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Eagle Mountain does not have haunted house tours, old cemeteries, or a thousand years of history, but Eagle Mountain does have its share of the macabre, tragic, and haunted. Relics from Eagle Mountain may not make their way to New York’s Obscura Antiques & Oddities, or make Edgar Oliver want to add them to his collection. Eagle Mountain has only been around for 20 years, but the area that is now Eagle Mountain has had its share of stories that would make any Halloween tale list. These tales would spark the imagination of Edgar Allan Poe, Alfred Hitchcock, or even Stephen King. I have been writing articles about the history of the Cedar Valley, which is now part of Eagle Mountain, for the last few years. During those years I have found history that is worthy of campfire tales on a dark October night.
There is a list of some of the stories that I have written that have elements of the gruesome, morbid, ghastly, grotesque and even horrifying.
The most disturbing article has to be that of the serial killer Arthur Gary Bishop. The article “History of Eagle Mountain benches” includes a tale of the burial of four of his victims on the west slopes of Lake Mountain just east of Lake Mountain Road. “The names of Alonzo Daniels (age 4), Kim Peterson (age 11), Danny Davis (age 4), Troy Ward (age 6), and Graeme Cunningham (age 13) should not be lost in the development of Lake Mountain’s western slopes. These 5 boys were the victims of the serial killer Arthur Gary Bishop.”
If we go back earlier into history, then we find the article “Murders in Pole Canyon and Utah’s First Execution” which tells the ghastly tale of the Weeks brothers murders while harvesting lumber in the pole canyon. This tale eventually also leads to the first capital execution in the state of Utah.
There are even hints of haunting in the article “Joe’s Dugout – Eagle Mountain Pony Express Stop” at the pony express stop that was located across the street where Hidden Hollow Elementary now sits. Porter Rockwell avoided the area, thinking it was haunted. “As an explanation of these high unusual situations, Porter told his hired men that years before ‘five or six men had been buried’ in the well and ‘hence it was only necessity that ever compelled him to pass that way’” Maybe it should be called Haunted Hollow.
Not all tales are based on the morbid actions of individuals, but are the results of tragic accidents. As development continued in the valley transportation followed. This increase in methods of transportation also increased the risk of accidents.
The article “Railroad in Eagle Mountain” chronicles the building, usage, and decommissioning of a rail line running through the Cedar Valley. It includes the tale of an almost tragic passenger car roll over, and the death of two line workers. One was electrocuted and fell on the lines and the other fell on the tracks and was then hit by the train.
But it does not stop with just railroad accidents, some of the accidents were from the air. The article “Aviation History in Cedar Valley” includes tales of several crashes in the Cedar Valley area, one of them included a group heading to the 1977 General Conference for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City. “There were 7 passengers onboard with no survivors. The crash site was discovered on October 7th, 1977 by horse back riders in the area. The plane was en route from Huston to Salt Lake City so that the 7 passengers could attend the October 1977 general conference for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”
Mike Kieffer is an IT geek by hobby and trade, with a BS in Information Systems & Technology. He is a proud father of 10, a grandpa, an author, a journalist, and internet publisher. His motto is to “Elevate, Inspire and Inform”, and he is politically conservative and a Christian. Mike has a passion for technology, writing, and helping others. With a wealth of experience, he is committed to sharing his knowledge with others to help them reach their full potential. He is known for his jackassery or his form of self-expression that encourages boldness, creativity, and risk-taking. It can be a way to push the boundaries and challenge traditional norms, leading to creative solutions and positive change.