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On the evening of 14 November 1953 a large fire spread throughout Lagoon's many historic buildings. The fire destroyed almost everything on the west side of the Midway. The original Fun House and Dancing Pavilion built when Lagoon opened in 1896 were gone. The east end of the Roller Coaster was caught in the blaze also. The Carousel narrowly escaped the fire thanks to fire fighters keeping a steady stream of water on it. According to a Farmington Star visitor, "aparkfan", said "Though the cause of the fire was never really determined, it is speculated that the fire started either in the chain house of the coaster or in the backroom of [The Ghost Train]." Margaret Hess, a long-time Farmington resident and wife of Milton Hess (who built most of the buildings at Lagoon before the fire) related her part of the story in her book, My Farmington. "In 1953 a terrible fire destroyed a lot of the things Milton had built at Lagoon. He would not even go down to see it that night. He was heartsick to know so much or so many things, that had taken years to build, had been destroyed in such a short time." "The fire spread rapidly because of a south wind, and burned the entire west section of the park: the Fun House, the Dance Pavilion, Shooting Gallery, the Prize Center, the Cafe, and many little buildings. Also destroyed were many rides, benches, chairs, and tables, etc., that were stored on the dance pavilion for the winter. All the beautiful shade trees were destroyed. Some had been planted since 1896. As soon as all the debris was cleared away, a new Lagoon was built which has been an asset to Farmington, Davis County, and all of Utah." The fire ended up helping Lagoon instead of ruining it. It was a great turning point in Lagoon's history. The Midway and Roller Coaster was quickly rebuilt and a long list of new rides were installed. Lagoon started to surpass the popularity of its chief rival, the Saltair resort. SOME ATTRACTIONS THAT SURVIVED THE FIRE CAROUSEL - The 1893 Carousel is part of a rare and dying breed of hand-carved wooden carousels. It continues to be updated to ensure it lasts even longer. FERRIS WHEEL - Built on the North Midway the same year as the fire escaped damage. LAKE PARK PAVILION - This building was once part of the Dancing Pavilion built in 1886 at Lake Park and was moved to Lagoon in 1896. It was designed by Richard Kletting who was also the architect of the original Saltair (1893) and the Utah State Capitol Building (1915). At some point, the building was taken apart and transformed back into a picnic pavilion. The cupola was taken off the top and used as what is now the Rose Terrace. In 2004, the main building was torn apart and The Bat was built in its place. ROCKETS - Added in 1900 near the Lake where the fire didn't reach. ROLLER COASTER - Even though parts of this ride were burned, other sections were saved and the ride was rebuilt. SOME ATTRACTIONS BUILT AFTER THE FIRE OCTOPUS - A classic amusement ride that had different locations in the park. TILT-A-WHIRL - Replaced the original one built in the 1920s.
Thanks to "aparkfan" for help with information on the fire.
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