MURRAY, Utah — If you ask Murray City Museum curator Rowan Coates what she thinks is the most interesting part of the city's history, she'll say the incorporation story.
"Murray would not be the city that it is today without the smokestacks. When the smokestacks came to town with the railroad, they brought some rambunctious young men," Coates said. "The community rallied and were like, 'We need to incorporate so we can have our own police department, our own fire department.'"
Now, Murray is a bustling city in the middle of the Salt Lake Valley with a population of about 55,000. As of a few weeks ago, the city has also been restored to a place where stories of the past, present, and future can be found. After years of restoration, the John P. Cahoon Mansion, built in 1899, is now the new and improved Murray Museum. Inside, guests will find rotating exhibits highlighting the city curated by Coates.
"I was really excited, but it was a big undertaking. There was a lot that had to be done to the home to make it the space we wanted it to be," Coates said. "Murray is very passionate about its history and this was the perfect opportunity to do that."
The museum restoration was a team effort — one important to Murray Mayor Brett Hales.
"It was important to me because it was important to our citizens. Our citizens were really, really wanting to have us restore this," said Mayor Hales.
The opening of the museum was also the launch of the city's "Love, Murray" campaign. The campaign is an initiative aimed at celebrating Murray's cultural treasures. Mayor Hales says the city is currently working on additional restoration projects, including the Murray Theate,r which is expected to be finished later this year.
"We get Murray residents that come back, or we just get people from other areas that come in, because they want to see the beauty of the restoration of these buildings that deserve to be restored," Mayor Hales said.
These restoration projects and more are being done to create a downtown space for the community to enjoy — with the museum being one of many treasures.
"I think we're listening to the community and what they want, and we're putting our best foot forward with the buildings we have chosen to save," Coates said.
"Just having all these things is bringing our community back together again, and it just brings a piece like you're home," Mayor Hales added.
