Tidbits in history from Layton's colorful past

HERE are some tidbits in history from Layton's past:

-Layton had an “Amusement Center” that opened in 1919 in the southwest corner of where the original Layton Elementary School was located on west Gentile Street. The building was billed as the “largest and best amusement hall in the state” at the time. It could seat 600 people, cost $65,000 to construct and was 68 feet wide and 110 feet long. Primary funding to start building construction came from area LDS Wards, which contributed $1,000 toward the structure.

                                 The  original Layton Elementary School, torn down in 1984.
                                                                         (Photo from Heritage Museum of Layton's Collection.)

-A report on the West Layton LDS Ward Sunday School indicated that the Sunday, Nov. 3, 1901 meeting began 25 minutes late. The delay was cause because there were no deacons present to build a fire in the church building.

-The first two general stores in Layton’s borders opened in 1882, the Farmers Union Store and the Adams and Sons Store, both on South Main Street.

                                 The West Layton Ward Chapel, which opened in 1901.
                                                 (Photo from the Heritage Museum of Layton's Collection.)

-Unlike the typical Mormon Pioneer settled town, Layton City has a random street pattern. This probably occurred because Layton was an outgrowth of Kaysville City and as such wasn’t surveyed and laid out like many proper Mormon communities were in their early years.

-The Queen’s Dairy existed in Layton from 1910-1928 at about 115 East Gentile Street, where today’s I-15 cuts through the south end of town. The Dairy was in close proximity to a Bamberger Railroad Depot on Layton’s south end. Then, from 1928 to 1957, a radiator repair shop utilized the old Dairy building. From 1957, until I-15 was constructed in the early 1960s, Jay Willey used the building as a warehouse to store appliances.

-Layton’s size in square miles grew from 1.75 at incorporation; to 5.8 in 1938; to 10.0 in 1970; to 12.0 in 1981; to 17.4 square miles in 1985; and finally to 22.21 square miles in 2017.

-One of Layton City’s first parks used to be at 20 South Main Street, in between Main Street and a railroad spur line. Volunteers from the community reclaimed this weedy, unused piece of land in 1933 and turned it into a landscaped park. In 1934, a bronze plaque commemorating the Pony Express route through Layton, was placed in the park, as well as a flag pole. When Main Street was widened in 1953, the wider road replaced the park and the plaque was moved to the American Legion’s property.

-In August of 1922, D. H. Adams of Layton spent several days on Antelope Island killing buffalo for the Democratic barbecue. He also brought home a buffalo calf for a pet.

-Mr. and Mrs. Hyrum Adams of Layton chaperoned 16 young people on horseback in the Wasatch Mountains, east of town for several days in August of 1922. They camped at the Smith Creek Lakes on the east side of mountains and then journeyed down the other side into Morgan, where they also enjoyed a visit to Como Springs Resort. Then, they returned home by way of Weber Canyon.

-Layton’s baseball team defeated the Air Mail Service team from Salt Lake, 7-0, in a game played in August of 1922.

-The Bountiful Band visited Layton for several hours in August of 1922 and attracted a large group of local listeners.

-Coyotes were reported as so numerous in the mountains east of Layton in 1897 that ranchers could not leave sheep unattended overnight or they would lose a lamb or two.

-The Layton Literary and Debating Society was reported as holding regular meetings in January of 1898 in a building owned by Willian Hyde.

SOURCES: Davis County Clipper newspaper archives.