2007 Attendance Figures

Lagoon reached record high attendance last year with about 1.4 million visitors, a 15% increase over 2006. The number of out-of-area visitors also increased by 17%.

The park first exceeded a yearly attendance of 1 million in the 1994 season.

Sources: Davis Area Convention & Visitors Bureau / Deseret News

Then & Now: Wild Mouse

Photo: Ric Turner

"New Wilder" Wild Mouse, 1989

Photo: Rick Sanders

Wild Mouse, 2007

Even though, these photos were not taken from the exact same location, it's easy to see how much taller the new Wild Mouse is. Still, those who rode the old Mouse remember how much wilder it was.

This area of the park has undergone dramatic changes over the last 20 years. The top photo shows the New Wilder Wild Mouse in its last season. The area to the side and behind the coaster were not accesible to guests. The entrance was at the front of the ride. This area was opened up in 1998 when the new steel Wild Mouse was installed with the entrance in back. Soon, Cliffhanger and The Spider were added. This season, long lines have formed down this pathway for Wicked.

Read more about the Wild Mouse and the original wooden version at The Farmington Star.

The Celebration Of A Century!

Twenty years ago, Lagoon was celebrating it's 100th birthday. It had only been open in Farmington since 1896, but the park traces its history back to Lake Park which opened on the shores of the Great Salt Lake in 1886. Still, many have wondered why "The Celebration Of A Century" was held a year late in 1987. Maybe the park just wasn't prepared in 1986, the same year the North Midway was expanded, the Flying Jets were fixed up and returned as the Flying Aces and the Flying Carpet was introduced. An April 1986 Deseret News article reported that Lagoon spent "more than $1 million this year to build the new rides and games and refurbish the park from top to bottom". That same article said, "the park will hold a relatively quiet observance of its 100th birthday July 15, and plans a magnificent celebration during the 1987 season". So it seems park officials acknowledged the correct year, but intentionally chose to celebrate in 1987 for whatever reason.

The most noteable additions to the park in 1987 were two new rides. A Huss Enterprise named Centennial Screamer was built on the South Midway in April and around Memorial Day, a Zierer Wave Swinger filled the gap in the skyline made by the removal of the old Rockets ride on the edge of the lake. A contest was held to come up with a name for the Wave Swinger and it became known as Turn Of The Century. Both rides still operate today. New restrooms were also constructed on each end of the Midway.

A giant cake was placed near the entrance and signs with historical information could be found around the park. Also included as part of the festivities was a daily drawing for a trip for two to any destination served by Morris Travel.

KUTV broadcasted a special about the park and an episode of KSL's Primetime Access was filmed in the park, hosted by Bruce Lindsay.

Watch Lagoon on Primetime Access!

To download this Windows Media file, right click and select "Save Target As...".

"Utah's Unexpected Pleasure"

Awhile ago I obtained a copy of the August 1961 Ford Times which featured this article about Lagoon. Ford Times was a magazine for owners and dealers of Ford automobiles which featured articles about their cars and places you could drive to in your car. It provides an interesting view of what the park was like over forty years ago. I don't know if the author has any relation to the Freeds who started Lagoon Corporation. I've posted below the entire article along with illustrations. Enjoy!



LAGOON - UTAH'S UNEXPECTED PLEASURE
Here's fresh-water swimming, an amusement park, and big-name dance bands for the cross-country motorist seeking family fun

By Cristie Freed . . . paintings by V. Douglas Snow

Back in the horse and buggy days, when travel was dirty, hot, and tiring, Simon Bamberger built a rail­road connecting Utah's two major cities, Ogden and Salt Lake City. Though he later became governor of the state, he is now more widely known for the amusement park he built at the halfway point of his line to refresh his passengers. He is no longer with us, but the amusement park, called Lagoon, is flourishing - a delightful bit of frivolity in a state better known for its natural wonders.


The resort has become as much a part of the summer life of the people of Utah as their dance or drama festi­vals, their mountain picnics, or their national parks. More than three quar­ters of a million people visit Lagoon during its four-month season. The entire population of the state is only about 900,000.

Lagoon has become such an institu­tion that schools, both public and private, bring their students from all over the state - and some come from Wyoming, Idaho, and Nevada - for special Lagoon Days.

Lagoon was built on the site of artesian wells - wells of pure water, unsalted. Since Great Salt Lake was the state's most celebrated and popular body of water, Mr. Bamberger had a problem. He had to convince Utahans that it was as much fun to swim in water as to float on it, as at Saltair on Salt Lake.

So the slogan, "Swim in Water Fit to Drink," and a copyrighted design of a bathing girl diving into a glass of pure water, were used to sell the idea of swimming in Lagoon's fresh water. Utah is probably the only place in the world where such a sales pitch could be mandatory for success.

