Captive Aeroplanes over Lagoon Lake.
Given the nature of many thrill rides, it’s not uncommon for them to be compared to aviation. Ever since the Wright Brothers first flew in 1903 (and maybe even earlier), the amusement industry has drawn upon the experience of flying for inspiration. The connection is still apparent today as Lagoon adds the new ride Air Race to its list of rides based on air travel.
The first such ride at Lagoon would have probably been the Captive Aeroplanes added around the late 1910s. The planes swung out over Lagoon Lake before they were switched out with large silver rocket-shaped gondolas. Real airplanes also entertained Lagoon’s guests. In 1914, a big race was held on the old race track north of the park between Lincoln Beachey in an airplane and Barney Oldfield in an automobile. Kids also had the chance to experience floating through the air on rides like the old Kiddie Planes or today’s Red Baron and Helicopter rides. Rides such as Rock-O-Plane, Roll-O-Plane and Octopus were manufactured by Eyerly Aircraft, whose founder Lee Eyerly started out inventing devices to train pilots and later found his creations to be more popular as amusement park rides. When Lagoon added Space Scrambler in 1961, airline stewardesses and a pilot were photographed taking one of the first rides by the Deseret News. The Sky Coaster’s creator based the ride on the thrill of jumping out of a plane and Lagoon’s Sky Coaster features signage portraying a fictional “Lagoon Air Corps”.
Red Baron in Kiddie Land. Photo: B. Miskin
For the 2012 season, Air Race has taken its place next to Jet Star 2 and one of Lagoon’s most popular classic rides – Flying Aces. In addition to these rides, many Lagoon rides and their names have also been inspired after space travel such as The Rocket, Satellite and UFO to name a few.
Read more about some of the rides mentioned above:
Peter Freed and the clock in Pioneer Village, 1977. Photo: Deseret News
At the south end of Main Street in Pioneer Village stands a large antique clock. Unlike other attractions in Pioneer Village, it lacks any accompanying informational signage, but it’s history shows it is authentic and one of many preserved treasures at Lagoon.
The bulk of Pioneer Village was acquired from the collection of Horace Sorenson, but Lagoon has also procured some artifacts of its own. One example is this old street clock relocated in 1977 from Main Street and 300 South in Salt Lake City. Throughout much of the 1800s, street clocks were manufactured in the Eastern states and were costly to ship, making these clocks a sign of prestige in the West. By the turn of the century, however, street clocks could be found up and down Salt Lake City’s Main Street. The last one from the 19th century still operating in Salt Lake is the Old Zions Bank Clock at Main Street and 100 South. In its early days, water diverted from nearby City Creek drove an underground water wheel that powered the clock.
Photo from a 1992 Lagoon brochure.
It’s unknown how old Lagoon’s clock is or how long it stood at its former location. When park president, Peter Freed was interviewed by The Deseret News in 1977, he said the old clock “didn’t work anymore. It was a wreck, just a shell.”
The clock had to be removed by crane. Richard Freed, who had restored several items for Lagoon including the old Engine No. 999 and the band organ used on the Carousel, also worked on the restoration of the clock. One original clock face remained and was used as a pattern to etch three other faces in glass. The original motor, operated by 100-pound lead weights, was removed and displayed in the tool collection. The restored clock now runs on electricity and – when it was first installed at Lagoon – the chimes would ring every 15 minutes. It has been repainted at least a couple of times since it arrived in 1977.
Main Street Clock, 2007. Photo: B. Miskin
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LINKS
The True Namesake Of The Freedola
SOURCES
Old chime clock makes a timely addition to Pioneer Village decor. Deseret News, 27 Jul 1977.
Markosian, Richard. What Lies Beneath Salt Lake City?. UtahStories.com, 26 Aug 2010.
The Old Clock – Last 19th-Century Post Clock in Salt Lake City. Waymarking.com, 6 Sep 2010.
Street Clocks!. GreatStreets.org, accessed 22 Mar 2012.
