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Show Volume I , Issue XI Page 13 The OGDEN VALLEY NEWS August 1999 A Brief History of Rainbow Gardens by Robert Peery King & Astrid C. Boggi Situated at the mouth of the magnificent Ogden Canyon, just below Rainbow Falls, the Rainbow Gardens location and its thermal hot springs were venerated by the Native American tribes long before the first fur trappers or pioneers came into Northern Utah. In fact, the famous Indian Trial connected the hot springs location passengers from the Union Station, while in transit to their final destinations. Travelers and locals alike claimed that their bodies were much relieved by soaking in the mineral waters of the thermal springs. They also purged their bodies by drinking the mineral water, not unlike the visitors to Bath, England, and other famous European spas. In 1895, the first formal building commenced on what would become the Ogden Canyon Sanitarium and Resort. through the top of the then impassible canyon to the pristine Ogden Valley. History tells that in 1872 members of a U.S. Geological Survey made the first scientific analysis of the hot springs, and documented its water to be 121 (now 139) degrees Fahrenheit. That same year Isaac Johnson, a miner, came to seek his “pot of gold” at Rainbow and claimed the rights to the hot springs, which he later sold, in 1880, to three local businessmen, John Anderson, Fred J. Kiesel and John D. Carnahan. They offered the public free use of the springs while contemplating a master scheme for the mouth of the canyon. In 1890 the three partners became part of a development trust called Power Place which proposed to build an electric power plant, a dam and a hotel resort on this location, but a financial scare in 1893 put a stop to the proposal. It was not until a decade later, in the fall of 1903, that the Ogden Canyon Hot Springs Company commenced work on a Victorian building, which opened in 1904 as the Ogden Canyon Hot Spring Resort (subsequently a Sanitarium), featuring a hotel, dining rooms and, of course, the therapeutic mineral baths. In 1906, a trolley and tally-ho wagon service was offered to the resort by the Ogden Rapid Transit Company, transporting national and international With the advance of faster intercontinental train service the Ogden stop-over became no longer necessary; the resort suffered financial problems and was closed in 1920. The old wooden building was eventually destroyed by fire, some seven years later, in 1927. In 1928, the colorful entrepreneur A. V. Smith bought the resort and rebuilt it in bricks, naming it “El Monte Springs.” It again featured mineral baths, but this time a large swimming pool and a grand ballroom—where marathon dances were held during the late 20’s— w e r e added. Unfortunately, the Great Depression put an end to Smith’s plans and El Monte shut its doors in 1932. The resort lay dormant through the depression until it was purchased by Ogden’s Cowboy Mayor Harman W. Peery in 1942. He renamed it “Riverside Gardens” and billed it as the “Kochbrunnen of America,” offering swimming and dancing. In 1946 the resort was turned over to Harm’s only daughter, Rosanne, and her handsome husband Robert W. King, who changed its name again (for the last time) to today’s Rainbow Gardens. The Kings began the restoration of the old Victorian spa, and for 25 years the Gardens operated as a resort, including Flier, circa 1940’s, of Riverside Gardens. outdoor and indoor swimming pools, a ballroom and 18 bowling lanes. In 1970, Rosanne opened “Rainbow Imports” in the old ballroom, featuring gifts from around t h e world. Then, i n 1975, the old indoor swimming pool became the sunken “Gift Garden,” a terraced solarium filled with plants and gifts. The following spring, The Greenery Restaurant opened, nowadays one of Ogden’s most charming dining experiences. Another era ended in 1996 when, after 35 years, the “Rainbow Lanes” gave way to an additional retail facility–the Utah Book Nook, which opened its doors in the summer of 1998. Designed to welcome visitors and travelers to the Utah’s Winter Olympics of 2002 and the new Millennium, the Utah Book Nooks is only the first of five phases of the larger Planet Rainbow restoration, which will convert the old bowling lanes into a new, exciting retail and multi-purpose facility n the next five years. Today Rainbow Gardens is still owned by the King family, with Robert W. King serving a CEO, his wife Rosanne as President, and their five children all in the corporation’s retail and management positions. When you visit the Gardens today, amidst all of its modern flavor and flair, you can still find a sense of its soul that echoes from its glorious ancient, and not so ancient past. |