FREMONT ISLAND, Utah — An iconic Utah symbol that has been in place for nearly two centuries will now be protected after being added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Kit Carson's Cross, which sits on Fremont Island on the Great Salt Lake, was added to the register.
Measuring just six inches tall and created by frontiersman Christoper “Kit” Carson on Sept. 9, 1843 during an expedition to explore the Great Basin, the cross is etched on Castle Rock at the island's summit.
According to the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands, Carson led a group of men to explore the Great Salt Lake during the expedition. The group expected to find Fremont Island full of vegetation and wild animals, but found it deserted.
While exploring the island, Carson and others went to the top of the highest mountain and cut out the cross which is now protected on the register.
Carson's Cross is the second Great Salt Lake item on the register, with Black Rock having been added in 2021.
