- Utah's historic landmarks like Cottonwood Paper Mill and Geneva Resort are gone forever.
- The Sugar House Prison and Thatcher Opera House have significant historical importance in Utah.
- Cisco and Castilla Hot Springs, once bustling, are now ghost towns with cultural memories.
Utah wasn't built in a day — obvious when you consider the seemingly constant construction work. But what goes up eventually comes down. Take, for instance, some of Utah's lost landmarks. Here are seven places that were once a part of everyday life but now offer little to no trace of their existence.
Cottonwood Paper Mill
Built in 1880 for the Deseret News, the Cottonwood Paper Mill once produced up to 5 tons of paper per day. Located on Big Cottonwood Canyon Road in Cottonwood Heights, the building was purchased by Granite Paper Mills in 1892. A year later, a fire broke out in the stockpile room, ultimately destroying half of the structure.
Abandoned until the 1920s, it was then converted into a dance hall called the Old Mill Club. It was later used as a concert venue for popular bands, including The Doors. The Old Mill was abandoned in the 1980s, then condemned in 2005 due to earthquake damage.
Geneva Resort
In Utah, the name Geneva likely stirs up memories of the steel mill that stood near Utah Lake from World War II until 2001. But the mill's name was actually a nod to its much prettier predecessor: the Geneva Resort.
Built in 1890, the resort was a weekend hotspot for Utahns. The grounds included a hotel and saloon, a boat harbor and two swimming pools — one hot and one cold. A main attraction was the toboggan slide, which sent riders skidding across the lake.
On Saturday afternoons, you could eat a burger and watch a baseball game. In the evening, you could take a ferry boat ride or attend a dance at the pavilion, on a floor built on springs. Despite its popularity, the resort closed in 1935, possibly due to competition.
Sugar House Prison
Before the recently abandoned building at the Point of the Mountain, we had the Utah Territorial Prison. It was located in what is now the north side of Sugar House Park in Salt Lake City.
The adobe brick prison opened in 1855 and typically held 20 men or fewer in the early years. For a time, there weren't enough funds to hire a night guard, allowing a few prisoners to escape. The federal government expanded the prison in the 1870s and beefed up security when it began prosecuting men who practiced polygamy.
The prisoners stayed in cells about 20 feet by 26 feet, sleeping two to a bed on three tiers of bunks. The prison was abandoned in 1951 and subsequently demolished. Today, there's a monument at Sugar House Park with stones from the original building.
Thatcher Opera House
Live theater has always been popular in Utah, so it was an especially sad day for Logan residents when the Thatcher Opera House burned down in 1912. It was built just 22 years earlier by George Washington Thatcher, who'd wanted to bring first-rate performing arts to Cache Valley.
The elegant theater stood on the corner of Main and Center Street in Logan. It featured 800 horsehair-covered seats, a carpeted stairway and electric lights. Entertainment included traveling operas, plays, concerts, vaudeville shows and — boxing. Though the theater rarely made a profit, Thatcher considered it a cultural gift to the community.
Skytram at Bridal Veil Falls
Utah was once home to the steepest aerial tram in the world. The Sky Ride over Bridal Veil Falls was built to transport guests to Eagle's Nest Lodge and Restaurant, perched above the 607-foot-tall double waterfall.
The tram in Provo Canyon first opened in 1967. It was the only one built alongside a major U.S. highway and above a flowing river. In 1996, an avalanche on New Year's Day destroyed the tramway that carried the six-person car. Plans to revive the Eagle's Nest and tram were abandoned following a 2008 fire.
Cisco
Utah has its fair share of ghost towns, some of which have provided picturesque backdrops for Hollywood movies. One such burg is Cisco, which was immortalized in "Thelma and Louise," as well as in Johnny Cash's ballad "Cisco Clifton's Filling Station."
The once bustling town in Grand County, about an hour northeast of Moab, was a popular railroad stop and water filling station (thus Cash's lyrics) that included shops, hotels and restaurants.
After steam engines were phased out and I-70 rerouted traffic, the town quickly dwindled to a few residents and was officially abandoned in the 1990s. It is making a comeback, of sorts. Artist Eileen Muza purchased the town in 2015, turning it into an art project.
Castilla Hot Springs
Despite its reputation as a cure-all — from arthritis to chainsmoking to the propensity to use coarse language — Castilla Hot Springs in Spanish Fork Canyon is no more. In the 1890s, the resort included a three-story hotel, private cottages, a saloon, a dance pavilion and an indoor and outdoor swimming pool.
It was so popular that, throughout the summer, an excursion train picked up passengers across Juab County for a night of dining and dancing. A nearby rock quarry later slowed the water flow to the area, and by the 1930s, the hotel fell into disrepair.
A 1942 fire destroyed what was left, and the rest was torn down. Local authorities used dynamite to blow up the spring in the 1980s to discourage visitors.
Did you visit any of these Utah landmarks? What would you consider a Utah landmark today? Share your memories in the comments below.
