Utah State Capitol

The State of Utah, founded in 1896, was originally conceived as the State of Deseret. The original state covered Utah and Nevada and parts of Idaho, Washington, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming. It was a nation state unto itself.

The term deseret is from an ancient language, and means beehive. Those who wanted this state saw this as a term of their industry and dedication to hard work. While neither the name nor the scale of the state was as they planned, the association of the beehive with the State of Utah remains today.


The interior of the capitol was as you would expect. A grand dome, sweeping murals, an enormous chandelier, and statues of the great men who helped to found the state.


Outside the capitol were tributes to those who had sacrificed so much to make the state possible, both past and present.


The real treasure trove though was right across the street. There, outside the old city hall, were these two finds. It was a place that a laminated frog like myself could feel right at home.