The Lehi Historical Society will unveil a new marker Saturday, Nov. 7, at the site of Lehi Junction, a railroad community that once bustled with trains, stores and families but has nearly vanished.

The free ceremony begins at 11 a.m. at 754 W. 2100 North. The Holbrook Family is sponsoring the event, which is open to the public.

The marker is the 25th installed through the Lehi Historical Marker Program. The program was founded in 2022 when the society secured funding from the John David and Danaca Hadfield family of HADCO Construction and a Lehi City PARC (Parks, Arts, Recreation and Culture) grant, the Lehi Free Press reported. The first marker went up at the Lehi Round-Up Rodeo in June 2024, according to Fox 13.

Lehi Junction came to life in the early 1880s when the Utah Southern Railroad and Salt Lake & Western Railway converged northwest of town. The junction linked northern Utah County to the Tintic Mining District and became a busy transfer point for ore, freight and supplies, according to the Lehi Free Press.

A railroad community grew around the rail yard. Steam locomotives stopped for water and repairs. A roundhouse, engine houses and water tower served the trains, while rows of homes housed railroad workers and their families. Stores, brickyards and freight businesses operated alongside the tracks.

Residents knew the area as the "New Survey" or "the other side of the creek." It had its own businesses, school and church. The Franklin School served neighborhood children. In 1893, local members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints organized the North Branch and began raising money for a meetinghouse. By October 1894, the building held worship services. The congregation later became the Lehi Third Ward.

Lara Bangerter, director of the Lehi Historical Society, said the community played a significant but overlooked role in Lehi's past.

Kay Peterson, who helped organize the unveiling, said she hopes the event draws attention to the families who built their lives around the junction. "I think people should come to this unveiling because the people of the Third Ward accomplished a lot," Peterson told the Lehi Free Press.

Railroad activity eventually declined, and Lehi Junction faded with it. The roundhouse was demolished in 1937. Cutler Station, the community's railroad depot, was removed in 1938. The old C. L. Johnson Store building on Railroad Street is one of the few remaining reminders of the community's peak.

The Lehi Historical Society's website lists a 26th marker unveiling for William Hadfield's Christmas Delivery on Saturday, Dec. 5, at 11 a.m. Residents can call 801-768-1570 for more information about the marker program.

Upcoming community events:

  • Saturday, Nov. 7: Lehi Junction Historical Marker Unveiling, 11 a.m., 754 W. 2100 North, Lehi. Free.
  • Saturday, Dec. 5: William Hadfield's Christmas Delivery Historical Marker Unveiling, 11 a.m., location to be announced.