Sen. Robert Steiner highlights Salt Lake City Cemetery’s history and scale in Centennial Spotlight

Senator Robert Steiner used the Senate’s Centennial Spotlight on Feb. 14 to walk colleagues through the history and significance of the Salt Lake City Cemetery. "The Salt Lake City Cemetery is the largest city owned cemetery in The United States," Steiner said, noting the burial ground covers 252 acres and contains more than 10,000 graves.

Steiner traced the cemetery’s origins to an 1847 infant burial and subsequent formal designation by the city council. He described early efforts to pump water from City Creek around 1900 to create the landscaping that makes the cemetery "a beautiful place" today, and he highlighted notable figures interred there, naming inventors, civic leaders and pioneers including Philo Farnsworth (credited for early television inventions), city officials and military honorees.

Steiner recommended a tour using a historical map available from the historical society and urged colleagues to visit the cemetery during the centennial year. Several members responded with personal recollections of family graves and local traditions of visiting the cemetery. The floor reaction included expressions of appreciation for the historical perspective and a recognition of the cemetery as a cultural asset.

What happens next: Steiner suggested the centennial map as a guide for tours; the remark was delivered as part of the Senate’s Centennial Spotlight series and did not propose immediate legislative action.

Direct floor excerpt: "If all of those buried in the cemetery were alive and had homes on those 252 acres, it would be the third largest city in Utah by population," Steiner said, emphasizing the cemetery’s size and centrality to local history.