Photo printed in the 10 March 1982 Deseret News.
Lists of the many popular performers that have come to Lagoon can now be found on LagoonHistory.com. The lists include performances at venues including the original Dance Pavilion, Patio Gardens, Village Green and Lagoon Stadium. Some of the most popular names of the 20th century came to Lagoon and many returned more than once.
The list is far from complete, but will be updated as more information becomes available and can be confirmed. Thanks to the many people who have emailed me concert information over the years!
I’m beginning a new feature here at the Lagoon History Project called Lagoon Yearbooks. First of all, to be clear, they are not actual books. Just a collection of photos, history and information about specific time periods in Lagoon’s past. For example, in the 1980 Yearbook you’ll find a short history of the 1980 season, list of attractions and entertainment at the park that year and a gallery with old ads, photos and other general nostalgia from 1980.
Just like the rest of the website, more info will be added as it becomes available or when it can be confirmed. If you have photos, please submit them to admin@lagoonhistory.com and share your memories!
Every once in awhile I’m going to deviate from the topic of Lagoon to explore other parks and resorts in the area. I had never heard of Majestic Park in Salt Lake City until a few months ago while searching for details on an early coaster which Richard Munch’s 1991 Roller Coaster Directory claims existed at Lagoon under the name “Race Through The Clouds”. I was also unaware that a scenic railway once operated on the grounds of the Salt Palace so there is sure to be much more interesting history yet to be rediscovered about the area.
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Standing at the 900 South entrance to Ken Garff Honda in Salt Lake City, it may be hard to imagine a 300-foot replica of the Eiffel Tower standing as the entrance to what was once envisioned to be the city’s amusement center. But that’s exactly what the Majestic Park Company had in mind.
Proposed additions to Majestic Park in a 1915 newspaper ad.
Majestic Park opened around 1913 on the grounds of the original Salt Palace which burned down in August 1910. It featured a 23,000-square-foot dance hall and baseball diamond which was home to the original Salt Lake Bees franchise starting in 1915. There was also a bicycle track which could have been a remnant from the days of the Salt Palace.
In early 1915, a series of ads were placed in newspapers to attract investors. These advertisements announced big plans for the park’s future including:
- 300-foot electrified replica of the Eiffel Tower
- Racing coaster “similar to ‘Race Through the Clouds’ at Venice, Cal.”
- Carousel, slides and various concessions
- Natatorium with 75 x 150-foot swimming pool
- A larger, 40,000-square-foot dance hall
- Roller skating rink measuring 60 x 130 feet
- Roof garden
Illustration: Eugen Haberer
The park was to be designed by James Carey of New York who also designed the original Luna Park at Coney Island and Dominion Park in Montreal. Both parks featured a single, large tower as a focal point much like the Eiffel Tower replica that would have been at Majestic Park.
As far as I can tell, the Eiffel Tower, swimming pool, roof garden and racing coaster were never built and Majestic Park never seemed to fully evolve into the amusement park it was meant to be. A larger dance pavilion was built in 1916 and the name changed to Bonneville Park the following November.
New dance hall under construction, 23 Jul 1916. Used by permission, Utah State Historical Society, all rights reserved.
The Salt Lake Bees continued to play there until the franchise moved to Hollywood after the 1925 season¹. Meanwhile a new Salt Lake Bees team was created for the Utah-Idaho League and later the Pioneer League. Another season was played at Bonneville Park after the war, but the stadium suffered a fire just days after the playoffs ended. Salt Lake Tribune sports editor, John C. Derks headed an effort to rebuild a new stadium on a vacant lot a few blocks south which would be named Derks Field in his honor. This was replaced with the new Franklin Quest Field (now SpringMobile Ballpark) in 1994.
In the ’60s, the southern half of the former Bonneville Park was occupied by a Ramada Inn, which later became a Holiday Inn and is now a transitional center for the homeless called Palmer Court.
