Burton's Lake, Vernal (Utah)

Ira Burton bought 160 acres southeast of Ashley Town and built the Burton's Resort on this property in 1900. He built a house on the property along with a manmade lake and dance hall. On forty acres of his property he built a race track. The lake was fed by the Ashley Creek. It was stocked with fish and was used for swimming and boating in the summer and ice skating in the winter. Ira built a bathhouse where swimming suits and boats were rented. The dance hall was thirty-six by eighty-two feet and was located next to the lake. A weekly dance complete with a live band was always enjoyed by a large group. A concession stand offered candy, ice cream, sandwiches, soft drinks and beer. Crowds gathered from all over the basin to enjoy baseball games, horse racing, rodeos, dances and special events at the resort. On special occasions fireworks were shot from rafts on the lake.