Lagoon still rivals Saltair, and the Lagoon slogan has become literal truth. On its most crowded days, the Lagoon pool tests show a purity equal to that of the state's drinking water. Far from casting aspersion on the purity of Utah's water, the truth of this state­ment derives from the fact that the pool is cleansed by the largest vacuum filter in the world.

Apart from its renowned cleanliness, pool addicts enjoy "the swim with a view." As you do a back crawl, you get a breath-taking view of the Wasatch Mountains to the east. If you face westward, there, over the islands of Great Salt Lake, are the world's most glorious sunsets.

Developed primarily as a family re­sort, Lagoon has always been operated on a policy that nothing objectionable to any member of the family shall be exhibited or performed. Long before Prohibition the sale of liquor, except beer, was discontinued. The entertain­ment through the years has included everything from early motion pictures through airplane stunt flights, bicycle races with the cyclists competing with the Bamberger railroad train and the passengers cheering them on, and so on up to a major circus in recent years.

Dancing has always been one of the topflight attractions. Name bands from all over the nation who find Farming­ton, Utah, on their itinerary, never need to ask, "Where on earth is that?" They know that at Lagoon, situated on the outskirts of this small town, they'll perform for some of their largest and­
most enthusiastic audiences. That goes for Satchmo, Dave Brubeck, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, and other greats of jazz.

THE JOYS OF YOUTH
But again, there is Lagoon for the children. When the producers of TV's "Wide, Wide World" wanted to show their viewers all the delights of child­hood fantasy, they selected Lagoon as their site and with a children's dance group brought dreams to life in a pro­gram so enchanting that thousands of viewers responded.

To the thousands of tourists each year, as well as to the native popula­tion who now accept Lagoon as their birthright, its setting is almost un­believably alluring. The country imme­diately surrounding the resort is lush farming acreage planted to the foothills of the great mountains. This abun­dance springs from an area that grad­uates to desert wasteland and the harsh, white, arid expanse of Great Salt Lake and the Bonneville Flats.

The resort itself is a swirl of happy images: pink cotton candy and the wafted scent of hot popping corn; the fun house and a mad merry-go-round of green horses and yellow elephants; whirl rides that make you green; and lush groves with thick lawn where you recover your normal color while listen­ing to the gaiety of the midway.

Thanks to ample artesian well water Lagoon's gardens are a major entice­ment. From the top of the Ferris wheel at one end of the midway, the brave passenger - if he dares open his eyes - surveys the intricate patterns in floral gardens covering thirty per cent of the resort's area. In the children's playground, midget motor cars follow a track through a delightsome melee of flowers and ferns designed to make children feel deliciously lost in a friendly jungle.

Six years ago, fire destroyed half of the old Lagoon. The management was at first uncertain what reconstruction should be undertaken, or whether there should be rebuilding at all. Then came phone calls and letters, some even containing money, pouring in from adults and children, all begging for immediate reconstruction of the burnt-out attractions.

A new and modern section grew; and, as pressure increased, a new fun house - and the children of Utah were filled with joy. After sixty-five years of continuous operation, it is safe to say that the childhood memories of three-quarters of Utah's population include happy hours at Lagoon, "The Fun Spot of Utah."

Not So Wild About Lagoon's Animals

It probably wouldn't be much of a stretch to say the most controversial ride at Lagoon is the Wild Kingdom Train. The train itself is not a concern, but the animals seen by the ride's passengers have sparked complaints to the park and animal rights organizations. A letter in the Salt Lake Tribune last week described the conditions as "less than stellar" while a 2002 letter to Deseret News claimed "What should have been a pleasant train ride resulted in trauma for my young children."

You can go to WildlifePimps.com (a website that seems to be owned or sponsored by PETA) and click on "Factsheets" to find Lagoon Corporation second on a list of businesses with many USDA citations. In July 2000, the Utah Animal Rights Coalition protested with signs in front of Lagoon. A Deseret News article reported the executive director of the coalition had received "hundreds of phone calls" from Lagoon guests who were concerned about the health and living conditions of the animals. In the same article, Lagoon's spokesman Dick Andrew said the park only received a small number of complaints. Quoting from the article,

"There are strict regulations the animal park has met, Andrew said, and Lagoon has the required permits to have an animal park. There are also three veterinarians on staff that check on the animals monthly, and are on-call for treatment as needed, he said."

Lagoon is not on the UARC's current list of Ongoing Campaigns. Employees have claimed that the animals are not neglected and are properly cared for even though some may appear unhealthy.

Now here's what I think. I've never worked at a zoo or had enough experience caring for animals (beyond family pets) to know specifically what is acceptable. I imagine that if the lop-sided hump on the camel and the missing feathers on the ostrich are a definite sign of poor health, something would have been done by now either by the park's own initiative or with motivation from government agencies.

