Utah History (Alleyways)

Alongside my grandparents home ran an alleyway. I always found it fascinating that they had alleys in their area. Their garage entered from the alley and many of the neighbors used it for the same purpose. It wasn’t as wide as a street and it was always full of potholes, but I loved going out there. Mainly because there were Hollyhocks along the side of their home. Apparently, the early English settlers brought the tradition of making Hollyhock Dolls with them from the old country. Grandma showed me how to make them with the blossoms. Every summer we took toothpicks out and made dolls with pretty pink skirts. It is a favorite memory of mine.

Let’s skip forward in time to when I was 24 years old, I bought my first home in Midvale. Unbelievably, this home also had an area behind that wasn’t my property. It was a noman’s land between my backdoor neighbor and myself. It was the remains of an old alleyway that the neighbors had already absorbed into their yards so as a result, my little portion from the neighbor and officially made. I was the only one who had access to it. As it turned out, a neighbor two doors down had purchased the land from Midvale City when they abandoned the alley. I ended up purchasing my little portion from the neighbor and officially make it part of my backyard. So, when I was at the Salt Lake County Assessors office looking at maps of the city, I asked about these small alleys.

Why did we have them?

What is happening to them now?

As it turns out, the reason that they had them in the first place was to make it easier for the coal delivery wagons to pull right up to the homes that they needed to supply and shovel the coal into the coal shoots of the houses. Currently, alleys are being “vacated”. Basically, that means that the city doesn’t want to own the land or have the responsibility of the land anymore. South Salt Lake City has a mission right now of vacating all their alleyways. Many people in Salt Lake City and neighboring cities have already legally or illegally absorbed these alleys into their properties. A current buyer wouldn’t know if the ground that has been landscaped and fenced is actually what is being sold to them without getting a title report and having a Realtor help them interpret the information. As a Realtor, this is one of the things that I watch for when I show clients homes.

I have been so fascinated by the research I have been able to do. It has brought back so many beautiful memories, as well as a lot of knowledge about the land we live in. Keep tuning in for more insights I am picking up in my journey!

Till next time!