing about this visit, is that I've been to the Tracy Aviary (with our cousins on the other side of the family). I even remember seeing the mill. And back then, I had NO idea it was built by my actual blood relative.

We finished off the morning at the splash pad and playground.
So we didn't have swim suits. We didn't let that stop us.

This girl had to get a big ol' sliver dug out of her foot.
Poor girl.

Then right before we came home, Harry found a new pet.

See those two light orange dots on it's head. They're antenna and will poke out if you make it mad. Or is it happy? We don't really know, but at one point they stuck out.

A teensy bit of research on ye olde' internets tells me that this is probably a swallowtail caterpillar. But I could be wrong, bugs aren't really my thang.

Oh yay.
We've always wanted a pet.

Liberty Park, you made for a super fun morning.

(Even if I did drive the wrong way down your one way road..... Hey, at least we fit in, driving our Subaru Outback hippie liberal tree-hugger car.)