Layton

Lynn Arave

• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN: 9781467104968
• eBook ISBN: 9781439671528
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: North American History
• Index: History

Layton was settled in 1850 by pioneers in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. An outgrowth of Kaysville, Layton separated in 1902 following a 20-year legal battle. The city incorporated in 1920. The Layton Sugar Plant opened in 1915, and the town was an agricultural and ranching hub until 1941, when the United States entered World War II. In less than 10 years, by 1950, Layton's population had tripled, mainly because of Hill Field, a US Air Force maintenance base. Today, Layton is the largest city in Davis County and a regional retail center, anchored by the Layton Hills Mall. It is well known for its "Restaurant Row;" Commons Park, which boasts an extensive collection of lighted animal figures during the holidays; the Ed Kenley Amphitheater; the Adams Canyon trail; and much more.

One

EARLY YEARS

Occasional findings of ancient tools and relics in Layton prove that Native Americans lived in the area hundreds of years before white settlers arrived. Also, there were small bands of Native Americans living in the area when settlers arrived.

Like most northern Utah communities, Layton was settled by early pioneers from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was the 37th such area to be homesteaded.

Three pioneers—Edward Phillips, William Kay, and John H. Green—and their families first visited the area in 1849 and returned to settle in settled in the spring of 1850. (Some histories claim it was 1849.) Others followed that year. (Christopher Layton, the city’s namesake, moved to the area in 1852.)

Layton was an outgrowth of Kaysville, and thus, its streets were not as meticulously planned or square-shaped as they were in many Latter-day Saint communities. The Layton name also did not take hold for almost four decades. It was called Kays Crossing at first. (Layton had also briefly been called Little Fort since Kaysville had a larger one.)

In fact, the very first newspaper reference to Layton being its own community, separate from mother Kaysville City, was published on May 7, 1886, in the Ogden Herald newspaper. “The town of Layton is building up rapidly,” the Herald stated. “There is good demand for everything a farmer raises.”

Besides Layton residents wanting their own community, they were very discontented over their taxes from Kaysville City, with little or no benefits to them. Dog licensing was another issue. These controversies exploded in 1899 when Ephraim P. “E.P.” Ellison, a prominent businessman, led extensive legal battles to separate from Kaysville. This legal battle not only went to the Utah Supreme Court but the US Supreme Court as well. In 1902, Layton won and became an unincorporated area of Davis County—and also boasted its own growing business district at that time.

Christopher Layton was the first Latter-day Saint bishop in what is now Layton. In 1892, it was officially accepted that Layton be the community’s name to honor the early leader.

Layton was incorporated as a third-class town on May 24, 1920, with approximately 500 residents.

Del Adams of Layton rode in the Pioneer Day Parade in Salt Lake City on July 24, 1934. Adams portrayed mountain man Jim Bridger in many events over the decades, continuing into the 1960s. Adams was also a well-known hunter. He died in 1971 at age 81. Some histories claim Bridger visited Layton territory in 1825 as perhaps one of the first white men to ever set foot there.

Christopher Layton is Layton City’s namesake. The multitalented pioneer was also a colonizer, settler, statesman, farmer, industrialist, and church leader. Born in 1821, Layton was a member of the Mormon Battalion, an early settler, and Latter-day Saint bishop. He died in 1898 at the age of 77.

This is a historical marker located in Layton, this one on a large rock in front of the Heritage Museum of Layton. Like most early Utah communities, this fort was built for protection against Native Americans. Since Kaysville boasted a larger fort, Layton’s was dubbed “Little Fort.” It was constructed where today’s Fort Lane is and is the source of that name.

This is a rare photograph featuring five of Layton’s early settlers, probably taken in 1861. From left to right are (first row) Elias Adams Jr., John Q. Adams, and Joseph S. Adams; (second row) Rufus Adams and George W. Adams. Elias was only 18 in the picture and built a cabin on Gentile Street. John and Rufus both moved to Genoa, Nevada. George was one of the leading landowners in town, and Samuel had a profitable 80-acre farm in the Layton area. (Courtesy of Harris Adams.)

This is the Joseph “Cap” Hill cabin at its original location next to Kays Creek, near the Kaysville border. It was associated with the westward movement of California gold seekers during the Utah settlement era. It was built between 1851 and 1856 and illustrates how early settlers lived. The Hill cabin is also the only settlement-era cabin in Davis County that sat in its original location for over 161 years.

This is a newer picture of the Joseph “Cap” Hill cabin, built by Joseph and Ann Marston Hill, now residing next to the Heritage Museum of Layton, inside Commons Park. The building was restored in 1990 and moved to the museum in 2017. It is a rare example of log cabin construction from the earliest white settlements of the Salt Lake Valley. (Author photograph.)

Yampatch Wongan Timbimboo was a Shoshoni Native American who lived in Northern Utah during Layton’s early history. Besides the Shoshoni, some Utah Utes also lived in the same regions of Salt Lake, Weber, and Ogden Valleys and together totaled about 800 persons in the year 1865. Some were survivors of the Bear River Massacre of 1863. Indian tales in Layton are few, but a band of Native Americans lived near Dawson Hollow and Cherry Lane in the 1850s.

This is a portion of a 19th-century flour mill from Kaysville, back when Layton was part of Kaysville. This relic now sits outside the northwest corner of the Heritage Museum of Layton. (Author photograph.)

Wooden wagon wheels like this were a fixture during the early decades of life in the Layton area and the rest of the West. Layton’s first two businesses, John Green’s Stage Coach Station and Stables, as well as Christopher Layton’s Prairie House Stagecoach Inn, both opened in 1857 and relied heavily on the wagon wheel. The wheel in this picture is preserved as part of the Heritage Museum of Layton. (Author photograph.)

The Layton Roller Mills, at 18 South Main Street, was opened in 1890 by Ephraim P. Ellison, Henry Gibson, and others. In 1895, up to three railroad cars full of flour were shipped from the mill every day. In its 1903 heyday, it could produce and fill 440 sacks of flour a day, more than any other mill in Utah. The mill burned down in 1951, and a service station replaced i...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• 1. Early Years
• 2. Farming and Ranching
• 3. Sugar Factory
• 4. Transportation
• 5. World War II and Hill Air Force Base
• 6. Schools and Churches
• 7. Community Life
• 8. Wasatch Mountains
• 9. Businesses
• 10. Modern City
• About the Heritage Museum of Layton