Explore the Pioneer Memorial Museum and the Carriage House featuring displays and collections of memorabilia from the time the earliest settlers entered the Valley of the Great Salt Lake, to the joining of the railroads at Promontory Point, Utah in May of 1869. In the Pioneer Memorial Museum Bookstore, you can shop for items unique to Pioneer Memorial Museum and Utah.
Inside Pioneer Memorial Museum
First Floor
Learn about the lives of two prominent Mormon leaders: Brigham Young and his first counselor, Heber C. Kimball on the first floor of the museum. Additionally you will find a collection of famous paintings and historical manuscripts.
Second Floor
Ascending to the second floor of the museum, you will find several pianos in the foyer, each with a significant pioneer story. The Doctor Room and Clothing Room are also housed on the second floor of the museum. In the Doctor Room, artifacts that once belonged to doctors, midwives and dentists who operated in 19th century Utah fill the display cases. Of particular importance are artifacts that relate to Ellis Reynolds, one of Utah’s most successful female doctors of the time. In the second floor’s Clothing Room, mannequins dressed in buckskins and others with hair wreaths on their heads demonstrate the dress of the time.
Third Floor
On the third floor, you will discover a Music Room, Silk Room and a 1947 Pioneer Centennial display. Step into the Music Room to see a number of pioneer-owned musical instruments such as drums, violins, zithers and musical brooms. Learn how Utahns produced their own silk in the Silk Room. The 1947 Pioneer Centennial display explores how the 100 year anniversary of the arrival of the pioneers was celebrated.
Basement
Make your way into the basement of the Pioneer Memorial Museum. Cases dedicated to the Native Americans are filled with baskets, ceramics, arrowheads and other tools used by the early peoples of Utah. Additionally, the basement has a Military Room containing weaponry and articles associated with numerous wars and Golden Spike, a room filled with railroad memorabilia.
Carriage House
Travel through the Pioneer Memorial Museum’s underground passageway into the Carriage House. On the first floor of the Carriage House you’ll find a “boneshaker,” the first type of bicycle with pedals and Yellowstone Park, a carriage once used to tour Yellowstone National Park. Climb the steps (or ride the elevator) to the second floor of the Carriage House. At the center of the second floor sits Brigham Young’s Wagon used during his historic trip from Nauvoo, Illinois to Salt Lake Valley in 1847. The second floor of the Carriage House also includes displays on the Pony Express, a replica of a blacksmiths shop and an American Fire Engine steamer No. 1.
Be sure to stop by the Pioneer Memorial Museum Bookstore, located in the museum’s main building. Books, pamphlets, gifts, cards, pins, jewelry and CDs unique to the Pioneer Memorial Museum and Utah are all available to purchase.
Travel Tip
- The use of cameras, video cameras and personal scanners is prohibited throughout the Pioneer Memorial Museum and Carriage House.