Friends of Gilgal Garden audio-visual collection, undated

Gilgal Garden was created by Thomas B. Child, Jr.(1888-1963),a bishop of the LDS church. He began creating the garden in 1947, using his skills as a mason. From 1947 to 1963 at the time of his death, Child built the garden with the help of others. Much of the focus for the twelve sculptures and more than seventy engraved stones was the Mormon religion. He chose themes like 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. Child's choice of naming it Gilgal Garden further describes the deep connection to his heritage. Gilgal can mean circle of sacred stone, etymologically related to the location where Joshua ordered the Israelites to place twelve stones at a memorial.

After Child's death, the garden passed on to the Grant Ketzer family who cared for it and opened it to the public on Sundays. In 2000, however, after many acts of vandalism, the family decided to sell it. Hortense Child Smith, the widow of Child's son, decide to attempt to raise funds to buy and restore Gilgal Garden by creating the Friends of Gilgal Garden. Through donations by the LDS church and other large names in Utah, Friends of Gilgal Garden was able to purchase the park and begin restoration. In October of 2001, Gilgal Garden became a public park in Salt Lake City. Even now it is open to public to examine and enjoy the historical garden.

Originally a private, housed in Child's backyard, the garden has grown into a popular public park where many gather to admire the sculptures created by Child. Tucked away in the middle of Salt Lake City, the garden is known for its eclectic collection of sculptures including the sphinx with Joseph Smith Jr.'s face, an altar to his wife, and Nebuchadnezzar's Dream from the Book of Daniel. It is often a site for both curious travelers and locals to see the work of Child and his creativity.