The Geneva Resort was a favorite gathering place for young and old
alike, not only from Utah Valley but from Salt Lake Valley as well.
Captain John Dallin, who named the resort in honor of his daughter
Geneva, began building it in 1890 and did not waste time getting it
into operation. In fact, for a time he required so much building
material at the site that the D&RG Railroad set up a whistle
stop there that they called "Geneva Siding." Dallin constructed a
boat harbor, dug wells, and built a splendid dance pavilion, a
hotel, and concession stands.
In 1907 the resort was upgraded to include picnic areas and
baseball diamonds. Ferry boat rides and dances were held every
Saturday night. The whole family would go to the dance, and when
the children got tired, they slept on the benches while mom and dad
danced the night away.
The pavilion had open walls, with a space of about five feet
between the walls and roof, and the dance floor was built on big
springs. There were two pools at the resort, one cold and one warm,
which was heated by a big boiler. Flowing wells filled the pools
with clear water. In the cold pool there was a great slide with
sleds that flew down the tracks and into the water like a roller
coaster ride.
Ball games were played on Saturday afternoons by teams from
surrounding towns. In the concession stands you could buy a
hamburger for ten cents or root beer for five cents, and you could
go swimming for twenty cents. Families would spend vacations at the
resort even if they only lived a few miles away.
Many owners have come and gone and the building is now only a
memory, but the times thatfamilies and friends spent together here
will never be forgotten.
