Willard Basin: Rugged and remote oasis, amid Willard and Ben Lomond peaks

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 4^th 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.

The First use of the Ben Lomond Name; Face on the Peak in winter?

                     Ben Lomond as seen from just east of downtown Ogden.


BEN Lomond is undoubtedly the most majestic peak in the Ogden, Utah area.
At 9,712 feet above sea level, it ISN'T the highest around, but it does have that famous Hollywood connection to the Parmount Motion Pictures logo, though.
When did the Ben Lomond name first originate?
The first newspaper searchable use of the title is from the Oct. 13, 1892 Ogden Daily Standard:
"North Ogden briefs. The rain of last Sunday was of short duration but of cool and refreshing tendency, leaving the first snow of the season on 'Ben Lomond,'" the newspaper reported.

-According to Audrey Godfrey, a Logan historian, Ben Lomond was named by her great-great grandmother, Mary Wilson Montgomery, who thought it reminded her of a favorite mountain in her native Scotland.

Godfrey also likes to quote an early North Ogden settler, Nephi James Brown on Ben Lomond, which is especially pertinent on the Paramount Pictures subject:

"The everlasting majesty of Ben Lomond to the north with its reflected rays of morning sunrise always inspired me as a boy."

Yes, Ben Lomond is a “mountain of dreams” and has sparked much inspiration over the years.

-While there’s no record on who first climbed the mountain, the lower face of Ben Lomond mountain was mined extensively in the 19th Century. Silver and copper were extracted and a 100-foot shaft was at one time cut into it.

Later, mining was conducted to the northwest, below neighboring Willard Peak.

The first recorded recreational hike to Ben Lomond was in the July 3, 1922 Standard-Examiner, with this headline:  “Hikers clumb (sic) to top of Ben Lomond.”

Four men climbed from North Fork, on the back side of the mountain. They began their hike at Smith’s Ranch at 9 a.m. and didn’t reach the summit until 4:15 p.m., proving there wasn’t much of a trail there in those days.

However, the men reported there was a metal box with a register book on top, so they certainly weren’t the first up there. Their downward trek required only 3 hours.

-There's also the legend of a human face (?A Scotsman's face) that appears on the front of Ben Lomond Peak during some winters.
Many have never seen or noticed the face, but the picture below does capture that the image does indeed exist -- without a little imagination.

                                    Ben Lomond in winter, with a possible face.        Photo by Lynn Merrill.

1924: A proposal for a Ben Lomond Peak Day

                                                        Ben Lomond Peak

THERE'S little argument that Ben Lomond Peak is the Ogden area’s most majestic mountain. Back in 1924, there was a suggestion to have a “Ben Lomond” day each year, though that never came to be.

“Once a year there should be a formal acknowledgement of the scenic wonder of Ben Lomond,” the Ogden Standard-Examiner stated on Dec. 15, 1923. “There should be a salute to the first rays of light which play upon the topmost rocks and jagged edges of this mountain.”

The story also stated: “The people of Ogden can get more than one lesson by studying the great mountain which enfolds Ogden. There is inspiration every day in the grandeur of the cliffs and the peaks built by a Master Hand.”

More historical tidbits:

-“Queer-shaped cloud caused much comment” was a June 17, 1908 Standard headline. A “remarkable appearing white cloud” was “long, narrow and perfectly white and rolled through the atmosphere like a huge serpent in contortions” and floated westward over the Great Salt Lake that morning. Some believed the cloud was moisture laden and could burst and cause flooding. Others “watched the strange spectacle in the belief that a cyclone was headed in the direction of Ogden.” However, soon the strange cloud seemed to just melt away.

-There was a “Dangerous practice” going on in Ogden Canyon back in 1887. According to a Standard Story of Oct. 23 that year, workmen engaged in lime kilns and lime burning often rolled boulders and used explosives in the canyon.

Residents of Huntsville and Eden were the most affected, since they most often traversed the Canyon. Evan Evans of Huntsville was going down the canyon when a boulder smashed into the side of his wagon, demolishing the wheel.

-“Beanville is City of Past” was a July 21, 1905 Standard headline. A large group of teenagers had created a mushroom city in Ogden Valley with their large camping group. Long before established campgrounds, the youth from Ogden and Salt Lake spent a week there, with bonfires, talks, music and activities. The story didn’t specify who organized the event, but “Beanville” was the temporary community’s actual name.

-One of the first restaurants in Ogden Valley was the “Valley Restaurant” in Hunstville. According to the Standard of Aug. 3, 1908, Carl Johnson owned the eatery and offered mountain trout, spring chicken and even overnight rooms.

-La Plata was the most famous late 19^th Century mining boom town in the Ogden area. However, there were many other mines. One was the far lesser known Camp Rich/Blue Bird Mine, between Wheeler Canyon and Mt. Ogden. According to the March 20, 1896 Standard, its location remained a secret for several years, but produced gold, silver and platinum. The miners were plagued by snow slides in Wheeler Canyon, but persisted on their nine gold claims.

