Salt Lake City was founded on a religion imported from the East. Its neighboring city to the north, Ogden, has its roots in the Wild West.

And therein lies all the difference.

Ogden is technically the oldest town in Utah, first settled by trapper Miles Goodyear in 1846. In a couple of years, Fort Buenaventura, as the little town was known, was purchased by the Mormons for less than $2,000 and renamed it Ogden, but even then the town was not tamed. Ogden has always had a reputation for pushing the limits, inspiring the probably apocryphal quote from gangster Al Capone, “This town is too tough for me.”

Historic 25th Street has been the site of gun violence, gambling, shootouts, prostitution, liquor, opium dens. “We’ve been able to maintain the Wild West narrative, but blend it with the new,” says three-term Ogden Mayor Mike Caldwell.

Photo courtesy of: Jay Dash/Visit Ogden

A lot has changed in Ogden, but fortunately, maybe accidentally-on-purpose, a lot hasn’t changed. And, as is true in many cities, what remains is what has saved the city. As Salt Lake City raced to join mainstream America, Ogden remained something of a backwater, a memory city, a relic of its former self. Really good restaurants were scarce, the cultural scene was provincial and although everyone loved Ogden, those declaring their love for that city had often moved to Salt Lake City.

Salt Lake gutted its downtown and sabotaged it repeatedly—once by building the Crossroads Mall, then by agreeing to the development of Gateway which pulled retail trade from the heart of downtown to its edges, and again by building City Creek Mall which undermined Gateway. City Creek was supposed to revitalize downtown but its outside-in design followed the footprint of former successes of mall developer Taubman, the premier mall company in the nation.

The trouble being: Downtown Salt Lake didn’t need a mall. Malls are by their nature lobster traps—shoppers park in the mall, shop in the mall and drive away from the mall. No one is strolling Main Street. City Creek failed at reviving Salt Lake’s downtown.

Courtesy of: Visit Ogden

Meanwhile Ogden had what Salt Lake needed: a couple of lively downtown blocks lined with independent stores, restaurants and bars. An actual downtown scene. “The heart of Ogden is small businesses and there’s such a private/public partnership on this—including housing as well,” says Sarah Toliver, President and CEO of Visit Ogden. And Ogden’s city fathers and mothers got it. “We’ve worked to keep out the big chains,” says Caldwell.

In spring, 2019, Ogden City, with its consultant Design Workshop, kicked off a multi-month planning process to create a new Downtown Master Plan, one that suits the city’s character and history, one that reflects Ogden’s personality and doesn’t try to mimic successes in other cities. Denver-based landscape architecture, urban design and planning firm Design Workshop is helping with the open process which has invited suggestions and comments from the public, online and in a series of public meetings. Goals include increased walkability, greater connectivity of public transit, developing strong social services, schools, day care, groceries and open space with an eye to attracting permanent residents, and increasing the quality and number of city events.

ROOSTER’S B STREET: (2525 B Ave.)
A longtime anchor in downtown Ogden, this Trackline branch is where the beer is brewed—in a funky, casual atmosphere with a patio and beer-friendly food.

Courtesy Of: WB’S EATERY/JAY DASH/VISIT OGDEN

WB’S EATERY: (455 25th St)
A concept from Amy Wanderley-Britt (owner of Pig & A Jelly Jar), the corner restaurant in the Monarch serves coffee and snacks by day, wine and snacks by night.

PEERY LOFTS: (2461 Adams Ave.)
The 106-year-old Peery Apartments, recently used as low-income housing, are being renovated into a contemporary loft space.

01 ARTS PLATFORMS: (25th & Adams)
The former vacant lot is now used as a community performance and exhibition venue.

This is part of a plan that’s already happening, although Tolliver admits there’s been a slowdown to address COVID-19 concerns. Music fans prefer Ogden’s Twilight concerts to Salt Lake City’s series, which have been bounced around town like a hot potato instead of a hot opportunity. Building on the old saying “you can’t go anywhere without going to Ogden,” coined with nine rail lines connected in Ogden, the city has designated the Nine Rails Creative District, already anchored by Rooster’s brewery and Rachel Pohl’s mural at 25th & Adams (in partnership with the Weber Art Council), the beginning of the Painted Streets project, several outdoor video projections during First Friday Art Stroll, and MOMENTS Festival, a one-night festival of ephemeral art. The idea is to support an arts epicenter, a place for artists to live and create.