When the animals began taking up residence at Lagoon in the '60s the cement-floor cages were pretty standard for zoos. In recent decades, thousands of zoos have begun providing their animals with more natural atmospheres and Lagoon even hinted at plans to update the animal cages in 1989. I don't think it would be impossible to give this area a little more attention. After all, the landscaping for Rattlesnake Rapids alone is said to have cost the park hundreds of thousands of dollars. The area might not exactly be huge to begin with, but a more natural setting would still be beneficial and would drastically improve guests opinions of Lagoon's treatment for these animals.

As far as the animal rights activists? I think it's hard for companies to take them seriously when they try to get attention by dressing up like animals. If the UARC really received "hundreds of phone calls" and Lagoon only reported a few then it sounds like more people would rather go straight to the activists instead of Lagoon. Andrew said the only communication he received from the group was a fax making them aware of their protest and that "he would be willing to meet with the group to discuss their concerns". If I were in the UARC that is an invitation I would accept and prefer to marching with signs out by the frontage road where I probably wouldn't have a very good audience.

Should the animals be shipped out for good? Should the park just make improvements? Or does the situation just appear to be worse than it is and no changes need to be made at all?

SPOTLIGHT: Speedway, Jr.

NOTE: Sorry I missed posting the new questions for Lagoon Trivia Sunday. I just got back from a trip to Walt Disney World with my family. Looks like I missed the big opening of Wicked too. The next round of Lagoon Trivia could pop up at any random time so check back regularly. In the meantime, here's a post I was working on before I left, but didn't have time to finish until now.

Speedway, Jr. has been a major staple in Kiddie Land for quite a while now. It has undergone many changes through the years, but has never ceased to provide children with an opportunity to "drive" a car like their parents. Today, the so-called Speedway is more of a scenic sunday drive. Still, this is not far from the original Auto Kiddies ride which opened here around the late 1950s or early '60s. Landscaping tied in with the overall theme of Mother Gooseland. The Hickory Dickory Clock was featured prominently in front near the service station. In the background of this picture you can also see the garden of Mary Mary (who was quite contrary). Some remember a small hill not far from this ride with the Wishing Well on top which was also linked to the story of Jack and Jill.

Over the years cars have been replaced and track has been changed and changed again. Its surroundings have also been updated and improved. The references to nursery rhymes were reduced dramatically when the area changed to a more generic Kiddie Land in 1985. Originally bordered by the pool on the east, it's now neighbored by the Serpentine Slides of Lagoon-A-Beach. Eventually the rides on the north side were moved around so much that they began to move onto part of the Speedway's ground, squeezing it into a somewhat tighter area. The service station still remains even though the fuel pumps have been changed out for slightly newer ones.

Read more about Auto Kiddies and Speedway, Jr. at The Farmington Star.

Miniature Golf At Lagoon

The first National Miniature Golf Day is less than a month away (May 12) so why not celebrate by looking at Lagoon's own mini-golf course.

In 1962, Golf-Fun opened just north of Mother Gooseland and the Swimming Pool. It's hard to find information about what it was like, but as you can see in this photo (circa 1972) it featured things like the Statue Of Liberty and the Washington Memorial. On the left you can see a little bit of what looks like a paddle wheel of a steamboat. My guess is the course and its obstacles were based on American landmarks and culture. The fountain (at least it looks like it should be a fountain) in the background still stands. The fairway areas are unchanged for the most part.

A couple of decades later in 1981, the name changed to Putter Around The Park. Each hole featured an obstacle based on a ride or attraction at Lagoon. Unfortunately, many of these features have been left in disrepair. The Tidal Wave used to swing back and forth and the Ferris Wheel used to give your ball a ride if you were skilled enough with your putter. Other holes include Dracula's Castle, Roller Coaster, Fire Dragon and a Log Flume that looks more fun than the actual ride. You can almost see how the ideas were stretched a little too far to fit something into the space that existed previous to the retrofit. I have yet to see what anything on hole #7 has to do with the Pioneer Village Blacksmith.

Some wondered if the course would finally be done away with when rumors of The Bat mentioned it would be built in the area. Instead The Bat took a much more elderly victim (the historic Lake Park Terrace) and the golf course remained. Things are starting to be shaken up though. In 2006, a new sign was placed on the ticket building. Bulgy The Whale moved in taking up a piece of what used to be hole #1. Now the Merry-Go-Round is missing, Puff has become Kontiki and two new holes, Ruby's Tubes and The Bat were added to the beginning of the course. So far nothing has been added that has any resemblence to Kontiki, The Bat or the tube rental shop at Lagoon-A-Beach. The new score cards no longer have the names of the holes. Could this mean there are changes planned here?

EDIT: You can find an updated history of this attraction at LagoonHistory.com.