The Long Way
Tooele County
A tall colorful tree-like sculpture stands in a desert landscape under a blue sky.
Plate I. Metaphor: The Tree of Utah. From local.sltrib.com
A rendering of an artistic sculpture and a modern building in an open landscape.
Plate II. Metaphor: The Tree of Utah sculpture. From local.sltrib.com
A colorful sculpture stands against a blue sky with clouds.
Plate III. Metaphor: The Tree of Utah. From utah.com
A close-up view of a sculpture with three spherical elements decorated with stones and tiles against a blue sky.
Plate IV. Spheres of Metaphor: The Tree of Utah. From local.sltrib.com

Metaphor: The Tree of Utah

Wendover, Tooele County, Utah. Abstract artistic sculpture.

Details

Map. Wendover, Tooele County, Utah. Larger map
Where
Wendover, Tooele County, UT. No street address stated. Directions
Getting there
West bound side of Interstate 80, about 25 miles east of Wendover and midway between the former railroad communities of Arinosa and Barro.
Access
The sculpture currently has a fence surrounding the base to protect people from falling tiles.
Managed by
State of Utah.
Established
1986.
Coordinates
40.73322, -113.55086.

87-foot-tall sculpture created by the Swedish artist Karl Momen in the 1980s and dedicated in 1986, on the west bound side of Interstate 80, about 25 miles east of Wendover. The trunk holds up six spheres coated with natural rock and minerals native to Utah.

Notable Events

  1. 1981After walking on the salt and being taken by the desert, Momen thought something must be done there. deseret.com
  2. 1982Momen built the 87-foot tree with cement, ceramic tile, welding rod, and Utah minerals and rocks. utah.com

People

  • Don Ryman, contractor who took on the project with his six sons.
  • Herman du Toit, executive director of the Tree of Utah Foundation.
  • Karl Momen, artist, designer, builder, and self-financier (1982-1986).

Sources

  1. utah.com/destinations/natural-areas/bonneville-salt-flats/the-tree-of-utah
  2. local.sltrib.com/online/sw/tree-of-utah
  3. aaroads.com/guides/i-080-west-wendover-ut
  4. deseret.com/2011/5/10/20372307/creator-of-tree-of-utah-along-i-80-wants-to-build-visitors-center-to-enjoy-the-view
  5. clui.org/ludb/site/tree-utah
  6. artistsofutah.org/15Bytes/22-years-of-the-tree-of-utah