GARFIELD BOTTLING CO
From start to finish, Garfield was a company town.
The land for the town was purchased in 1905 by Utah Copper Co., just two years after that company was organized by Daniel C. Jackling. Named for President James A. Garfield, the town was laid out "like the spokes of a wagon wheel cut in half. It was located a few miles west of Magna on U-201 at about 10000 West and 2400 South.
The land for the town was purchased in 1905 by Utah Copper Co., just two years after that company was organized by Daniel C. Jackling. Named for President James A. Garfield, the town was laid out "like the spokes of a wagon wheel cut in half. It was located a few miles west of Magna on U-201 at about 10000 West and 2400 South.
The Trading Post was built in 1907. A School soon followed. Six hotels were built to house single men. By 1916, there were more than 100 homes, which rented for $18-$28 a month, including water. The company took care of any paint, wallpaper and repairs.
A library, post office, swimming pool and doctor's office were added. A men's club, a women's club, a Boy Scout building and two churches — an LDS church built on one corner and an Episcopalian on the other — soon joined them. Later came a bank, movie house, a few stores and even a railroad station.
At its height, in the 1940s, about 2,000 people called Garfield home. Most of the men worked at the mills; a few at the smelter, which was at the edge of town.
A library, post office, swimming pool and doctor's office were added. A men's club, a women's club, a Boy Scout building and two churches — an LDS church built on one corner and an Episcopalian on the other — soon joined them. Later came a bank, movie house, a few stores and even a railroad station.
At its height, in the 1940s, about 2,000 people called Garfield home. Most of the men worked at the mills; a few at the smelter, which was at the edge of town.
But by 1955, Kennecott Copper, which had acquired Utah Copper in 1936, decided it wanted to get out of the landlord business and shut the town down. Residents could either buy their homes and move them somewhere else or abandon them for demolition. Either way, the town would be no more.
If you visit Garfield today, you will find the old post office is the only building left. A few of the roads remain. Most of the area is covered with trees and grass.
If you visit Garfield today, you will find the old post office is the only building left. A few of the roads remain. Most of the area is covered with trees and grass.
Sometimes if you are persistent in your quest for Utah Bottles you will google the right thing and a treasure comes up. Such was the case for Alan Lafferty. A Garfield Bottling Co came up. It is one of 5 known. I would place it probably in the 1940s when the town was at its peak.