Salt Lake City took a step in this direction with Artspace back in 1979. But Ogden keeps moving ahead with the idea: In 2020, Thaine Fischer opened The Monarch, a multi-use creative and business space whose fluid definition of what “belongs” leaves it open to a wide possibility of uses: event venues, artist’s studios, exhibit spaces. It’s located in the heart of the Nine Rails district in a converted enclosed 60,000 square-foot parking garage originally built to service the Bigelow Hotel. Named to the National Register of Historic Places in 2012 because of its architecture.(It was originally designed by Leslie S. Hodgson who also designed Peery Lofts, Peery’s Egyptian Theater and the Bigelow Hotel. Sliding into decrepitude, it was rescued by Fischer-Regan Enterprises, an entity whose plan is to redevelop Ogden’s historical assets.

An eye towards the future with respect for the past seems to be the formula that is working for Ogden. Other mid-size Western cities like Boise and Bend have used the same philosophy. Why doesn’t Salt Lake City?

“Soul matters,” says Mayor Caldwell.

For more on city life, click here.

To learn more on visiting Ogden, click here.

“For the first time in my life, I belong to a political party — and here’s why you should, too,” is the headline of June 1, 2020, Salt Lake Tribune article by Robert Gehrke, he reports, “I did it because I should get to have a voice in who Utah’s next governor is.” 

And while Salt Lake County Clerk Sherrie Swensen is not noticing this as a trend, according to Gehrke’s twitter poll and my own personal and highly scientific observations and conversations, we’d beg to differ. While Democrats would be thrilled with a Democratic governor, as Utahns, we know better. As Gehrke points out, “The Democratic nominee, Chris Peterson, seems like a sharp, likable guy. But in the past five gubernatorial elections, the sharp, likable Democrat has lost by an average margin of 67% to 30%.”

To be clear, whoever wins the Republican primary will most likely decide who runs the state for the next ten years. So many people are registering as party members for the first time or switching sides, call it temporary, call it ‘monkeywrenching’, no matter, what is most important is that we vote. Mail-in your ballot, drop it off, just be sure to do it Utah.

To learn more about the gubernatorial candidates for both parties, go here. 

Sorry, folks, but the show mustn’t go on. Park City has scrapped its annual July Fourth parade as part of the effort to encourage social distancing. Clearly throngs of people standing shoulder to shoulder and peering over one another for a glimpse of passing floats isn’t in keeping with responsible guidelines to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Accordingly, crowded Independence Day activities and gatherings that typically take place in City Park have been canceled, but the evening sky will still likely be lit up with a fireworks show even if City officials prefer you watch them from your own homes.

The cancellation of July 4 celebrations is notable as it’s one of the busiest days of the year in Park City, which relies heavily on tourism dollars generated during popular events. Officials were holding out hope for a semblance of normalcy to the festivities, but reversed course as it became clear that wouldn’t be feasible. July 4 in Park City won’t be advertised in the Salt Lake Valley with City Hall’s report encourages a “locals’ 4^th approach to enjoying your neighborhood with friends and family.” Still, don’t expect Main Street to be empty next Saturday as City Hall hopes to pedestrianize town on the Fourth as they have doing each Sunday.

The canceled celebrations add to a laundry list of nixed summer activities in Park City which also includes the Tour of Utah, the Kimball Arts Festival and the Park Silly Sunday Market. The dearth of events bringing people to Main Street is increasing anxiety about diminished shopping and dining sales in town. The uncertain timeline for reopening and the lack of confidence regarding the upcoming winter season are making it difficult for many businesses to survive.

The decision to cancel much of the Fourth in town comes as Summit County Health Director Rich Bullough issued a sobering warning about the spread of COVID-19 the Summit County. While the surge in infections in Summit County is not has high as in the rest of the state, the numbers are trending in the wrong direction. Three of the county’s four ICU beds were in occupied this week, and available beds in Salt Lake City used when Summit County exceeds supply are also filling up.

Of note, the current surge in Utah appears to have begun accelerating on May 27, about two weeks after the majority of the state moved to the yellow, low-risk phase. In her memo, State Epidemiologist Angela Dunn stated the average contacts per case in Utah has jumped from five to 20 since the shift, highlighting how vigilance fatigue and a shift in public perceptions have altered behavior. It’s a clear indicator we aren’t out of the woods yet and social distancing will be an important norm for some time to come. Cases have spiked high enough that travelers from Utah arriving in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut must quarantine for 14 days. Utah is among the nine states subject to these new rules, which marks a stark reversal from just weeks ago when the tri-state area was the nation’s coronavirus epicenter.

We’re all tired of this pandemic, but coronavirus is heating up in Summit County. Park City officials should be commended for making tough decisions, especially since they’re certain to spur criticism from some.

Read more of our community coverage here.