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Show I Lagoon ...Back In The 1890's A Capsule History of. . .Lagoon and Pioneer Village Back in the 1890's the land Lagoon now occupies was largely swampy meadowland whose major resource was large, noisy bullfrogs. Just to the west, on the shores of the Great Salt Lake, was Lake Park, the forerunner of Lagoon. This lakeside park was famous for dancing and bathing. When the Lake began to recede, Simon Bamberger, Bam-berger, the founder of the Park and later governor of Utah, moved Lake Park to th east and re-named it Lagoon, because it was now located on a lake near a larger body of water. It became a stop on Bamberger's Salt Lake and Ogden Railroad. Building amusement parks along railway lines was a common practice at the turn-of-the century to add incentive to railway travel. And so Lagoon opened on July 12 of 1896. The newspaper new-spaper recorded the event; "Lagoon, the new resort at Farmington. Excellent boating. Elegant dancing pavilion. Fine music. A shady bowery. Good restaurant on the premises. Don't fail to visit lagoon. The finest picnic resort in Utah." For a quarter you could buy two round-trip tickets tick-ets on the Railway from Salt Lake to Lagoon. At that time Lagoon consisted of three main buildings: A Fun House; a Restaurant, and; a Saloon. The day's fun consisted of swimming in the Lagoon I ake. rowntr on hat same lake. riding a merry-go-round that was pulled by a horse, walking walk-ing through the gardens, picnicing, you could buy a soda pop for a nickel, riding the jets out over the lake or dancing. danc-ing. At that time all Davis County attended one high high school and Lagoon was the popular spot to meet for dances. In 1911 horse races were held in what is now the stadium area. Roads were improving, but they were still just dusty, two-lane roads, so the train brought the crowds. Every Memorial Day brought the popular Salt Lake to Lagoon Bicycle Race. The train would be loaded with passengers pas-sengers and it would run parallel to the Race, with cheering cheer-ing crowds rooting for their favorite racers. Bands were always on hand for dancing, Lagoon had a zoo (which included in-cluded bears and elephants). It was the training camp for Bob Fitzsimmons, a World Champion Boxer, and Lagoon was the sight of the first public flights in Utah and was a popular place for bar-be-ques and roller skating. The roaring twenties brought the roar of the Giant Coaster to Lagoon. This addition to the Park has since become the symbol of "fun" at Lagoon. The Pool was cemented in the late twenties and you could now "swim in water fit to drink," rather than float on top of water at the Great Salt Lake. As the times went, so did Lagoon, it was always the favorite family picnic spot of Utah. It was a kewpie doll with feathers won in a game of chance. Lagoon brought familiar laughter even during the depression depres-sion years. The Park was closed for three years during World War II because of gas rationing. After the war, Lagoon had a re-birth in more ways than one. It was in 1946 that the current management took over Lagoon. Every year since has seen improvements and growth, making Lagoon one of America's finest amusement parks and still the favorite Utah family fun spot. In 1953 fire devastated the entire west side of the Midway. A steady stream of water saved the Merry-Go-Round from falling victim to the flames. The re-building that year was perhaps the greatest turning turn-ing point for Lagoon. It was now moving from the realm of carnival to that of a full-fledged amusement park, an entertainment center. The Patio Gardens was built and every summer Utahns were entertained by such names as Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, the Everley Brothers and the Beach Boys. In 1968 the Opera House was constructed con-structed and has become the home of favorite Broadway musicals. Each year has seen improvements and more ways to "have fun," but perhaps, nothing has changed the face of Lagoon so much as the addition of Pioneer Village in 1976. Lagoon has always had an important part in the history his-tory of the people of Utah. But now Lagoon was preserving preserv-ing that history for all to see and enjoy and remember. It is a reminder, in sharp contrast to the busling Midway, of a time when long skirts brushed boarded sidewalks, and horses and carriages were the luxury in transportation. This 15-acre, authentic Utah Pioneer town of the 1890's houses one of America's Finest collection of horse-drawn carriages, a re-knowned gun collection and exhibits of every pioneer artifact housed in the actual buildings preserved pre-served from the past. It is truly an experience in living history. Pioneer Village combines the best of in today's good times with the best of yesterday. Today, Lagoon and Pioneer Village has grown to include in-clude 37 thrilling rides, including Colossus, the most exciting excit-ing double-loop steel coaster in the West! Mind-boggling games and all the eating treats you can imagine are also a part of the fun at Lagoon. |
