MormonTimes.com: Conference a century ago

"Visitors find hotels full. Many times people have walked streets all night in quest of a room."

That was a Deseret News headline about the 79th Semiannual General Conference 100 years ago, on Oct. 3, 1908.

In contrast to previous years, when conference-goers would easily find "a hospitable door open to him or her," that was no longer the case.

"It means that there is not the warm cordiality existing as of yore between city residents and their country cousins," the News reported and advocated thoughtful persons provide bed and board for all conference visitors this time around.

Since the annual Utah State Fair was also held in early October, Salt Lake City had a large increase in outside visitors, who remained at least several days or more.

Large crowds at general conference made an overflow meeting in the Assembly Hall necessary and others stood up in the back of the Salt Lake Tabernacle rather than miss a session. Later, overflow church members also had to be seated in Barratt Hall (a downtown university building), as the Tabernacle and Assembly Hall were both full.

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