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NOTES
1. The original Salt Lake Bees franchise started out in Sacramento in 1903 and then moved to Tacoma, back to Sacramento and to San Francisco before settling in Salt Lake City. As part of the Pacific Coast League, the other teams were a good distance away from Salt Lake City. High travel expenses led to the decision to move the team to Hollywood where it later became the Hollywood Stars. The Hollywood Stars moved again in 1936 when they became the original San Diego Padres. The franchise came to an end in 1968 after the owner at the time, C. Arnholdt Smith, won a bid for a National League expansion team. He used the same name of his old team when he created the San Diego Padres we know today.
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SOURCES
Pavilion At Majestic Park. Deseret News, 26 May 1913.
Majestic Park Company advertisement. Deseret News, 26 Feb 1915.
Majestic Park Company advertisement. Deseret News, 1 Mar 1915.
Permanent Home Is Planned For Bees. Deseret News, 16 Sep 1915.
F.S. Murphy Says Baseball Club Had No Interest In License. Deseret News, 11 Mar 1916.
Majestic Park To Be Amusement Center. Deseret News, 24 Apr 1916.
Majestic Park Opens. Deseret News, 31 May 1916.
Park Name Changed. Deseret News, 4 Nov 1916.
Games of Chance at Bonneville Park Closed. Deseret News, 6 Oct 1917.
Idaho Falls And Pocatello Ready To Enter New Ball Circuit. Deseret News, 9 Feb 1926.
Writers Plan Plaque; Spur Derks Dedication. Deseret News, 25 Jul 1948.
Schindler, Hal. Utah Grows Up With the New Century. The Salt Lake Tribune, 28 Jan 1996.
Zingg, Paul J. & Mark D. Medeiros. Runs, Hits and an Era: The Pacific Coast League, 1903-58. University of Illinois Press, 1994.
Dominion Park. Closed Canadian Parks, accessed 18 Mar 2011.
History – Salt Lake Bees Spring Mobile Ballpark. SaltLakeBees.com, accessed 29 Jun 2011.
RE: Lagoon’s Herschell Kiddie Coaster. Email message sent to author from Duane M., 6 Mar 2004.
Article published in Deseret News, 5 Jul 1950:
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"Dean Swaner, Lagoon employe, holds safe handle knocked off as robbers broke open safe after binding and gagging nightwatchman at gunpoint." Photo: Deseret News
FARMINGTON – Two armed men bound and gagged a nightwatchman, pried open a safe and escaped with 11 sacks of money early Wednesday at Lagoon resort, Davis County Sheriff LeGrande Hess reported.
Sheriff Hess “guessed” the loss might run as high as $15,000.
But Robert Freed, park manager, said he couldn’t even make an estimate of the loss until after a check by the auditing department. He said it was at least partially covered by insurance.
Hugh Roberts, 74-year-old nightwatchman, said he had just finished cleaning a room back of the resort office and walked into the office about 4 a.m. to be confronted by two masked men, revolvers [drawn].
“Stick ‘em up buddy. This is a holdup and we’re not kidding,” he was told.
Mr. Roberts told Sheriff Hess they plastered a strip of adhesive tape across his eyes, forced him into a back bedroom and bound and gagged him with torn sheets and more tape.
The robbers then returned to the office and ripped off the safe door with sledge hammers, bar, punch, and coal chisel, the sheriff said.
Eleven bags of money, ranging from pennies to $20 bills, were taken. It represented receipts from Independence Day operations, the sheriff said, and had been bagged for banking Wednesday.
"Elvin King, cleanup crew foreman, holds up strips of sheeting which armed robbers used to bind and gag Nightwatchman Hugh Roberts. Mr. King discovered Roberts when he came to work Wednesday at 5 a.m." Photo: Deseret News
The nightwatchman, his hands and feet crisscrossed with strips of sheeting and tape, lay helpless until 5 a.m. when he was discovered by a cleanup crew.
