Archives West Finding Aid

Thomas Battersby Child, Jr. (1888-1963) was the creator of Gilgal Garden. Starting in 1945, at the age of fifty-seven, he began working on Gilgal Garden with the help of few people. Using stone from all over Utah, he built twelve sculptures and over seventy engraved stones. Through his dedication to the church, Gilgal Garden came to show important themes including the restoration of the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthood that allowed worthy men to baptize and bestow the Holy Ghost, the great Mormon migration West from Nauvoo to escape persectution, and the deep connection between the ancient Israelites and the LDS forefathers.

Up until his death in 1963, Child's worked devotedly on Gilgal Garden. After his death, the Grant Fetzer family bought the garden and maintained it until 2000 when they attempted to sell it. Through the dedication by the Friends of Gilgal Garden, enough money was raised to buy the garden and reopen it as a city park. Friends of Gilgal have worked since 2000 to continue preservation and restoration by raising funds to continue their work. Located in Salt Lake City, Utah, the park is accessible everyday as a place to wander and explore the work of Child and experience the wonders of the garden.

Gilgal Garden, spanning half an acre, offers many tourist and locals an interesting view of Child's creativity and devotion. Using a variety of stones from around Utah, Child created a tranquil space filled with many Mormon tributes like the sphinx with Joseph Smith Jr.'s face and other biblical allusions like Nebuchadnezzar's Dream from the Book of Daniel. Besides themes of Mormonism, Child has included an altar to his wife and a statue of himself with brick pants, often mentioned as a key point in Gilgal Garden. Child also carved a thirty foot rock in relief with a heavenly messenger with an unsheathed sword. Through exploration of the garden, many can find hidden sculptural treasures that reveal the beauty and eccentricities of Child's garden.