Yes, there really is a sphinx in Utah with the face of Joseph Smith

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Among other things — like skiing, hiking, and national parks — Utah is known for being the modern-day hub of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with the religion’s worldwide headquarters located in Salt Lake City.

According to a 2023 study, roughly 42% of the state’s population self-identified as a member of the LDS faith. Despite that fact, some people may not fully believe the rumors and whispers that Utah is home to a sphinx bearing the face of Joseph Smith, who was the founder and the first prophet of the LDS church.

ABC4.com is here to tell you that the rumors are true — the Joseph Smith sphinx is real.

And, as it turns out, it’s not just a coincidence that the face resembles Joseph Smith — it was a completely intentional decision by Thomas Battersby Child Jr., who started the garden in 1945.

“The Sphinx represents Child’s belief that the answers to life’s great questions cannot be discovered with the intellect, but only through faith,” the garden explains.

A plaque in the garden details how Child “carefully selected” the stones used for the sphinx and hired sculptor Maurice Brooks to carve the face of Joseph Smith — which the garden said was symbolic of Child’s “conviction that the LDS Priesthood reveals to mankind the answers to life’s mysteries.”

The Joseph Smith sphinx is located in Gilgal Sculpture Garden — a small, free attraction situated between homes and behind businesses in Salt Lake City. The sphinx is not the only sculpture in the garden, of course, but it is “the best-known sculpture,” according to the garden’s website.

The garden became a Salt Lake City park in the year 2000 after Friends of Gilgal Garden purchased the site. An interactive map on the garden’s website shows where each of the 12 sculptures are located within the garden and offers more background on the pieces.

Other pieces in the garden include body parts scattered on a hill, in reference to a story in the Bible of King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream; a self-portrait sculpture of Child showcasing his admiration of masonry and his religion; and two hearts in a cave with hands reaching down, with the hearts symbolizing the dead and the living.

If you want to see the sphinx for yourself, the park is open seven days a week, though the hours may vary. From April through September, the garden is open from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m., and from October until March, the garden is open from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.