-Speaking of snow slides. Seventeen Logan Temple construction workers in Logan were caught in a giant avalanche Canyon during early March of 1880. Miraculously, only two men were killed, according to the Logan Leader newspaper of March 5 that year.

1917: When a motorcycle ride to Malan’s Basin made headlines

                                           The mouth of Taylor Canyon in 2015.

                   Some rugged outcroppings on the Taylor Canyon trail.

"MOTORCYCLE driven from Ogden to Malan’s Heights” was a large headline in the Sept. 18, 1917 Standard-Examiner.

With World War I still raging, five young men from Ogden – L. Keller, Ronald Halstrom, James Rawson, Ed Lewis and Wright Corey – combined their might to get the machine up Taylor Canyon and eventually into Malan’s Basin, where a resort had existed 12 years prior.

                                       Malan's Peak.

         

The route up had so deteriorated in just over a decade that while Keller rode the motorcycle, his four friends had to physically lift the bike over rocks and some impassible places in Taylor Canyon.

“Several spills were unavoidable,” the report stated. The bike was driven down into lower gear, braking most of the way.

                                  Malan's Basin in 2015.

This was likely the first time a motorized vehicle had traversed Taylor Canyon, up to Malan’s Peak and into Malan’s Basin.

More historical tidbits:

-“Young people climb mountain” Was a July 21, 1915 headline in the Standard.

Seven “young folk” – one young man and six young women, including Iva Bailey, Theresa Chadwick and Earl Chadwick from Weber County, plus three New York young ladies and a Salt Lake young woman made the hike to Ben Lomond Peak.

They hiked up North Ogden Canyon, then followed the mountain saddle to Ben Lomond and returned by way of Liberty.

                   Ben Lomond Peak, center, as seen from Malan's Peak.

The group reported snow on the peak up to 10 feet deep, so snow must have persisted on local summits far longer that they do in the 21^st Century. They also found the register book and flag pole left there two years earlier in good condition.

-“Trip of Ben Lomond Club” was a Sept. 30, 1924 headline in the Box Elder News. The stable men of the 116^th Calvary took horses from the south side of Mantua to Ben Lomond Peak.

The group periodically nailed signs with arrows on them to help future travelers to the peak. They also reported deep gullies and fallen trees to negotiate through – especially near Willard Canyon, where a severe flood in August of 1923 had obliterated the trail.

Yet, every member of the company reached the Ben Lomond summit. Its 41 horses had been tied one quarter mile below the peak. The new group voted and adopted its bylaws while resting on the summit before its return.

-“Sunday sales City problem” was a Sept. 7, 1927 headline in the Standard-Examiner. It was then reported that some small stores in Ogden City, on north Washington Avenue, were using their soft drink licenses as a subterfuge for keeping their stores open on Sunday to sell all their other merchandise too.

City ordinances back then did allow soft drinks to be sold on Sunday, but not other merchandise. Ogden Mayor George E. Browning asked the police to investigate this illegal practice, as this business is “unfair to larger merchants whose stores are closed on Sunday.”

 (-Originally published on-line and in print on July 9-10, 2015 in the Ogden Standard-Examiner by Lynn Arave.)

-NOTE: The author, Lynn Arave, is available to speak to groups, clubs, classes or other organizations about Utah history at no charge. He can be contacted by email at: lynnarave@comcast.net

Big N. Utah Optical Illusion: Ben Lomond Peak Higher Than Willard Peak (not)

         Ben Lomond Peak  (center) and Willard Peak (second bump to the left of BL). Ben Lomond         looks taller here by some sort of illusion, as seen from near Weber State University in Ogden.


  BEN Lomond Peak is NOT higher than nearby Willard Peak.
  It just often times appears that it is taller, in some sort of geographical optical illusion, perhaps one of the biggest such cases in all of Northern Utah.
  Ben Lomond stands at 9,712 feet above sea level.
  Willard Peak is 9,764 feet above sea level, or 52 feet HIGH than Ben Lomond Peak is.
  However, look at Ben Lomond from the south, near Weber State University (top photo) and it appears much taller than Willard Peak is.
  Even look at Ben Lomond and Willard peaks from I-15 coming southbound near the Utah-Idaho stateline and the former appears taller by far than Willard Peak (a southeastern view).
  The only 2 places where Willard seems taller are:
1. From atop either Willard or Ben Lomond Peaks.
2. From Cache County, the south side of Utah State University OR from the south side of the Logan LDS Temple and looking straight south (bottom photo).
  I have no idea why this common illusion is in place, but at least from the straight north is not in play.

 Willard Peak (center) is 52 feet higher than Ben Lomond Peak (left of Willard Peak) and actually appears taller in this viewpoint from the north, as seen from near the Logan LDS Temple in Logan..