He was so upset by the robbery he could not give a detailed description of the assailants but he said one was considerably darker than the other. Mr. Roberts said they were wearing caps.
Sheriff Hess said they entered the office by breaking a lock at the rear of the combination office and home. Mr. and Mrs. Max Hess, who occupy the home, were away at the time, he said.
The sheriff said he has reason to believe there were three men involved, though only two were present at the robbery. No clue was given as to method of getaway. Three concession operators who live in bunkhouses at the resort said they saw two men leave the office about 4 a.m. One of the operators followed the men a short distance, then turned back and joined his companions.
The employes – Wesley Wicker, Leon Duffy, and Pete Vlahos, all teenagers – said they thought nothing of the incident.
The resort closed at 1 a.m. after one of the heaviest crowds of the season.
"Photograph shows how Lagoon safe was 'cleaned' by two robber-safecrackers who bound and gagged nightwatchman and broke open the safe early Wednesday." Photo: Deseret News
An old iron cannon used to start off Lagoon’s summer firework displays now rests in front of the Farmington City Historical Museum. The plaque beneath it states it was also used “in the Morrisite Battle at Uintah at the mouth of Weber Canyon in 1862.” Included below are some accounts from two long-time Farmington residents.
Photo from "A Brief History Of Farmington".
Milton Hess built many of Lagoon’s original buildings including the original Fun House and Shoot-The-Chutes ride. After leaving for other work, he was asked by Julian Bamberger to return and move his family to a house next to the park which had been relocated from Lake Park. His wife, Margaret Steed Hess, wrote a history of Farmington in which she shared her memory of the cannon, nick-named the “Old Sow”.
“On the 4th and 24th of July my husband (Milton) would stuff the ‘Old Sow’ cannon with rags and powder, over on the south side of the east pond, and when it got dark enough he would touch a match to the cannon and ‘Boom-boom’ the noisy thing would nearly blast off your head if you were too close to it. Then all the fireworks would be set off.”
Another history of Farmington by well-known educator, George Q. Knowlton, included these stories about the cannon.
“The old cannon that the pioneers brought across the plains used to be at the Lagoon, and was fired on big holidays. One day some boys loaded it with rocks and blew the top off the skating rink.”
“. . . for a long time it disappeared. Finally Dr. R.C. Robinson found it buried in the south bank of the Lagoon Pond. He dug it out, cleaned it up, and with the aid of Horace Van Fleet brought it up into town, and had it mounted on wheels.”
The east pond mentioned in Margaret Hess’ account is basically the portion of Lagoon Lake that remains today. Originally, another pond connected to it on the west side where the South Midway is now. The plaque on the memorial was placed in 1947 so it might be that the cannon was forgotten while Lagoon closed during World War II, if not earlier. As George Knowlton says, it was found in the same south bank of the pond. It probably sunk into the soft ground because of its weight. The cannon was mounted by David Lund at what was then the City Hall (now a museum).
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LINKS
Old Sow Photos on Flickr.
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SOURCES
Hess, Margaret Steed. My Farmington: 1847-1976. Daughters Of Utah Pioneers, Helen Mar Miller Camp, Farmington, Utah. 1976.
Knowlton, George Quincy. A Brief History Of Farmington Utah. Inland Printing, Kaysville, Utah. 1965.
Markers and Monuments Database – Pioneer Cannon. Utah History Resource Center, accessed 3 Jul 2011.
Photo from 1933 Popular Mechanics.
