The abandoned Saltair Pavillion
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diddleysquat-1 — 11 years ago(July 31, 2014 03:37 PM)
Amazing report! There's hardly a spot on the planet with a more fascinating or eerie history. I'm too far from the scene to go out there myself and explore, much as I'd like to. Maybe one day. But your account of your visit there is very, very much appreciated.
Should you ever get a chance to go back and take pictures or video to post online, I'd love to see it. -
essex9999 — 11 years ago(August 20, 2014 01:33 AM)
Saltair is a fascinating and spooky place, isn't it? I visited it on a whim while in SLC in the early 2000s. There were very few people there, and the sense of isolation and desolation was striking. For an Easterner like me, that feeling is accentuated by the dry, barren surroundings, which feel otherworldly anyway, without any help from mysterious abandoned buildings. Unfortunately, I wasn't familiar with COS at the time, or the experience would have been even eerier.
By the way, I was equally fascinated by the weird sculpture isolated in the desert by the side of I-80, west of Salt Lake. I think it's called the "Tree of Life". I also seem to remember passing a massive, abandoned (?) salt or nitrate plant out in the middle of nowhere a little further west on the Interstate. And I was very aware that Dugway Proving Grounds were somewhere not far off to the south.
In other words, I came away with the impression of Utah as a bizarre, creepy place, and I mean that as a compliment.
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diddleysquat-1 — 11 years ago(August 02, 2014 06:34 PM)
It would be hard to find anything more fascinating or full of intrigue than the history of the old Saltair(s). The collector's special edition of the movie has a lot of special material, including a good bit of background about the making of the film and some about the setting, as well. It's worth the price, honestly.
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MissMargoChanning — 11 years ago(August 02, 2014 09:14 PM)
I'd like to eventually own that but I only have a collection on one DVD. My husband got it for me one Christmas one year along with a Roger Corman collection.
I am checking out the history of Saltair. Such a sad history!
"Fasten your seat belts!
It's going to be a bumpy night!" -
diddleysquat-1 — 11 years ago(August 03, 2014 06:32 PM)
There's an awful lot of history there. If you ever do get a chance to get the two-disc special edition, you get a brief history of Saltair itself, the first and the second, and a lot of very interesting facts about the location at the time of the filming. That part is available nowhere else.
Not only that but the qualify of the original movie is amazing, with images as crisp and clean as if made in modern times. It's quite amazing what they did with it. -
diddleysquat-1 — 11 years ago(November 10, 2014 02:25 PM)
I managed to hunt down a few pages online.
Try this link:
http://content.lib.utah.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/sanborn-jp2/id/800/rec/287
and this one:
http://content.lib.utah.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/sanborn-jp2/id/998/rec/288
and this
http://content.lib.utah.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/sanborn-jp2/id/1782/rec/289
You have to enlarge the images. Full size they are huge! -
Rainey-Dawn — 10 years ago(April 23, 2015 11:13 PM)
Just wow! Thank for the background history on the place diddleysquat-1! The story behind all 3 are just as eerie as this film. I just finished watching the film and was wanting some background information on the Saltair when I noticed your thread. The story behind the Saltair makes the film "Carnival of Souls" more, well, realistic (in so-to-speak).
"I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me." ~ The Invisible Man -
viewer-1230 — 10 years ago(October 24, 2015 09:08 AM)
Great write up and thanks for sharing. I always love abandoned places as I used to explore some in east Texas where I lived years ago. I would of loved to see the two earlier versions of the Saltair Pavilliona although I guess the third one is still around so far. ;)Cheers!
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eienvine — 9 years ago(October 02, 2016 08:36 PM)
Thank you for that fascinating history! I knew a little about Saltair, as my family goes back about five generations in Utah; I have a photo of my great-grandmother there, and I've heard stories about when it was the coolest place in town. I think there used to be a dedicated train line that went out there, since it's so far out of town. But I never really knew what led to its decline, so this was a fascinating read.
Have you ever seen The Giant Brine Shrimp? It's an old short stop-motion monster film, and I think it's meant to be a parody of monster films but it is as dull as spit. Still, it's interesting as one of the only other films to feature the Saltair. If you've any interest in seeing it, you can watch it on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEQd17JjxxU&list=PL1126F751CEDD2B18&index=1. The Saltair first appears at about 1:20.
Unfortunately, the current Saltair is interesting only as the worst concert venue in Utahbadly managed, miles from anywhere, not nearly enough parking, and the whole place smells like the Great Salt Lake (not a compliment). But they get some pretty big names; I've seen the Lumineers and Mumford & Sons there. In case you were curious what the Saltair III is up to today.