What are Bucolic Cemeteries?

In the nineteenth century, American cities had a problem with the dead. As urban areas became more densely populated, the churchyards in which the dead were interred became overcrowded and were considered. Outbreaks of epidemics like cholera and yellow fever were blamed on these festering burial grounds, which were often so full of bodies that they towered over the streets. Industrialization was rapidly claiming available land for development, with little space left for the dead.
“As the urban environment became paved over, more hurried, and commercial, a change of scenery reminiscent of the rural past, a readily accessible natural sanctuary within close proximity to the city, became necessary. “A romantic landscape was sought as a counterbalance to the disturbing aspects of the cityscape. This was the attraction of the rural cemeteries on the outskirts of most American cities.”

Back to Salt Lake City Cemetery.