Lagoon: Utah's Amusement Park Origin Story 

I’m a Utahn who’s since moved away, and lagoon will always hold a special place in my heart. I have many memories with my friends and family there, like looking out over the valley with people on the Ferris wheel. My favorite activity was riding the sky tram back and forth while enjoying lunch, laughing with the operators as they let us go round and round, since there’s never a line for it. Thanks for your video. It helped me show my partner some of my home.

The Jet Star 2 was acquired after it debuted at the 1974 World’s Fair in Spokane, Washington and was designed by the same person who would later design the Colossus!

I grew up going to Lagoon. It was a "once a year splurge" for my family for awhile until my aunt started buying us season passes. As the family grew she eventually had to stop. However, now I have a 10 year-old son and we've had season passes 3 out of the last 4 years and will be getting them again next year. It's been so much fun to watch him make memories and love the park just as much as I do.

Lagoon was a big part of our family functions growing up. My parents weren't rich enough to take us on these extravagant vacations (7 kids!) so our annual trip to Lagoon was the highlight of our summer! Then when I was a teenager my aunt started buying the entire family season passes for our birthday presents. She did this each year until us nieces and nephews started getting married and putting more strain on her budget. It helped me create even more memories with my friends in high school. Now I'm happy to take my son and re-live that excitement as well as relish in the fact he's growing to love the park as much as I do. I do miss a few things the park did back in the 80s and 90s, but it's still a blast each time we go. As a hobbyist photographer I've also enjoyed bringing my camera along at times and capturing photos that remind me of my past as well as welcoming in the future. I share some of them on a dedicated FB page I created purely for Lagoon.

One slight correction about where pioneer village came from. It was a collection of buildings and historic artifacts and memorabilia that was originally put together by the owner of Southest Furniture, Horace Sorensen. It was on his property in the mill creek/Holladay area. (His store was in Sugarhouse, but pioneer village never was). Mr. Sorensen had the Sons if the Utah Pioneers managing it as a public attraction, but it was not in an optimum location to attract visitors. A deal was struck to sell pioneer village to lagoon for $275,000. And it was carefully moved to Farmington and opened in lagoon in 1976. At that time parking and admission into lagoon was free. I and my friends went there every weekend. All you had to spend money on were the rides and food. And you could get an unlimited ride pass for about $12. And you could bring your own food and have a picnic if you wanted. There was no charge to enter Pioneer Village either. So it was possible to have all day entertainment at a very reasonable cost. Those were the glory days as far as I was concerned. 👍💚

Lagoon is how I became a enthusiast for rollercoasters, I rode Colossus and it send me off to ride some of the best roller coaster in the world. Cannibal is still on top of all roller coasters to me.

Great video and presentation. I spent many days there as a youngster and teen. We would get dropped off there and walk home in the dark at night to Centerville. It was safer then in the 70s I suppose. Great memories.

I did a lot of research on Lake Park in the past for an archaeology degree at Weber. That dance pavilion was a masterpiece. From what I remember, the majority of the structure was torn down to build the Bat ride, but the top portion of the cupula was preserved as the Rose terrace which still remains today. I would love to know if any of the original building was preserved, especially that circle which said “1886”. So satisfying to see that history explored here for the first time, very few people know about, great video.

Awesome historic footage!!

I miss going into the giant shoe when I was little 😭🤧 it’s still so fun to see, but hanging out inside was one of my favorite parts ❤️

Ranch Kimball offered a free pass to all of his Kimball Cousins. This was the Kimball Family Reunion day, we all looked forward to it and were grateful to Ranch. No matter how crowded the rides were we always bumping in to other Kimballs.

I used to go to Lagoon when I was a little kid but not much anymore really loved the bumper cars

Great documentary! I noticed you used some of the footage from the old documentaries I had posted. Very resourceful. This year will mark my 5th season of working at Lagoon. I even did a behind the scenes video of Draculas Castle prior to opening. I plan on doing one for Terroride later this season. If you have any questions about the History of Lagoon as well as my past experiences as both a guest and employee feel free to leave me a message.

I love it! Thanks for sharing! I am there now.

Great content and research! As one fellow Utahan it’s so cool to come to your channel and learn more about the state I was brought up in!

Grew up and lived less than a mile away honestly as a child and teenager I have been there probably 300 times and that does not include working there as a teenager almost like a right of passage I worked there my parents worked there my grandparents worked there definitely has a place in my heart

Great video! I have many fond memories of Lagoon.

This week on may 29th 2023 last time I went to an amusement park and conveniently it was lagoon!

You made me cry

Keep it up this was a fun video!

Lagoon had-or still has-a very well kept zoo most people never hear about. They also own and operate their own railroad that had rights of way all the way into Nevada. Those have recently been purchased by the Northern Nevada Railroad Museum in Ely.

The log ride is from the former Pixieland along the Oregon coast

Awesome lagoon park

Had my first kiss in the prison cell in pioneer village and worked there for three years starting at 14 years old. They let you bring in your own beer and they even sell it now too. Fright mares is legitimately the best value haunted house in the state btw. Lagoon is a special place.

Lagoon is only 1 min way from me, so close that I can see it from my house. Lagoon has had a huge part of my childhood

I also call it old white and it also caught on fire and over the years they have painted and stained the roller coaster Also I made this comment before watching the whole video so sorry if you already cleared up most of that stuff

Yeah, I grew up going to lagoon! I still go there now every few years, as I live north of Farmington, the town it resides I feel lucky to have memories going there, with all its funky rides and wild history, especially knowing that it bounced back even better after a fire tore it down Heck I mean, there was a fire that caught in one of the stores in the off hours that nearly threatened the old Carousel again, but they saved it before it ever became a problem I’m proud of the park I got to grow up going to, knowing it’s most certainly one of a kind, and what I believe has care out behind it’s rides :] But that’s coming from me and my 2 some odd decades of being alive and growing up here, I’ll always have a soft spot for lagoon 🥰

Yr underrated af bro 💯

My story at lagoon was not the fun because I had a seizure there last weekend but I will always love lagoon

My grandparents went on their first date to Lagoon!

Well put together. Clearly you love the park. Personally I think it’s become way overpriced for what it is. My wife and most of her family have worked there, and stories they have told me about Lagoon behind the scenes make it much easier for me to stay away. Why has it endured? A lack of competition. There are no other parks like this in Utah.

"when was the last time you went to an amusement park" last Saturday bc i work here.

Me watching this after my shift at lagoon

Not sure if anybody is mentioned this but Colossus has a twin in Germany I believe

“Biggest amusement park” Try: only amusement park

👏👏👏

Lagoon's Roller Coaster as no wood that is original from 1921. The oldest pieces of wood would only be 25 years max which after the rebuild in 2020 of the two camel back hills there are only two small sections of that age of wood. Wooden Roller Coasters are always being rebuilt, its the nature of the beast. The trains are also not the ones from 1921 either. The coaster in its 101 year life has had several sets of trains, they are a part that wears out. There is no debate on if "this is still the original coaster" because it is the same layout and on the same plot of land where John A. Miller built the coaster in 1921. The Carousel wasn't damaged in the 1953 fire several fire hoses were sprayed on it keeping it from being hurt. My wife and I met at Lagoon and enjoy bringing our kids to Lagoon.

The park that wouldn't die.

The answer to the train ride is fire it burn down or a good part did

Compare lagoon from 1921 to 2022

I wonder what lagoon is going to look like in the year 2122

“Biggest amusement park” Try: only amusement park