Brigham Street: Salt Lake City's Grand Boulevard

This past year I've had the great experience to produce a film for PBS Station KUED7 that documents the history of a street.

Brigham Street, or South Temple as it is known today, is a street unlike any in the American West. It's been called "Salt Lake City's Grand Boulevard" and has been the home of governors, senators, mining magnates and religious leaders. From 1880 to the 1930's the vast majority of Utah's wealth resided here in the most opulant neighborhood the region had ever seen.

The documentary will air on PBS Station KUED 7 on May 14th at 7 PM and May 16th at 8 PM. The film will also be viewable that week online at kued.org.

Image Courtesy Utah State Historical Society

Postcards of Brigham Street

One of my favorite parts of creating a historical documentary is to imagine what it would have been like to live in a past era. This week I received these postcards with fabulous views of "Brigham Street", the topic of my current documentary. One in particular even had a letter written on the back dated 1914.

I've learned that someone willing to take the time to explore old photograhs and postcards like these can discover a window to the past. When I examine old pictures I love to think what did it sound like at the time this photo was taken? Where are those people walking to? What was the weather like that day? Who lived in that home or who worked in that building? What time is it? Old photographs can be a time machine to the past if you are willing to take a step inside and explore their story.