Days of ’47 Parade, Salt Lake City 1950s

This photograph captures a lively moment during the Days of ’47 Parade along South Main Street in Salt Lake City, Utah, sometime in the 1950s. The parade, held every July, commemorates the arrival of the first Latter-day Saint pioneer settlers to the Salt Lake Valley in 1847, and has long been one of the largest and most cherished public celebrations in Utah.

Rolling proudly down the street is a beautifully restored early automobile driven by members of the Horseless Carriage Club of Utah, its polished brass lamps, wooden-spoked wheels, and open touring body reflecting the earliest era of the American automobile. Participants are dressed in period costume, adding to the sense of living history woven into the day’s festivities.

Onlookers line both sides of the roadway—some standing, others seated on the curb—filling the sidewalks beneath patriotic bunting and storefront awnings. Visible signs for Rio Grande, Southern Pacific, and other mid-century Utah businesses anchor the scene firmly in Salt Lake City’s commercial district at a time when rail travel, small locally owned shops, and traditional department stores were central to downtown life.

With its combination of vintage vehicles, historical costuming, and enthusiastic spectators, the parade reflects a community celebrating both its pioneer roots and the spirit of American progress. Today, the Days of ’47 Parade remains an iconic tradition, but images like this offer a nostalgic glimpse of the celebration in a more intimate era—when crowds gathered shoulder-to-shoulder, brass radiators gleamed in the sun, and history rolled down Main Street on four wooden wheels.