Historical facts and trivia for Lagoon Amusement Park

LAGOON is one of Utah’s most popular seasonal attractions. Here is some historical trivia and facts about the Amusement Park:

-Lagoon was originally located about 1.7 miles west of its current site, just to the west of Clark Lane.

-The Park was originally built as a way to attract more passenger traffic to the Bamberger Railroad.

-Lagoon wasn’t “Lagoon” at first. When it was located westward, by the Great Salt Lake, from 1886-1896, it was known as “Lake Park.” The Lagoon name came after it moved eastward, near a lake.

-Approximately 53,000 guests visited the park in its first season in 1886. Admission in those days was 50 cents. Swimming, dancing, boating, a merry-go-round pulled by a horse, target shooting, roller skating and bowling were all included for that price.

-Lagoon moved eastward because the Great Salt Lake was receding. Bathers had to walk about a half-mile to swim in the lake during the 1895 season.

-Lagoon is the world’s 27th oldest operating amusement park in the same location, according to the National Amusement Park Historical Association (napha.org). It was the first amusement park west of the Mississippi River and is also the nation's largest family-owned amusement park.

-Lagoon’s first thrill ride was “Shoot the Chutes,” a forerunner of today’s log flume rides.

-The first known fatality at Lagoon was Henry John Barnes, 50, of Farmington, who drowned in about 3 feet of water at Lagoon's Lake on August 3, 1907.

-“The Lagoon Road” mentioned in the Park’s early history was not a highway at all. It was the nickname of the Bamberger rail line to Lagoon.

-The first LDS Stake Lagoon Day was probably held on held June 8, 1905, for the Salt Lake Stake.

-An “Old Folk’s Day” was a popular annual event at the park. One such event was held there on June 25, 1907. Any resident of Davis County over age 70 was invited for free to be Lagoon’s guests at the event. Pot roast beef, boiled ham, mutton, all kinds of cake and lemonade comprised the menu at the Old Folks’ Day.

-Horse racing, complete with legal betting, operated at Lagoon for two seasons, until the Utah State Legislature outlawed such horse racing in 1913.

 -Lagoon also operated its own saloon from opening day in 1886, until the end of the 1915 season, when it went alcohol free.

-Lagoon’s “water fit to drink” swimming pool arrived in 1921, complete with a cement bottom. This million-gallon pool would remain for five and a half decades, until it closed for good at the end of the 1987 season.

- Lagoon also had a "criminal" aspect during the 1920s, when the nation's alcohol prohibition was in force. During the off-season at Lagoon, some youths would stash kegs of booze in various portions of the park. For example, in the late fall of 1925, 31 kegs of liquor were found stashed behind the picture gallery.

-In 1932, Lagoon offered free swimming lessons to all comers in a special "Learn to Swim" campaign that July.

-Lagoon was closed for the 1943, 1944 and 1945 seasons because of World War II and gasoline rationing.

-In the 1950s, Lagoon championed civil rights and was one of the first Utah businesses to break the color barrier and allow Blacks to swim and dance at the Park.

-A fire of unknown origin damaged Lagoon on November 14, 1953. The front (east end) of the wooden roller coaster was wiped out. The Fun House and the Dancing Pavillion were reduced to rubble. Also destroyed were the Tunnel of Horrors, the Shooting Gallery, cafe, taproom, several storehouses and small concession booths. The historic Merry-Go-Round was saved by a constant flow of water sprayed on it. Volunteer firemen from the city battled the blaze for more than six hours.

-Lagoon’s Pioneer Village opened in 1976. Much of it had been a part of a Sons of Utah Pioneers’ museum in Salt Lake City.

-In the 1986 season, Lagoon hired 750 teenagers that year and the pay was $3.25 an hour, plus a bonus at the end of the season for employees who remained.

-Lagoon hosted its last concert in 1989, with the Glenn Miller Orchestra.

-Lagoon-A-Beach premiered in 1989.

-The “Fun House” at Lagoon closed for good after the 1990 season, because of liability concerns.

-“Frightmares at Lagoon first began in the fall of 1995.

-The park sold 41,000 season passports in 2006, up dramatically from the 300 it sold 26 years earlier in 1980, when the park began offering them.

-Lagoon’s three oldest existing rides are: 1. Carousel ("Merry-go-Round), 1906); 2. Wooden Roller Coaster; 3. Tilt-A-Whirl, 1954.