A BRIEF GARLAND HISTORY
*Excerpts from History of Garland, Utah, by Barbara Buchanan
-Years ago, Indians walked this valley up and down. They camped by the Bear River and gained a livelihood by hunting and fishing.
-A few people pastured their cattle in this area in the late 1870’s. Several came into what is now known as North Garland.
-The Union Pacific Railroad came in 1869, making the valley the highway for the freighters.
-First permanent settlements in the valley were made at Bear River City, Plymouth, and Fielding.
-In 1884, John A. Larson settled on the Bear River in what is now known as East Garland.
-In 1890, David E. Manning, Thomas E King, Walter L. Grover and William R. Van Fleet settled in what is now Garland.
-The rendezvous of all the settlers was the “Little Green School House” at East Garland. It was here that they met for church, school and all their community activities.
-In 1889 the canal system was started by John R. Bothwell. William Garland was contracted for the building of the canal, and to give honor to the builder, they decided to call their settlement Garland. Prior to that, the settlement had been called Sunset, and before that Poverty Flat.
-Plans for a post office were approved and in 1895 in a tiny frame building built by John Q. Leavitt in North Garland, A. H. Gleason was appointed post-master. He carried the mail to distribute throughout the entire valley until 1901 when the railroad was built into Garland.
-In 1902 the Utah Sugar Company began raising beets and shipping them to Lehi. In 1903, they built their Garland Factory at the total cost of $1,000,000.
-In 1903 the town site of Garland was laid out . On the street of the sugar factory, the company built 14 homes for their employees.
-The first town organization was begun in 1904 with a W. H. Rose as president of the town board.
-William R. Van Fleet had the first automobile in town; a Studebaker, and everyone would line up along the streets to watch him go by. He was the owner of several of the Garland businesses.
Two of the first laws written upon the books of the new third class city were:
-If a car was coming down the road and a horse and buggy was coming also, the horse and buggy went by. - If a person was caught swearing in town, he was fined.
-The Bear River Canal System was in use in 1904. Original cost was $2,500,000.00. Garland’s first water system was taken from the canals.
-The first telephone in the valley was installed in W. L. Grover’s store in North Garland. It was a toll telephone and was later moved to Boothe’s store in Garland proper.
-The first school building for the early settlers was the Little Green School House, but Garland’s first official school was located in North Garland, just one mile north of the present town center. -In 1905 a second school house was erected on the site of the Stake Tabernacle. It faced south and had a large bell in the dome. A Social Hall was built about 1905. It served as a chapel, dance hall, and theater. Local talent and traveling companies presented excellent plays.
-In 1905 the Bank of Garland was organized under a state charter. The Palace Dance Hall was built by John J. Shumway on the site where the Purina Feed Mill is on Factory Street. When the national guard was established, the Palace was the only building large enough to house the men and equipment, so for many years it was known as the Garland Armory. It later became a bowling alley and a skating rink. Later it was purchased by Arthur Michaelis for his feed store.
-In 1905, the first civic organization of progressive women – The Ladies Self-Culture Club -was formed, meeting for mutual helpfulness and for the promotion of education, industrial and social interests of the community.
-The first newspaper of Garland was called the Garland Globe, and was a six column, eight page paper. It was established February 10, 1906.
-In 1908, many Japanese people moved into the Bear River Valley to work for the sugar factory. S. Y. Shibata brought a small group with him. He was a natural leader because of his superior intelligence, wit, and industry. At his death, the Garland Tabernacle was filled to capacity with admirers. Later during the second World War many hundreds of Japanese people came to this valley when they were driven from California.
-In 1907 or 1908 a Garland Library Board was organized. They served as active promoters for seeking a library for the city.
-In 1908 the Garland Ward belonged to the Box Elder Stake. On October 11, 1908, the stakes were reorganized, and Bear River Stake was formed.
-In about 1910 the Library Board wrote the Carnegie Foundation asking for an endowment for the purpose of erecting a library building. The Carnegie Foundation responded with $8,000.00. The building was commenced May, 1914 and completed August 1914.
-In 1911 the first double tank chemical engine was purchased.
-In 1912 the volunteer fire department was organized.
-The Garland Elementary School was built in 1912 at the cost of approximately $50,000.00.
-In 1913, water hydrants were put in.
-A committee of 12 was appointed to see about the building of a new tabernacle that was to be built in Garland. This building was one of the greatest achievements of the people of Bear River Valley. That the building was commenced, completed and dedicated within one year is an item worth mentioning. Erected in 1914 at a cost of $55,000 by Martin Anderson.
-In 1914, first steps were taken to reincorporate the town into a city of the third class.
-On January 1, 1915, Garland became a city. M. D. Evans was elected as the first mayor of the city in that year.
-In 1916 the bank building burned but was soon rebuilt with a second story added. The bank was closed permanently in 1927. During the 2nd World War the building was used for the local headquarters of the ration board.
-In 1916 the Bear River High School was first founded in the Elementary School in Garland. Only the freshman year was given until 1920, when the second year was added.
-In 1921, the main building of Bear River High School was erected, costing $100,000. In 1924 the auditorium and gymnasium were added at a cost of $75,000 and in 1926 the mechanical arts building was built.
-Daughters of the Utah Pioneers effected an organization in Garland in 1923.
-The L. D. S. Seminary building was built in 1924. First instructors were Wilford W. Richards and J. C. Jensen. About 90 percent of the students took advantage of this opportunity.
-In 1926 the city purchased an up-to-date motor driven fire engine and the fire department was reorganized.
-The Lion’s Club was organized on May 13, 1927. They began the annual celebration known as the Wheat & Beet Days, and completed many projects which have been for the town’s best good through the years.
-In 1928 Roy Wallin began the publication of “The Garland Times”. Vernald W. Johns was the next editor.
-In May of 1929, a $10,000 pipe organ was installed in the Garland Tabernacle, which was the first of it’s kind in Box Elder County.
-In 1930, the Garland Ward Amusement Hall was built. The auditorium and dance hall, class rooms, and an up-to-date kitchen made this one of the finest community centers in Northern Utah.
-In 1957 Thiokol Chemical Corporation built a plant about twenty miles southwest of Garland. This initially brought 5,800 people to the area..
-In 1961 a new Post Office was dedicated.
