A sense of pride — Brigham City celebrates its heritage with daylong festival

In 1856, the people of Brigham City built themselves a courthouse. Barely a couple of years into their settlement, they wanted something that said "we're here to stay."

Built of adobe — a technique some of the settlers had learned while serving in the Mormon Battalion — it was the only public building in town for a number of years, and thus in addition to city and county business was used for religious services, dramatics, school, recreation and more.

In 1928, the citizens of Brigham City — now a thriving metropolis — built themselves an arch over Main Street. City arches were all the rage as a symbol of civic pride at that time, and the folks of Brigham, proud not only of their city but also of the newly opened Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge northwest of town, wanted one.

The arch was an impressive undertaking. Measuring 66 feet from post to post and made of steel, it weighed 2,700 pounds. The "welcome to" letters of opalite glass were 12 inches high and "Brigham" was spelled out in 30-inch letters. The sign was lighted with 36 100-watt bulbs and 308 15-watt bulbs, and according to a newspaper report, "a painting of wild ducks and the marshes embellished this very beautiful edifice."

The 72-year period of history from the courthouse to the arch was a significant time in Brigham City, said Paul Larsen, planning and economic development coordinator for Brigham City. "Each of those events makes a statement. Between those two bookends, a lot of things happened that made Brigham City what it is today."

For that reason, "From the Courthouse to the Arch — 1856-1928" has been chosen as the theme of Brigham City's first (and, they hope, annual) Heritage Arts Festival, to be held Saturday.

Important things happened after that date, of course, as the city transitioned into the modern age, but a lot of what happened early gave it the flavor and character it still has, Larsen said. Plus, Brigham City still has a lot of visual reminders of that early period. "We lost our share, but we mostly survived the period when it was fashionable to tear things down. Now we realize the value of history and are actively working to preserve it."

Historic buildings that speak of the city's past include the Box Elder Academy of Music and Dancing, which was run by the Christensen brothers and launched the careers of Willam, Harold and Lew Christensen . A segment of the festival will pay tribute to them.

There's the Box Elder LDS Tabernacle, still on the site that Brigham Young chose in 1865. And the Tithing Office, built in 1877 to house in-kind donations to the church. The old City Hall/Fire Station still stands, as do the old Carnegie Library and a lot of other old homes and businesses.