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Show - - S MILLPOND ROAD R PLANT LEHI SUGA~ COUNТY LEHI , UT _.. ~. - А GUIDE ТО LEHI CITY'S HISTORICAL SITES AND PLACES Lehi PubIished Ьу the rr-eservation Commission Нisrorical 1997 1"IIIl,k,I 1" ~ГШll' from 'ће !t"h :-'tat~ Јlј,IO,"јсаl Suciety :11)(1 I A.: ili ( · il~ ( · oгporзt iOf) LEHI SUGAR FACTORY Constructed: 1890-91 Address: South Millpond Road Present owners: thomas Peck and Sons Trucking Сотрапу Оп was lost 10 spontaneous combustion when pi1ed in the орen that а water-filled coal Ьin two hШldred fifty feet 10ng and forty-eight feet wide was constructed. А massive 1899-1900 building project not onlу physically doubled the size of the р1an!, but also increased its capacity 10 onе tћousand tons of beets per dзу. Onе of the most interesting featшes of the steam-operated factory was its twenty-two boilers, each with its оwn srnokestack. Onе hШldred twenty-five 1005 of созl were bumed еасћ tw\S1ty-fоur-hош period. As manу as sixty сзrloads о! c:oal were ffequently awaiting unloading. In 1914 when World War 1 broke ou1, the mзrkе! for sugar increased dramatical1y. The huge foшteen milliОП-РОШld capacity warehouse, still standing оп the site, was comp1eted at this time (along with the 184-foot smokestack)., In 1925, the Lehi Sugar Factory did поt орen due 10 having insufficient пшnЬеrs of beets 10 process. Farmers would по 10nger p1ant them because their fields were infested with nematodes (microscopic round worrns), and another blight called "сшlу top." 1ъis was caused Ьу а small white fly. F гот 1891 to 1924 the Lehi district produced 2,572,357 to05 of beets, from which the factory extracted 6,987,242 100-РОШld Ьзgs of white sugar. Тhe Utah Sugar Сотрany and UtahIdaho Sugar Соmрanу (formed in 1907), spent an estimated $30,000,000 in the Lehi district оп beets, 1abor, and supplies. In 1939 the Lehi factory buildings, with the exception of the warehouse, blacksmith shops, and other storage bui1dings, were sold 10 Bothweil Mining Сотрanу of Мегсш. Мany of the smal1er bui1dings were moved to various locatio05 in LeШ. Much of the brick from the main factory was used to build the Joseph Smith Memorial Building оп the Brigham УОШlg University сатрш as well as the Lehi First Ward chape1. Тhe 184-foot smokestack--the town's tallest landmark--along with the 1914-built warehouse and созl pits, зrе зl1 that remain of the Lehi Sugar Fac10ry today. 4 September 1889 the Utah Sugar an LDS Сhшсh-оwned соrpoгзtiоn, was incorporated. The decision was made 10 construct а factory. The winning $400,000 contract was awarded to Е. Н. ОуеЈ & Со. After visits 10 several зreзs, the сЬојсе for the futше рlan! was Mulliner's millpond in Lehi. Тhe comerstone-laying сегemопу, held оп 26 December 1890, was conducted ьу LDS Сhшсh president Wilford Woodruff. Long before the sugar factory was completed, field representatives, Шldег the directiоп of George Аustin, began visiting growers 10 сопvinсе them to plant beet seed. At that time а Lehi farmer could earn about $20 per зcrе growing wheat, $13 an acre for Ьау, and $36 for an acre of potatoes. Growers were advised Ьу Utah Sugar Соmрanу реrsonnеl that beets would Ье bought for $4.50 а ton, malcing them worth an estimated $45 per acre. The plant was completed in the fall of 1891 and the first strike of sugar took рlасе оп 15 October. The success of the sugar factory had draтaric effect оп Lehi's finanсјзl well-being. Вetween 1890 and 1896 пearly thirty new businesses сате into еЮstenсе. Likely по lосзl enterprise since then, with the possible exception of General Refractories, Ьзs provided Lehi with such long-term finanсјзl rewards. No structше in the town's history was as imposing as the main sugar factory building. Тhe bui1ding was опе hШldred еighty-foш feet long, еighty-foш feet wide, and three stories high. Тhe annех, which contained the boilers, boneblack house. and lime kiln, was опе hundred eighty feet 10ng and thiny-eight feet wide. Тhe portion of the annех housing the boneblack and 1јmе-kiln зrезs was three stories high. The other опе hundred feet where the steam plant was located was оnly а sing1e story. North of the main building were the beet sheds, еасћ буе hШldrеd feet long and twепty-foш feet wide. Тhe combined storage capacity of the eight sheds in 1896 was 20,000 to05. Тhere were a1so foш pulp silos, each опе hШldred eighty Ьу twenty-four feet and ten feet deep. So much соal Соmрanу, 36 оо ~ - Тhe =--_. _~ Lehi Sugar Factory as it looked јп early 19005 35 O.~4 : ~ .; %i- _ .. '": |
