WILLARD Peak
and Willard Basin comprise some of highest and most rugged territory in Box
Elder County. Willard Basin, approximately 8,600 feet in elevation and on the
backside of both Willard and Ben Lomond Peaks, is a remote oasis and has been
the site of some unusual events over the decades.
For example,
the Ogden Standard-Examiner of July 22, 1948 chronicled that Willard Basin was
the site of a Jim Bridger Festival for some years each summer.
The 12-mile
road from Mantua into the Basin was widened and improved before the event.
“Those
making the trip will be especially fortunate in that there are hundreds of
acres of wild flowers in bloom at present, with hundreds of varieties to see,”
the Standard story stated.
To lessen
traffic problems along the mountainous road to the Basin, those going up had to
be there by 11:30 a.m. Festival day. The rest of the day was reserved for
return traffic on the road.
The Festival
included games, races, a log sawing contest, games and talks on geology and
botany.
The
Standard-Examiner of June 24, 1956 includes the legend that Bridger himself
visited the Basin on the way to Willard Peak to prove that the Great Salt Lake
was an arm of the ocean, since it was so salty. Bridger supposedly carved his
name on a tree in the Basin, though no one has ever been able to locate it.
-The
Standard-Examiner of Sept. 27, 1970 reported that a lofty wedding was also held
in the Basin. Rodney L. George and Connie K. Eldredge tied the knot there, with
18 people in attendance – and all overdressed for a serene mountainous setting.
Inside Willard Basin.
-According
to the Standard-Examiner of Feb. 2, 1941, the original road into the Basin was
built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) from 1936 to 1940. Fire control,
maintaining livestock fences and erosion control were the main reasons for the
road being built.
(Many
mountain roads in the west were built by the CCC.)
The lake inside Willard Basin.
In fact, an
early fall snowstorm on October 18, 1938 trapped 15 CCC workers in Willard
Basin. Bulldozers had to slowly chew their way to rescue the men, the Standard-Examiner
of that date stated.
Willard Peak resembles a knob-like feature from Ben Lomond Peak.
-Willard
Peak, elevation 9,763 feet, is the highest peak in Weber County (taller than
9,712-foot Ben Lomond Peak), as it straddles the Box Elder-Weber county line.
Paragliders have also from time-to-time leaped from Willard Peak or Ben Lomond
Peak during various celebrations.
For example,
the town of Willard’s July 4th celebration of 1975 included
paragliders jumping off Willard Peak and landing in town.
-On
Saturday, Sept. 29, 1923, the schools in Box Elder County sponsored a hike to
Willard Peak, the Box Elder County News of Sept. 25 that year reported.
The top of Willard Peak.
-“500 Trek
to Willard Peak” was a July 18, 1939 headline in the Standard-Examiner.
Residents from Ogden to Brigham City hiked to the top of Willard Peak that day.
Government trucks provided transportation up to Willard Basin, so that the hike
was only several miles long.
-Who was the
first non-Native American to hike Ben Lomond Peak, the most distinctive peak in
Weber County? It may have been Mountain Man Osborne Russell in 1840. The
Standard-Examiner of Feb. 15, 1976 reported that Russell’s diary stated that he
climbed a peak on the northeast shore of the Great Salt Lake. Some believe that
summit was Ben Lomond.
“I was upwards
of 6,000 feet above the level of the lake; below me was a dark abyss silent as
the night of death,” Russell’s journal stated.
He climbed
Ben Lomond in February to hunt mountain sheep and bagged three. He also camped
on the mountain and had an encounter with a wolverine.
-The winter
of 1948-1949 was one of the harshest known winters in Utah. And, on May 17,
1949, heavy rains produced a flashflood in the Ben Lomond Peak area. This
caused 10 to 20-foot deep gullies in fields and orchards some 5,000-feet below,
along Highway 89.
The face of Ben Lomond Peak in winter. Photo by Lynn Merrill.
-Ben Lomond Peak
is often believed to resemble a smiling face during certain winter periods. The
Standard-Examiner of May 3, 1956 also claims the face of the peak “grows a beard”
too occasionally.
The story
said: “The top of the peak resembles a Boy Scout’s hat. Two crevasses look like
eyes. Later in the spring when melting continues, the Boy Scout sprouts a beard
of melting snow and ice going down the front of the mountain.”
Ben Lomond Peak, as seen from Taylor Canyon.
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