Morgan County Historical Society

Morgan County Historical Society Established in 1979, our goal is to collect, preserve, and educate people about Morgan County's History

This charming old home was built by Samuel Alonzo Francis, who was one of the primary contributors to the Morgan Opera H...
09/02/2026

This charming old home was built by Samuel Alonzo Francis, who was one of the primary contributors to the Morgan Opera House located further up the road. Once the opera house was completed, Samuel decided to use the same sandstone from the quarry in Deep Creek to construct this house. With the assistance of Fred, Jessie, and Harold Clark, the home was finished in 1909.

Octave Fredrick Ursenbach was a student at the Medical College of Utah, near Como Springs. He thought he wanted to be a ...
09/01/2026

Octave Fredrick Ursenbach was a student at the Medical College of Utah, near Como Springs. He thought he wanted to be a doctor when he grew up. According to his own journals, Octave succeeded in medical school until the human anatomy section. Until the 1960s, medical skeletons were made from human bones. Octave concluded, "I did not want to be a doctor." Although Octave hated that skeleton, Dr. Kohler bequeathed it to him upon his death. Ursenbach then sold the bones to the Morgan Stake Academy.

These tree stumps are actually headstones! They belong to members of the Woodmen of the World (W.O.W). In 1890, Joseph ...
08/31/2026

These tree stumps are actually headstones! They belong to members of the Woodmen of the World (W.O.W). In 1890, Joseph Root, of Omaha, Nebraska, created the Woodmen of the World Life Insurance Society. Root wanted his organization to "clear away problems of financial security for its members." The Woodmen organization provided more than just life insurance. Members of Ogden's Weber camp #74, and Morgan's Camp #821 also participated in civic projects and group outings. One of these was a trip to see the Chinatown rocks and to improve the road to get to Chinatown. In 1932, the Morgan and Weber camps were combined. The Morgan Woodmen building, located near the depot, stood until 1959 to make way for Interstate 84.
The Woodmen of the World Fraternal organization was also dedicated to civic responsibility, patriotism, and friendship. Some of the Morgan camp members were Reinhardt Olsen, Dan Sommers, Nellie Hulet, and Dan Williams.
Pictured: Joseph Littlefield Woodmen of the World Headstone. Undated Woodmen of the World Camp 821 parade float.
“ Learn about Our Rich Heritage.” WoodmenLife’s Storied History, August 2024. https://www.woodmenlife.org/about/history/.
“Morgan Woodmen of the World Transfer to Ogden.” Morgan County News. January 28, 1932. https://www.newspapers.com/image/545130160/.
“W.O.W. Party Praises Beauty of Chinatown.” Morgan County News. October 8, 1937. https://www.newspapers.com/image/545138810/.

As the world began to industrialize in the early twentieth century, so did Utah, and Morgan County. The Morgan Canning C...
08/28/2026

As the world began to industrialize in the early twentieth century, so did Utah, and Morgan County. The Morgan Canning Company was founded in 1904 by James Anderson. It took five years to make a profit. In 1910, nearly thirty thousand cases of peas were packed and sold by Morgan Canning Co. By 1918 a second plant was opened in Smithfield, Utah. Only two buildings survive; the vinery and warehouse, made from local sandstone.

The Pony Express was created in 1860. The company delivered mail from April 1860 to October 1861 when poor financial man...
08/27/2026

The Pony Express was created in 1860. The company delivered mail from April 1860 to October 1861 when poor financial management, scandals, and the Transcontinental Telegraph were completed. Riders for the Pony Express would travel as fast as they could on horseback and stop every ten to fifteen miles to change horses. Morgan County had two Pony Express stations. Dixie Station, near Dixie Hollow, and Bachmans also called Snyder's station, at the mouth of Little Dutch Hollow. Riders for the Express included William 'Buffalo Bill' Cody, and horse thief Melville Baughn.
Raymond W. Settle and Mary Lund Settle, Saddles and Spurs: The Pony Express Saga (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: The Stackpole Company, 1955), 168-171.
“Melville ‘Mel’ Baughn, the Pony Express (U.S. National Park Service).” n.d. Www.nps.gov. Accessed July 31, 2023. https://www.nps.gov/.../melville-mel-baughn-the-pony....
Smith, Linda H. 1999. A History of Morgan County. 254
“Pony Express Route April 3, 1860 - October 24, 1861.” n.d. Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Accessed July 31, 2023. https://www.loc.gov/resource/g4051p.tr000013/?r=0.027.

Happy National Dog Day from the Morgan County Historical Society!We need your help identifying these two boys and their ...
08/26/2026

Happy National Dog Day from the Morgan County Historical Society!

We need your help identifying these two boys and their lovely dogs. This picture was taken around 1964.

Working on the Transcontinental Railroad was long and hard. Workers needed a place to relax. Saloons and pool halls were...
08/25/2026

Working on the Transcontinental Railroad was long and hard. Workers needed a place to relax. Saloons and pool halls were colorful places that often operated with questionable legal status. These places were often raided by police for selling alcohol or running gambling operations. The Mint Saloon was one of several bars that operated here. Albert “stiff-arm” Stewart continued the building's tradition and opened a pool hall here. In 1931, Stewart’s Pool Hall was robbed of two of its slot machines.

From 2003 to 2014, the famous Widowmaker hill climb came to Morgan, but did you know that in 1926, Como Springs was home...
08/21/2026

From 2003 to 2014, the famous Widowmaker hill climb came to Morgan, but did you know that in 1926, Como Springs was home to a statewide motorcycle competition?

In 1912, the Salt Lake Motorcycle Club began holding Gypsy tours. These tours were large gatherings of motorcycle enthusiasts and manufacturers. Riders would gather at specific locations and camp out, like "gypsies." Bikers spent the weekend showing off their riding skills and meeting other enthusiasts.
From 1926 to 1939, the Salt Lake, Ogden, and Utah Motorcycle Clubs would gather at Como Springs for hill climbs, slow races, egg races, and Australian Pursuit races.

The Morgan County Historical Society is happy to help researchers with their projects to collect, preserve, and present ...
08/20/2026

The Morgan County Historical Society is happy to help researchers with their projects to collect, preserve, and present Morgan County history.

Adam Christensen, author of Como Springs: Gone But Not Forgotten, is starting a new project called Town Ball: Preserving the Golden Age of Morgan County Baseball.

The Morgan Depot is one hundred years old this year! From 1924 to 1928, Union Pacific added a second track along the Tra...
08/19/2026

The Morgan Depot is one hundred years old this year! From 1924 to 1928, Union Pacific added a second track along the Transcontinental Railroad in Morgan to accommodate the increased freight and passenger traffic. This meant Morgan needed a newer and bigger depot as well. In 1926, the new Morgan Depot opened at the end of Commercial Street.

Address

98 N. Commercial Street
Morgan, UT
84050

Opening Hours

Monday 12pm - 5pm
Tuesday 12pm - 5pm
Wednesday 12pm - 5pm
Thursday 12pm - 5pm
Friday 12pm - 5pm

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