The Lehi Historical Society will unveil its 25th historical marker on Saturday, Nov. 7, at the site of Lehi Junction. The ceremony is scheduled for 11 a.m. at 754 W. 2100 North and is open to the public.
The event, which is sponsored by the Holbrook Family, honors a railroad community that once bustled with trains, stores, and families before nearly vanishing. Lehi Junction came to life in the early 1880s when the Utah Southern Railroad and Salt Lake & Western Railway converged northwest of town. This junction served as a busy transfer point for freight, ore, and supplies, linking northern Utah County to the Tintic Mining District.
A railroad community grew around the rail yard, featuring a roundhouse, engine houses, water tower, and rows of homes for workers and their families. Local businesses, including stores, brickyards, and freight businesses, operated alongside the tracks. Residents referred to the area as the "New Survey" or "the other side of the creek."
The community included its own school, the Franklin School, and a church. In 1893, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints organized the North Branch and began raising funds for a meetinghouse, which held worship services by October 1894. This congregation later became the Lehi Third Ward.
Lara Bangerter, the director of the Lehi Historical Society, stated that the community played a significant but overlooked role in the history of Lehi. Kay Peterson, an organizer of the unveiling, said she hopes the event draws attention to the families who built their lives around the junction and noted that the people of the Third Ward accomplished a lot.
The Lehi Historical Marker Program was founded in 2022 after the society secured funding from a Lehi City PARC (Parks, Arts, Recreation and Culture) grant and the John David and Danaca Hadfield family of HADCO Construction. The program's first marker was installed at the Lehi Round-Up Rodeo in June 2024.
Railroad activity eventually declined, leading to the demolition of the roundhouse in 1937 and the removal of the Cutler Station railroad depot in 1938. The C. L. Johnson Store building on Railroad Street remains one of the few remaining reminders of the community's peak.
The Lehi Historical Society's website lists a 26th marker unveiling for William Hadfield's Christmas Delivery scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 5, at 11 a.m., with the location to be announced. Residents can call 801-768-1570 for more information regarding the marker program.
