Hi-Land Playland – Lagoon History Project

Illustration from 1964 ad. — Detail from 1964 ad.

a.k.a. Playland, Hi-Land Dairy Playland
Opened: Apr 1964
Closed: Pre-1983
Location: Mother Gooseland

Since at least the 1920s, a playground was usually available for kids to play on for several decades. When Mother Gooseland opened in 1956, a new playground was built near what is now Ladybug Bop and Dinosaur Drop.

Hi-Land Playland was built in 1964 and sponsored by Hi-Land Dairy. The dairy, based in Murray, Utah, often had promotions linked with Lagoon. It was located in the middle of the Kiddie Coaster and kids entered the Playland through a giant Hi-Land milk carton under the coaster’s lift hill.

One fan of the Kiddie Coaster (seen with her hands up in the photo below) remembered the Playland this way:

“The coaster surrounded a metal play area that was scorching hot all the time. Even the sand was hot!”

Kiddie Coaster and Playland in 1977. Photo: Joe Tordiff

Another visitor shared this description:

“There were swings, teeter-totters and other toys inside. I also remember a large pumpkin. It was the size of a small building. They sold snacks from inside it.”

This photo from Lagoon’s History Wall is actually from the 1970s. It shows the milk carton entrance to Hi-Land Playland.

The pumpkin was originally out in front of the Kiddie Coaster and used as a refreshment stand. In 1961 it became the I.Q. Zoo before being moved inside the Kiddie Coaster. Some recall seeing it used to store cleaning supplies, which may have been true in later years.

The station for Kiddie Coaster is visible in the background of this 1977 photo. Also visible is the pumpkin (left) and European Carousel (in front on the right). Photo courtesy of Deseret News

Before the 1980s. there were no laws or standards for designing safe playgrounds. After the Consumer Product & Safety Commission and later the ASTM published handbooks for playground safety in the early ’80s, it changed how play equipment was built and how owners are insured. Now most playgrounds have to be inspected by a certified official before they can be used.

Whether this had anything to do with the Playland’s removal, it was gone, along with the Kiddie Coaster, by 1983. Puff The Little Fire Dragon opened in its place in 1985. Another playground could be found in the Campground in the ’70s until it was taken out around the mid-80s.