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Emo’s Grave – Salt Lake City

by Jennifer Jones
written by Jennifer Jones

The Legend:

If you circle the Moritz Mausoleum three times while chanting “Emo, Emo, Emo” and then look into the mausoleum you’ll see the red glowing eyes of “Emo” staring back at you.

The History:

One of the local legends I’ve had a lot of people ask me about is that of Emo’s Grave.  Emo’s Grave is a mausoleum located in the Jewish section of the Salt Lake City Cemetery.  The tomb is visible from 4th Street just East of 990 East.  You won’t find the name Emo anywhere on the mausoleum, however as it, in fact, belonged to a man by the name of Jacob Moritz.

Image courtesy of the Utah State Historical Society

Emo’s Grave – The Dead History

Jacob Moritz was born in Ingenheim, Germany in February of 1849 and immigrated to the United States in September of 1865 at the age of 16. After spending a couple of years in New York City working at the F.M. Schaefer Brewing Co, he moved to St Louis where he worked for Anheuser-Busch. Determined to try his hand at mining he eventually made his way to Helena, Montana.  It’s unknown whether he wasn’t successful at mining or just wanted to get back into brewing but in 1871 he moved to Salt Lake City and opened the Little Montana Brewery. Within a few years, Jacob’s brewery became immensely successful, and he built a much larger, state of the art brewery on 10th East and 5th South, renaming it the Salt Lake City Brewing Co.  Part of what was once a large brewery is still standing and is now the Anniversary Inn.

Over his 39 years in Salt Lake City, Jacob Moritz grew his brewery to be one of the largest outside of Milwaukee.  His beer was sold throughout Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Arizona, Colorado, and even parts of California.  At the height of his success, he also owned over 36 saloons.  In 1889 he married Lahela Louisson from Hawaii, and she joined him in Salt Lake. They were both extremely active with the local Jewish community; he served as President of Temple B’nai Israel, and she was the leader of the Hebrew Ladies’ Relief Society. Not only was he a successful brewer and businessman, but he was also involved in Utah politics, with the Liberal Party. Despite the fact that he made his fortune by the production and sale of alcohol, and also that he was involved in the less popular liberal politics, he was embraced by Utah’s Mormon population and from all accounts was extremely popular and well liked.  In October 1909 he was issued a passport and shortly after that he and Lahela left the United States to go to Europe.  Mr. Moritz had been in poor health for a few months, and they thought the rest, along with the local mineral springs would do his health good. By June of 1910, they had made their way to Germany, and it was there that Jacob Moritz succumbed to the effects of lung and stomach cancer.  His wife and siblings were present when he died at the age of 61. And here is where the legend of Emo’s grave begins.  

According to the newspaper article that announced his death, Lahela had her husband cremated, with the intention to inter his remains in a mausoleum located in the Jewish section of the Salt Lake City Cemetery.  Lahela returned to the United States from Europe on the 23rd of July.  Jacob’s remains were sent “in bond” and arrived on the 25th.  His remains were interred in the mausoleum sometime after July 31st, but I could find no mention of a funeral or any ceremony.Shortly after his remains were placed in the mausoleum the rumors about “Emo’s grave” began.  It’s not known who or what started these rumors, or where the name Emo originated. Lahela remarried not long after Jacob’s death and moved with her new husband to California. Eventually, Jacob’s remains were removed and given to his family, but it’s not known where they were eventually reinterred. I suspect they were probably taken to California and possibly even buried with Lahela upon her death in 1959.

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CemeteriesUrban Legends

The Weeping Woman of Logan City Cemetery

by Jennifer Jones
written by Jennifer Jones

The Legend:

If you stand in front of the Weeping Woman in the middle of the night during a full moon and say “Weep woman, weep” the statue will cry tears.

The legend says that the woman is weeping over the loss of her children, only 3 of 8 lived to adulthood.  Depending on what version you hear she will cry only during full moons, or she will cry on the anniversary of each of her children’s deaths.

The History:

This monument was erected by Olif Cronquist in honor of his wife Julia Cronquist, who died on January 8th, 1914 from valvular heart disease, most likely caused by scarlet fever.  Olif was one of the first county commissioners in Cache County and was also a well-known dairy farmer.

