THERE are many historical markers in Layton, but these four are ones that are readily accessible and offer a glimpse into area history.
Here’s a rundown on these four publicly accessible markers, as these can make for a worthy individual visit, or family excursion, to bring to life significant pages in Layton City’s history.
• The Layton Farmers Union:
This marker is inside the foyer of First National Bank of Layton, 12 South Main Street. It was added by the Utah Division of State History in 1981.
This monument reads: “A GENERAL STORE, ORGANIZED IN 1882 by Christopher Layton, Ephraim P. Ellison, John Ellison, George Washington Adams, Elias Adams, Jr., Thomas H. Hodson, Joseph S. Adams, William N. Nalder, Richard Pilling, and Alexander Dawson,
operated as the Kaysville Farmers Union out of a one-story frame building on this site. The east center section of the two-story building, designed by William Allen, was constructed in 1892 and the southeast section several years later. The store occupied the ground floor while the upper floor served as a community center for dances, meetings, basketball games, and parties. The company was reorganized in 1919 as The Farmers
Union of Layton. Further additions to the building were on the north and west. The building was renovated in 1980-81 by First National Bank of Layton.”
• Layton’s Little Fort:
This marker is nestled in Commons Park at about 465 North 275
East. That’s just northeast of the Surf ‘n Swim and on a large rock in the parking lot that’s near the playground. This marker was erected
in 1988 by the Daughters of Utah Pioneers.
The monument reads: “LAYTON'S LITTLE FORT – The pioneers
who settled what is now Layton, Utah, established a fort in 1854-55
on the road then called Little Fort Lane. This road extended from
Five Points, north to Little Fort and joined the Kays Creek roads
from the east. In those years the families of Billa Dickson, John
Green, William Lindsey, Mark and Pratt Whitesides, and the
Shipley and Croft families, lived in "The Little Fort." It was given
this name because a large fort had already been established in the
center of Kaysville. This little fort, to protect the people from the
Indians, was built on the south bank of Kays Creek overlooking the
Sandridge road from the Morris Town Hill. The fort served mainly
as a lookout point on the Indian camp area. Friendly Indians lived
along the hollow. Little Fort was built in the shape of a square with
the houses forming the outside walls which were built of rock, dried mud and mortar. Vegetable gardens which provided necessary food were raised in the center court of this fort and were tended for
several years after the fort was abandoned. One cabin that was
moved from Little Fort can still be found at 400 North Fort Lane,
near the Layton High School. This cabin had a single room and a
saddle-notched construction.”
• Stage Coach Layton:
This marker is near the American Legion Building at 128 South
Main Street. It was placed by the Daughters of Utah Pioneers in
1959.
The monument reads: “STAGE COACH STATION – On this spot
stood the Layton Stage Coach Station on the Utah, Idaho, Montana
(Virginia City) trail. It was established in 1857 by Ben Holladay, and carried mail and passengers between Salt Lake and points north and west. Isaac Brown was the keeper. Later it was operated by Wells Fargo Co. The Prairie House nearby was built by Christopher Layton in 1857 to accommodate stage coach passengers. When the railroad was built the stage coach line was discontinued. The station closed in 1870.”
• West Layton:
This marker is located in the park behind the LDS Church at 2120 West Gentile Street. It was erected by the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers in 2005.
This monument reads: “As pioneer settlers spread out onto the rangelands of Kaysville along the two branches of Kays Creek, those in the north, who made their living dry farming and stock raising, separated from Kaysville to form their own town. It was named Layton, after Christopher Layton. A U.S. post office opened in 1886. Layton members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints attended meetings together. Those families living in the west fields were divided from those in the eastern part in 1895 and became known as the West Layton Ward. Church meetings for the West Layton congregation were first held in a small brick schoolhouse that had been built in 1892. Charles A. Layton later donated an acre of property east of this monument where a brick meetinghouse was built in 1897. It was financed exclusively by
members and was known as a "Tithing" Ward. The building was dedicated March 31, 1901, by Joseph F. Smith. The 56' x 120' structure was erected on a foundation constructed of rock and plaster. The cathedral-type ceiling had joists about twelve feet long at the apex of the roof. The walls were four bricks thick. Three of the layers were adobe bricks mixed, molded, and sunbaked at the construction site by young men.
Commercially kiln-fired brick covered the adobes. The chapel was divided into nine classrooms by heavy green curtains suspended on steel wire.
The steeple had a bell tower, but no bell was ever hung there. Over the years other rooms were added. The meetinghouse served as the
community social center, hosting dances, cultural productions, and other activities until it was torn down in 1971.”
NOTE: Two other significant historical markers are not easily visited. The Joseph Morgan Early Pioneer (1580 East Oak Hills Drive) marker is
at the rear of a private residence. The other marker, Elias Adams the Pioneer, resides in a private park at 2800 East Oak Hills Drive. This park is currently closed to the public. Still another marker, the “West Layton” monument, used to sit near the Gentile and Angel streets intersection.
However, it is no longer there. In addition, Layton City contains many historic buildings that are, or were proposed to be on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Little Fort historical marker is in Commons Park.
The Stage Coach Historical marker is at 128 South Main Street.
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