Syracuse / North Davis / Layton UT 84040

Did you know...?
• OLD SALTAIR (Saltair I, 1893-1925),
built under the direction of the LDS
Church and intended as a wholesome
alternative to the rowdier
resorts springing up along the Great
Salt Lake shoreline, became known
as the “CONEY ISLAND OF THE
WEST”. Architect Richard Kletting’s
designs were intended to
dazzle visitors and transport
them to a world of
“escape and pleasure”.
The multilevel pavilion was
Moorish-Victorian in ap-
pearance, with its crescent “arms”
lined with bathhouses extended
from each side. Saltair was built
over the water on a platform supported
by 2500 pine pilings, nearly
a mile offshore and accessed via
railroad trestle. The resort boasted
various rides, shows, and dining
options. For the roller coaster
enthusiast, the main attraction was
the Giant Racer, a massive roller
coaster that sent riders screaming
through drops and turns over the
water. Orville and Wilbur Wright
demonstrated their “heavier than
air machine” at Saltair, making
short, low flights above the pavilion.
Fire destroyed the Saltair I
pavilion in 1925. Of note, Richard
Kletting would later design the
State Capitol. Saltair II (1926-1970)
was built larger and more colorful,
with emphasis more on attractions
and entertainment, including “Big
Bands” performing in its massive
ballroom. Saltair III (1982-present)
was built conveniently at I-80 exit
104. Knowledge of the original site
and its legacy faded from our collective
memory. For the explorer,
visible remnants still lie along the
overgrown trestle that leads to the
pavilion site. Pilings marking the
Giant Racer’s route also remain
along with ceramic fragments from
the “old Ship Café”. Remember the
1967 Beach Boy’s record album art?
Photos show the band hanging out
at a decaying Saltair II, balancing
atop a tall collection of pilings that
once served as a dock. With respect
to the Great Salt Lake and Saltair,
here two mindsets have always
coexisted at odds with each other:
the easy-going beach groove that
Saltair attempted to harness, and
the harsh desert environment that
eventually did it in.
• Bonneville Salt Flats, also a remnant
of the ancient Lake Bonneville, is so
flat that it aligns nearly perfectly with
the shape of the earth. It is located
just off the I-80, near the Utah-
Nevada border. The flats stretch
over 30,000 acres and is a fragile
resource managed by the Bureau
of Land Management. High speed
auto/motorbike racers, commercial
filmmakers and thousands of visitors
visit this destination.
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