St. Anne’s Retreat
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Legendary St. Anne’s Retreat in Logan Canyon has been the source of a contemporary oral tradition and legend-tripping for the last fifty years. Local legends tell of a haunted place with stories laced in ancient themes telling of nuns and priests secretly engaging in sexual encounters, nuns getting pregnant by priests, giving birth and drowning their babies in the legendary pool.
Explore this collection to research the meaning behind these legends, the circumstances around this event and how religious folklore and other cultural constructs play important roles in the maintenance of a vivid local legend cluster.
St. Ann’s OR St. Anne’s: What’s in a Name? According to the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City, the Retreat is officially spelled St. Ann’s Retreat (Ann without an “e”). Local traditions, including most collected legend versions held in the Fife Folklore Archives, articles from the local newspaper, and some scholarly articles, use the spelling of St. Anne’s (with the “e”). While not the official spelling, this collection reflects the folklore surrounding this location. Therefore, we have chosen to represent the folk spelling in this collection.
Please visit the St. Anne’s Retreat Digital Exhibit for more information.