The earlier version of Thurston Peak in Davis County

                            The modern Thurston Peak, located east of Layton City.



THURSTON Peak is the not only the highest peak east of Layton city, but it is also the tallest peak in Davis and Morgan counties, straddling the county line.
At, 9,706 feet above sea level, this peak was not officially named until 1993. It had previously been labeled as a benchmark from Francis Peak.
However, the name "Thurston Peak" is not a unique title to Davis County.
When a United Airline Plane crashed in Davis County on Nov. 4, 1940, the crash site was identified as being on "Thurston Peak" or "Thurston Mountain." This peak was said to be on the south side of Ford's Canyon, east of Centerville.

                                              Thurston Mountain, east of Centerville.

A fleet of newspapers on Nov. 4, and Nov. 12-13 of 1940 all identified the crash site as being on "Thurston." These included the Salt Lake Tribune, the Salt Lake Telegram and the Davis County Clipper.
Although not named "Thurston" on official government maps, locals in the Centerville area had referred to the mountain as such for many years.
Yet, when the highest point in Davis County was officially named in 1993, the knowledge of this earlier "Thurston Peak" had been forgotten. Apparently, the name had been lost to history, some 50-plus years after the 1940 crash of the airplane, which killed all 10 passengers.
-The modern Thurston Peak is about 4 miles to the north of Francis Peak and directly east of Layton's Cherry Lane (about 1200 North).
Thurston Peak is almost 200 feet higher than Francis Peak. Thurston has a little knob poking out of its left-hand (north) slope. To its south, the mountain skyline dips sharply to its lowest point between Weber and Farmington canyons.
Namesake of the peak is a Mormon Pioneer, Thomas Jefferson Thurston, who had lived in both Weber and Morgan counties.
A brass plaque, encased on a concrete stand, atop Thurston peak and placed there in 1993 reads:

"Named in honor of Thomas Jefferson Thurston, a Centerville resident who viewed the virgin valley of Morgan from the summit of the mountain in 1852 and recognized its potential for colonization. Realizing its disadvantage was its inaccessibility, in 1855 Thurston influenced others to assist him to carve a passible wagon road through Weber Canyon. He was among the first to settle in Morgan Valley and is acknowledged for bringing about its colonization."