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Lagoon

Farmington, Utah

The Denver and Rio Grand Western Railroad opened Lake Park on the shore of the Great Salt Lake in 1886, but the lake soon receded and the park ended up being far from the water. Sam Bamberger, owner of the Salt Lake & Ogden Railroad line, purchased most of Lake Park's buildings and moved them three miles east to Farmington, about 17 miles north of Salt Lake City. Bamberger called the new park Lagoon thanks to its location on a 9-acre lagoon. Lagoon opened in 1896 and the first thrill ride, the Shoot-the-Chutes, opened in 1906. A carousel, built in 1893, came in 1906 and it still operates there today! The Dancing Pavilion hosted a group of bands in the 1930s and 1940s. A huge fire destroyed a number of rides in October 1953, but the park was rebuilt. After the fire, the Patio Gardens featured performances from a variety of artists ranging from Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Count Basie and Duke Ellington to Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, The Rolling Stones and The Beach Boys. Lagoon expanded its live entertainment program in 1982 with its Music USA Theater. The Lagoon-A-Beach Waterpark arrived in 1989.

Four coasters have left the park:

  • Little Roller Coaster was a Allen Herschell Company Little Dipper model that ran for many years until the 1980s.
  • New Wilder Wild Mouse (1973-1989) was a wooden Wild Mouse ride.
  • Wild Mouse (1965-1971) was also a wooden Wild Mouse.
  • Scenic Railway was a wood coaster that operated for a few years in the early 1900s.


Bat


Bombora


Cannibal


Colossus the Fire Dragon


Jet Star 2


Primordial


Puff the Little Fire Dragon


Roller Coaster


Spider


Wicked


Wild Mouse