-NOTE: The author, Lynn Arave, is available to speak to groups, clubs, classes or other organizations about Utah history at no charge. He can be contacted by email at: lynnarave@comcast.net  

Ben Lomond -- The Mountain of Dreams

      Ben Lomond Peak: Ogden area's most majestic mountain,        Photo by Liz Hafen

                                          Ben Lomond Peak, the "Mountain of Dreams."

                                Ben Lomond, as viewed from the center of Ogden.

By Lynn Arave Ben Lomond Peak, at 9,712-feet above sea level, doesn’t even rank among the 250 tallest named mountain summits in Utah. Ironically Ben Lomond isn't even the tallest summit in Weber County – nearby Willard Peak is 52 feet higher. However, it may still be the State’s most famous mountain. William Wadsworth Hodkinson started some theaters in Ogden and later Paramount Pictures Corporation. He designed the famous mountain logo for the company a full century ago, back in 1914. He grew up in Ogden and from his home, a majestic mountain -- Ben Lomond Peak -- dominated the northern skyline, rising a vertical mile above the valley floor. Although two history books written on Paramount, "Paramount Pictures and the People Who Made Them" (1980) and "Mountain of Dreams: The Golden Years of Paramount " (1976) do not  directly identify the mountain by name, that inspired the logo, here's what Leslie Halliwell, who wrote the “Dreams” book, stated: "The mountain he (Hodkinson) doodled on the back of an envelope was a memory of childhood in his home state of Utah." There is also apparently a plaque in the Paramount Studios Lobby, in Los Angeles, that states that the mountain in the movie theater’s logo was “inspired from his childhood memories.” Hodkinson grew up in the north part of Ogden, Utah, where Ben Lomond Peak is the towering mountain for the entire area. So, Ben Lomond was surely his inspiration. (And, the logo has been modified/exaggerated over the decades. Isn’t that what Hollywood excels at: exaggeration?) There are some conflicting tales out there to challenge the Ben Lomond claim, but note that Ben Lomond only “inspired” his mountain logo – the mountain logo is, or never was actually Ben Lomond, or any other real mountain – it’s fiction.  (Though these days, some views of the Pfeifferhorn Peak (“Little Matterhorn)” located in the Lone Peak Wilderness area, south of Little Cottonwood Canyon, resembles the modern Paramount logo more than anything else.) According to Audrey Godfrey, a Logan historian, who grew up in Weber County (and who also writes commentary for the Standard-Examiner), Ben Lomond was named by her great-great grandmother, Mary Wilson Montgomery, who thought it reminded her of a favorite mountain in her native Scotland. Godfrey also likes to quote an early North Ogden settler, Nephi James Brown on Ben Lomond, which is especially pertinent on the Paramount Pictures subject: "The everlasting majesty of Ben Lomond to the north with its reflected rays of morning sunrise always inspired me as a boy." Yes, Ben Lomond is a “mountain of dreams” and has sparked much inspiration over the years. (Climb to the summit and look down, if you doubt such inspiration.) While there’s no record on who first climbed the mountain, the lower face of Ben Lomond mountain was mined extensively in the 19th Century. Silver and copper were extracted and a 100-foot shaft was at one time cut into it. Later, mining was conducted to the northwest, below neighboring Willard Peak. The first recorded recreational hike to Ben Lomond was in the July 3, 1922 Standard-Examiner, with this headline:  “Hikers clumb (sic) to top of Ben Lomond.” Four men climbed from North Fork, on the back side of the mountain. They began their hike at Smith’s Ranch at 9 a.m. and didn’t reach the summit until 4:15 p.m., proving there wasn’t much of a trail there in those days. However, the men reported there was a metal box with a register book on top, so they certainly weren’t the first up there. Their downward trek required only 3 hours. An Aug. 27, 1922 Standard headline was: ‘“Over the Top” of Ben Lomond Trip of Thrills.”’ This story called the peak by two nicknames: “Old Baldy” and “Old Ben.” The left-hand fork of Willard Canyon was the hiking route this time. Strangely, the story said a highlight of the hike was “the wild chickens are so thick they almost kick one’s hat off, flying over head.” Fifteen Boy Scouts of Ogden’s Troop No. 20 hiked Ben Lomond, as reported in the Standard of Aug. 13, 1923. They hiked from North Ogden Pass and noted the flowers appearing around the peak. The boys “returned the short way down the face of the mountain.” Finally, an Aug. 11, 1927 Standard story told of a climb to the peak by the Wasatch Mountain Club. Ben Lomond was said then to be 9,100 feet above sea level, offering remarkable views as far north as Preston, Id.  (-Originally published in the Ogden Standard-Examiner on June 6, 2014.)   Ben Lomond Peak, from the west, on the trail from Willard Peak.                 The metal marker atop Ben Lomond Peak.               Liz Arave Hafen balances atop the B.L. Peak marker.                 Taylor Arave atop Ben Lomond Peak. OTHER SOURCES: "A History Weber County," by Richard C. Roberts and Richard W. Sadler.