Their first child, Margaret was born in 1880, quickly followed by twins Olif and Oliver in 1883. Orson was born in 1888 and everything seemed fine until the first bout of scarlet fever hit the family in March 1889.  By March 22, 1889, the twins Olif and Oliver were both dead, succumbing to the effects of scarlet fever. They were 5 years old.  This was also when Julia contracted scarlet fever which would cause her problems for the rest of her life, and would ultimately lead to her death.

Weeping Woman of Logan City Cemetery - The Dead History

Another child, Elam, was born in 1891 and things were starting to look up for the Cronquist family.  In 1894, Lilean was born and it’s unclear whether she was stillborn or only lived for a short period of time. In a matter of 5 years, the Cronquist family has lost 3 of their 6 children.

Julia and Olif had another daughter in 1896 named Emelia, and in 1899 Inez was born.  Happiness was again short lived and scarlet fever struck their family for the second time in late February 1901. On March 1st, 1901 their two daughters died from scarlet fever.  Emelia was 4 and Inez was 2. They were buried together in a specially built casket.

Olif Cronquist

In a matter of  12 years, five of their 8 children had died.  According to family history, Julia was inconsolable and would often visit the graves of her children. Passersby would remark that they often saw Mrs. Cronquist weeping at the graves. She progressively got weaker from the damage done by scarlet fever and passed away at 3 am on January 14th, 1914.

In her obituary she was remembered as “a splendid type of woman, tender, loving, patient and true, bearing her great burden without complaint and always seeking the happiness and comfort of those about her. She was adored by the members of her family.”

Visit the Weeping Woman

Olif had the impressive monument constructed and erected in the cemetery in 1917.  You can find the Weeping Woman and the Cronquist family plot at the Logan City Cemetery which is located at 1000 N 1200 East, Logan, on the campus of Utah State University.  The plot number is A_ 100_ 45_ 4.

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CemeteriesUrban Legends

Uncovering the Truth Behind Flo’s Grave: The Legend and History of Ogden City Cemetery’s Ghost

by Jennifer Jones
written by Jennifer Jones

According to local legend, if you flash the lights of your car onto Flo’s grave three times, her ghost will appear and approach you. Stories about how she died have circulated for years, with some saying she was waiting for her boyfriend to pick her up for a school dance at Ogden High when she was struck and killed by a car. Another version claims she choked on a piece of candy. But how close are these stories to the real events that caused her untimely death?

Florence Louise Grange, often called Louise rather than Florence or Flo, was born on November 24, 1903, in Ogden. She was the second child of Dottie Susan Mumford and Ralph Manton Grange. From the limited information available, she appeared to be a well-liked girl, mentioned as a guest at various social gatherings and even playing on a school volleyball team in 1916.

In 1918, the world was hit by the devastating Spanish Flu pandemic, which claimed between 20 and 50 million lives worldwide, including nearly 700,000 in the United States. Utah was particularly hard-hit, ranking as the third most affected state. By late November of that year, the outbreak overwhelmed Ogden’s hospitals, prompting officials to convert an LDS amusement hall into an emergency care center. Residents needed a clean bill of health just to enter the city. From September 1918 until June 1919, over 2,343 deaths in Utah were attributed to the Spanish Flu, which was especially severe for young, otherwise healthy individuals.

The Grange family, like many others, was not spared from the flu. According to their family history, they contracted the illness after one of their tenants became sick. Most of the family experienced mild cases, but Louise was not as fortunate. She fell seriously ill and, after being sick for ten days, died at home on December 29, 1918, at 5 a.m. She was just 15 years old. Her official cause of death was recorded as “died suddenly, probably of endocarditis,” with influenza as a contributing factor.

It’s possible that the connection between Flo’s ghost and cars stems from her family’s background. Louise’s father, Ralph Grange, was one of Utah’s first auto mechanics, renowned for his expertise in building, fixing, and racing cars.

You can find “Flo’s Grave” at the Ogden City Cemetery, near 20th & Washington. Her resting place is on 7th, just north of Martin, in plot number 2A-13-32-5W. Nearby are the graves of her parents, grandparents, and at least one sibling. Despite the myths surrounding her death, the real story of Florence Louise Grange is a reminder of the tragic toll the Spanish Flu took on young lives like hers.

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