A look at some of Layton's big early storms and fires

A horrendous spring storm struck Northern Utah just after midnight on April 3, 1910 and “Little town of Layton suffers to a large extent” was a headline in the Salt Lake Tribune of April 3, 1910.

“Salt Lake Valley visited by another fierce storm,” was the main headline. A 72-mile per hour wind was reported on the Lucin Cut Off in the Great Salt Lake.

It was like a hurricane, as rain, snow, thunder and lightning battered the area.

-Another big storm hit Layton on March 30, 1978. A lightning bolt hit an LDS Church meetinghouse in town, causing the metal steeple on top of the building to be peeled like a banana. Windows in a dozen nearby homes were also shattered.

The Layton Latter-day Saint Ward Chapel, 367 East 1000 North, was destroyed by lightning and a fire on July 24, 1936. 
                                                         (-From the Heritage Museum of Layton's photo collection.)

-However, this was not the worst lightning damage that had ever occurred to an LDS meetinghouse. On July 25, 1936 lightning struck the Layton Ward Chapel and set the entire roof ablaze. All the building’s woodwork was destroyed and the fire even spread to a nearby haystack. Layton’s volunteer firemen worked all night, but the building was a total loss.

This chapel was located just northeast of the Bamberger Stop in Layton, not far from Gentile and Main streets.

(On October 22,1940, the Syracuse LDS meetinghouse also caught fire and the Layton Fireman fought the flames for 11 hours, but that church building was also a total loss.)

“Church fires are our jinx,” Joseph W. Ware, Layton’s Fire Chief told the Salt Lake Telegram newspaper on July 24, 1941. “Our two biggest fires were churches and both were total losses.”

Thanks to $5,000 insurance money, the Layton Ward was soon rebuilt and was even expanded with an amusement hall.

-Another big storm had battered Layton on early evening of July 28, 1904. According to the Deseret Evening News of July 29 that year, the storm knocked down the power lines in Layton. The result was no power in downtown Salt Lake City. All street cars stopped, the lights were out and a concert in progress in the Salt Lake Tabernacle was canceled.

The Layton lines were quickly repaired.

(Additional source: “Utah Weather” by Mark Eubank, 1979.)