Name: Immigrant Stories of Salt Lake’s West Side: Iron Rails & New Roots
Start: 2026-10-02
End: 2026-10-02

Visit Salt Lake

Salt Lake is the place where the Wasatch mountain peaks frame city streets. Sure, Salt Lake's famed for our winter powder ([four legendary ski resorts](https://www.visitsaltlake.com/things-to-do/skiing-snowboarding/) just 30 minutes from downtown), but that's just one season's story. Summer brings families [hiking through wildflower meadows](https://www.visitsaltlake.com/things-to-do/outdoor-recreation/) before cooling off at a Jazz game or the Gateway fountains. Autumn paints our mountain canyons in gold, perfect for morning strolls that end at local coffee shops. Spring? That's when you might spot baby bison on Antelope Island before heading to the Eccles Theater for a Broadway show. Our soaring Wasatch Mountains rise dramatically from downtown Salt Lake, creating a place where every day offers both natural wonders and urban energy. And while we sit perfectly between the [national parks](https://www.visitsaltlake.com/things-to-do/outdoor-recreation/state-national-parks/) with Yellowstone's geysers and Utah's red rock country, the real magic happens right here, where everyone can [discover the history](https://www.visitsaltlake.com/plan-your-visit/about-salt-lake/) of the city as they find their own rhythm between mountain adventure and city life.

Sports Salt Lake

Beginning at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Salt Lake City’s historic Warehouse District, this walking tour explores how the railroad's arrival in 1869 transformed the city’s west side into a vibrant immigrant neighborhood. As rail lines converged near the Rio Grande Depot, Greek, Japanese, Jewish, Italian, Austrian, Basque, and other immigrant communities built churches, hotels, restaurants, boarding houses, factories, and small businesses, reshaping the area into a bustling commercial and industrial hub.  
  
Along Broadway and surrounding streets, we’ll visit landmark buildings such as the Rio Grande Depot, the Peery and Broadway Hotels, the Bertolini Block, Japantown, and the Sweet Candy and Crane buildings, examining the architectural details that reflect this period of rapid growth and diversity.  
  
Throughout the tour, attendees will uncover lesser-known stories that bring the neighborhood to life—from marble in the Rio Grande Depot sourced from the same quarry as the Lincoln Memorial, to a rooftop garden with rare birds atop a chocolate factory, to boxer Jack Dempsey training in a former railroad building. We’ll also reflect on the resilience of Japantown, much of which was lost to redevelopment in 1966, and consider how today's preservation efforts protect the physical reminders of the communities that built Salt Lake’s west side.  
  
This calendar listing is brought to you by NowPlayingUtah.com, Utah's one-stop, online website for arts and entertainment events, powered by the Utah Cultural Alliance.

Immigrant Stories of Salt Lake’s West Side: Iron Rails & New Roots

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