In 1913, as the Sugar House neighborhood grew, local businessmen sold this land to Salt Lake City to create a park.
By 1929, this public park (called Sugar House Park, not to be confused with today’s Sugar House Park, located father to the east) boasted a swimming pool with bathhouses, lighted tennis courts, baseball diamond, horseshoe courts, handicraft center, and playground.
This park formed the heart of Sugar House. The library, post office, school, and police station surrounded it. Industries flanked the park as well, including the ice factory, sugar/paper mill, and two lumber mills. The Utah Central Railroad ran through the park, and the 2100 South Freeway skirted its north edge, making the location a transit hub.
By the 1940s, the park began to gall into disuse. In 1951, the State Prison closed, making room for Highland High School and a new Sugar House Park. As development on this block expanded, the old swimming pool was buried under a parking lot, and the original park was forgotten.
Long-time residents recall how hunters dodged skaters as they crossed Hygeia’s ice rink to store game in the ice company’s cold lockers.
Located in Hidden Hollow in Sugar House.
