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This is Fred Ball, Zions Bank, speaking on business.
Have you visited Old Deseret Village in This is The Place State Park? You really should!
There are so many points of interest at this great tourist destination spot at the mouth of Immigration Canyon in Salt Lake City. The park is developing into a place that someday could compare with Williamsburg, Virginia, in depicting life in another period with buildings, costumes, displays and exhibits that show Utah as it was in the middle and late 1800s.
This Is The Place Heritage Park and the Old Deseret Village continue to expand with many new historic and exciting buildings being added each year. Four hundred eight-foot evergreen trees were planted last year, and plans are for 400 more this year.
One spot that is particularly interesting is the ZCMI store in the park. We all know that ZCMI was America's first department store. Stanford and Arlene Darger now operate the ZCMI store in the park. The building was originally the ZCMI store in Manti, Utah, and was dismantled and moved to the Old Deseret Village, stone by stone, and rebuilt on the present site about 10 years ago.
The store has now been open for over six years, and Stan and Arlene offer period items for sale to visitors and shoppers. It’s a challenge selling only items that were available in stores during the years 1847 through 1869. They offer nothing made of plastic, nylon or battery driven. Even with those restrictions, the store has hundreds of exciting items that meet that criterion.
This summer, treat yourself, friends and family to a shopping trip to the only ZCMI store left in the state. Let the Darger's explain to you about the history of America's first department store. Wander around the rest of the beautiful buildings and sites at the park and relive those exciting pioneer days in Utah.
Incidentally, it was just announced that the Mormon Battalion has been given property in the park to build a building to tell the great story of the Mormon battalion and the longest military march in history.
For Zions Bank, I’m Fred Ball. I'm speaking on business.
