Layton once had its own version of ‘Indiana Jones’

IN the movies, Indiana Jones was a professor of archaeology who scoured the world for lost treasures. In the city of Layton, Kent Day, archaeologist and a retired Indiana Jones type, was the first curator of the Heritage Museum of Layton.

Day, born in 1930, he was the museum’s original curator, since it opened in 1980, until he retired in 1996.

 He had a doctorate from Harvard University in anthropology - with a specialty in Peruvian archaeology. Reared on a farm in Layton, Day earned his bachelor's degree at the University of Utah, attended Harvard and sought adventure in Peru. He returned to Layton in 1979, taking over the museum in 1980.

Day admitted he didn't know a lot about Layton history when he accepted the job, but he was continually learning and had been able to apply some of his university training to the position.

He enjoyed researching Layton's history, but has found little about the city's early business district

Day spent a lot of time on his 35-acre farm on West Gentile Street, growing onions, wheat and a few garden items. His free morning schedule fit the farming life well. He was surprised, though, how fast residential growth in West Layton took off, but coped with his own oasis of agriculture.

 He maintained occasional contact with other Peruvian archaeologists. One of his remaining unfulfilled interests was to study classical Greek.

-Day died on Oct. 7, 2007.

-This story has been modified. It was originally written by Lynn Arave and published in the Deseret News on Oct. 7, 1994.