A supposedly-polygamous apartment in Salt Lake
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Former polygamist SLC apartment. Photo: Erin Alberty/Axios
My first apartment in SLC was in a stately home built on 700 East for a polygamous family — or so said the landlord.
The intrigue: Conflicting records swirl around the house, near 100 South.
- Estimated construction dates range from 1871 to 1912, and county property records show a flurry of deed transfers between and within families for decades.
The big picture: Complicated property transactions may signal a history of polygamy, since the practice raised legal questions around inheritance and women's ownership of property.
- But it's hard to know for sure—and puzzling out polygamous genealogy can be so messy that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints created a special tip sheet for family researchers.
ICYMI: How to spot a "polygamy house" apartment
What's inside: If the house indeed served this purpose, I'm pretty sure I got the dwelling of a privileged wife.
- Mine was the only apartment with a built-in gun cabinet.
- I used it as a liquor cabinet, with little shot glasses where the gun barrels went.
Zoom out: Apart from the gun cabinet, my unit was identical to the three others, with big, formal living and dining rooms up front.
- We each got our own carriage stall out back for storage.
Bright spot: The parties! My upstairs neighbors had guests put their food and BYOB contributions in one living room and cleared the other of furniture — except for an improvised DJ stand, for a large dance floor.
- Win-win!
