Alta Club

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The Alta Club is a private club in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah, named for a local mining district. It was founded in 1883, 13 years before Utah's accession as a state. The Alta Club serves as a forum for business development and social interaction, and offers facilities for dining, social events, business meetings, and health and wellness.The Clubhouse is located at 100 East South Temple.HistoryBy the late 1800s the territory known as Utah had a burgeoning economy. As a result, several affluent groups formed out of the mining and smelting industry. One such group took it upon themselves to create a gentlemen’s social club modeled after the prestigious Union Club of San Francisco. A proposal outlining the club's formation was mailed to prospective members.Following recruitment the Alta Club was founded in 1883 by eighty-one charter members, thirteen years before Utah became a state. The club was organized as a social club "to present the comforts and luxuries of a home together with the attraction to its members of meeting each other in a pleasant and social way."FoundationAlthough it is widely believed that the founding members only allowed “Gentiles” or those who were not of the Mormon faith to join, that soon changed. Not long after the clubs formation, their resistance to those of the Mormon faith shifted. The first Mormon member was William Jennings, a former mayor of Salt Lake City, joining in 1885.The years of Prohibition brought new challenges to the club. Simon Bamberger, who joined the club in 1904, was one of the Eighteenth Amendment's strongest proponents. However, not everyone in the club shared his vision for a dry state. In the years since its repeal, rumors and stories surfaced telling of the various ways members got their hands on “hooch” and brought it into the club.