Opened: 1976
Size: 15 acres
Rides: 3
Attractions:
HISTORY & INFO
Pioneer Village began several miles away in Salt Lake City. Most of the historic buildings and artifacts were originally collected by Horace Sorenson who traveled around the state of Utah, buying buildings, equipment, wagons and other pioneer artifacts. After aquiring a large collection, he set up a small park where people could come and see his collection. Eventually he and his wife built a town square near their home. It became a very popular attraction and the visitors became too numerous for a residential area. The Sorensons offered the village to the Sons Of Utah Pioneers of which, Horace was a member. However, the Sons Of Utah Pioneers were unable to find a location for the large collection and also couldn't afford the maintenance and tour guide costs.
The organization accepted an offer from Lagoon to buy the entire collection. On April 17, 1975 a proposal to move Pioneer Village to the amusement park was discussed and approved. The transfer began immediately after.
When Pioneer Village opened in its new location in 1976, it was billed as "America's largest and most authentic Pioneer exhibit. Fifteen acres of actual Pioneer buildings (not re-creations and simulations)." There were two separate trains running through the village. Both of which have since stopped running. Other original attractions that have been closed or removed include the Pony Express Museum, Toy Shop, Palmer Bros. Harness Shop, Ute Indian Museum, Tool Shop, Village Bandstand, Denver & Rio Grande railroad cars, S.C. Sorenson Hardware Store, Alma Warr General Store, Craft Shops and the old favorite, Bonanza Shooting Gallery. There was even an Ox-Drawn Wagon Ride.
Long before the 1970s, this area was where the original main entrance to Lagoon was. It's where guests would embark and disembark on the Bamberger Railway. Decades later, people started to travel more and more by automobile and in 1952 trains stopped coming. From then on, guests arrived on U.S. Highway 91 (Highway 91 has since been replaced by Interstate 15) which stretched across the park's western side where a new entrance was built. It's unknown what was still around in that time period after the main entrance moved and before Pioneer Village was added. One building that has survived is the old prison.
ABOUT THE VILLAGE
There were a few changes in Pioneer Village in 2004. The Pony Express & Pioneer Pizzeria restaurants were converted into Grandma Christie's Toys & Treats. The new Hardware Museum was added on the south end of Main Street displaying old furnaces, including a very large jewel-encrusted furnace that is now worth several thousands of dollars. A semaphore was also installed outside the Model Train Museum.
David E. Sperry's Model Train Museum (see photo at bottom of page) finally opened in the middle of the 2002 season. It features a vast collection of model trains and memorabilia. It's also the new home of the Lagoon Miniature Railroad's engine and tender. The museum is housed in the old Kaysville Railroad Station, which is also where guests once boarded the Pioneer Village Railroad in the 1970s and 80s. There's half of a railroad car in there that might very well be from the Denver & Rio Grande Western R.R. Inside the car is a diorama with 3 or 4 trains running around a small town and through the mountain. To start the trains, just push the red button left of the door.
The Coalville Chapel on the North End of Main Street was first built in 1853 to be used as a fort. It was then transformed into a courthouse, then a schoolhouse and finally a Mormon Church House.
The Bingham Cabin just west of the Chapel was owned by Erastus Bingham, an ancestor of mine who discovered the mineral deposits which soon became the Bingham Copper Mine, one of the world's largest mining excavations.
The Davis County & Lagoon Prison was used from about 1895 to 1919 in Lagoon to retain unruly guests. After a day or more in there they were sent home on the train. The sign in front says the Prison is located near the original entrance to Lagoon when guests arrived by rail.
Pioneer Village Bakery is still producing the best baked goods and treats in the park. They sell all kinds of delicious Fudge, Candy, Cookies and Cinnamon Rolls.
Inside the Drug Store on South Main Street is the Ice Cream Shop serving several flavors of delicious ice cream.
At the south end of Main Street next to the new Grandma Christie's Toys & Treats is a photography studio where you can get an old black and white photo of you and your family or friends in clothes from the time period.
Other attractions include the old Lagoon Popcorn Wagon which was used in the park beginning in 1965 and was later retired. There's also, an impressive collection of 19th Century vehicles in the Carriage Hall, a Telephone Museum, China Shop, Charles T. Baxter Shoe Shop & Repair, Music Hall, Post Office, Dr. Dunford Dentistry, Barber, Schoolhouse, Smokehouse, Town Hall, Fire House, Gun Collection, Toy & Doll Collection, Don Ogden's Miniature Circus, Village Blacksmith and tons of other authentic buildings and displays.
RIDES OF PIONEER VILLAGE PAST & PRESENT
PHOTOS
Photo: © 2005 Braden Miskin