A few months ago I posted an article about the animated gorilla figure used in Lagoon’s Haunted Shack and Terroride attractions. I have since received an update on the history of these hulking creatures from the same man, John Clowers, who has obtained his own gorilla. He says:
“The original company that created these big lugs did so back in 1933 (the same year the first King Kong premiered) and displayed one as part of a huge World’s Fair animated exhibit called 1 Million Years B.C. as
shown on the attached page from Popular Mechanics, June edition, 1933! The Company was Messmore & Damon, Inc. and created giant mechanical dinosaurs, mammoths and more! Later they used the 1933 gorilla molds to make some replicas for dark rides and theme parks. They made some until the early 1970s and charged $1,800.00 for one back then…
As you may notice, the earlier Gorilla’s detailed chest remained uncovered by faux fur just as I stated I thought mine looked best! So the few remaining animated gorillas by this company are actually made from the 1933 World’s Fair molds (78 years ago) the year Fay Ray and Kong created all that buzz! I’d suggest that the Lagoon gorilla might be treated to indoor restoration instead of weathering outside amongst tossed Halloween pumpkin shells. These have real historic value indeed!”
With a little more digging, I found a 1967 catalog from Messmore & Damon that lists Lagoon as one of their clients. It’s also listed in catalogs from 1968 and a This Is, Inc. catalog from 1975. It’s very likely that the displays and props for The Haunted Shack, Terroride and Dracula’s Castle were supplied by Messmore & Damon. It seems there’s also a possibility that Messmore & Damon designed the displays in Mother Goose Land so I’ll be looking into this a lot more. If you have any helpful information, please let me know by clicking the “Contact” link at the top of the page.
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SOURCES
Amusement Display Associates, Inc. Catalogs, The Bill Tracy Project. Accessed 1 Jun 2011.
RE: Haunted Shack Gorilla. Email message from John C. to author, 21 Apr 2011.
Lagoon is no stranger to voluminous amounts of water. For 50 years it boasted a “million-gallon” swimming pool and today it features several attractions meant to soak and drench sun-parched guests. There are, however, instances when the forces of nature take their toll and the park has its fill.
Flooding of Farmington Creek in 1920 only had a small impact on Lagoon. About two feet of mud filled the pool that spring, but crews acted quickly to have the park ready for opening on Memorial Day. There was possibly minimal damage in 1927 also, but so far, I’ve found no evidence of any notable damage that year.
Map from 31 May 1983 Deseret News.
The 1983 mudslides caused considerably more damage in many different areas. Mud and debris from Rudd Creek pushed its way down Farmington’s Main Street, down 3rd North to Lagoon Lane and emptied into a pasture east of Lagoon (now occupied by Rattlesnake Rapids).
Upstream from the park, Farmington Pond collected debris and saved Lagoon and many homes from further destruction.
Mud and silt covered areas of the park – as deep as eight feet in some places. Memorial Day crowds were asked to return home and the park was closed for four days. Repairs had to be made to the tracks of the Wild Kingdom Train and cleanup around the park continued until the following spring. Musik Express’ “decorations, lights, canopy and scenery had to be refurbished and replaced three times” in 1983.
Flooding from mountain snow runoff as well as the rising Great Salt Lake threatened the area in 1984, but diversion canals and flood control basins were being put in place by then. Instead, Lagoon was faced with problems caused during the winter of 1983-’84. The heavy snow ruined rooftops of buildings in Pioneer Village, the European Carousel and asphalt walkways. Once again Lagoon worked quickly to have the park ready for visitors. New concrete was poured at the Main Entrance, rooftops were fixed and the European Carousel was replaced by the Red Barons ride which still operates today.
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SOURCES
Flood Fighters, 1983-84: An Account Of The Mudslides And Flooding In Davis County, Carr Printing Company, Inc., Bountiful, Utah. 1984.
Lagoon Ready For Memorial Day Opening. Deseret News, 27 May 1920.
‘Wet sponge’ state may put drain on taxpayers. Deseret News, 31 May 1983.
Lagoon losing a lot of cash. Deseret News, 1 Jun 1983.
Davis facing double flood dangers. Deseret News, 29 Jan 1984.
Raindrops keep falling on Lagoon on opening day. Deseret News, 20 Apr 1984.
Flood Fighters, 1983-84: An Account Of The Mudslides And Flooding In Davis County, Carr Printing Co., Inc., Bountiful, Utah. 1984.
