Historic locations Utahans used to love that are all but forgotten today

When you think about Utah history, it's easy to jump to the big things, like pioneers and dinosaurs. But some of the state's most interesting stories can be found in the places people have all but forgotten.

Once-popular gathering spots. Buzzing dance halls. Packed movie theaters. Some have been repurposed, while others have disappeared entirely, leaving behind little more than memories and a few reminders of the past.

You might remember some of these places from your childhood. Others may be completely new to you. But each has a story worth rediscovering.

Cottonwood Paper Mill

Few abandoned buildings have a past as interesting as the Cottonwood Paper Mill near the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon. Built in the 1880s to make paper for the Deseret News, the mill once produced up to five tons of paper a day. After changing owners in 1892, a fire destroyed half the building the following year.

The mill sat empty until the 1920s, when it became a dance hall called the Old Mill Club. Over the next several decades, it served as a rock music venue, a haunted house and a craft boutique before being abandoned in the 1980s. In 2005, it was condemned because of earthquake damage.

The current owners want to tear down the building, citing safety concerns. But many people have spoken up in favor of saving it, according to Preservation Utah.

Wasatch Warm Springs Plunge/Children's Museum

Millennials may remember this building on Beck Street in Salt Lake City as the former home of the Children's Museum of Utah before it moved to The Gateway in the early 2000s. Older generations may remember it as the Wasatch Warm Springs Plunge, a public bathhouse with two swimming pools that operated until the 1970s. Long before either, Shoshone and Ute people used the area's natural warm springs.

For generations, the site has served as a place for people to gather, play and enjoy the water.

After the Children's Museum moved out, the Mission-style building sat empty for years. In 2025, Salt Lake City completed an $8 million repair and stabilization project to help preserve it. The hope is that the historic building will once again serve as a community gathering place, though plans for its future are still in the works.

You can follow along with the progress at warmspringsalliance.org.

The Star Palace

The Star Palace in Provo was once one of Utah's most popular dance clubs, but the building had a few lives before its disco days. It had previously been a roller rink, an ice rink and a bowling alley.

If you or your parents attended BYU in the 1970s, you might remember dancing the night away at this popular, alcohol-free disco. When disco music fell out of fashion, the club was renamed The Palace and added country music, live bands and themed nights to bring in a wider crowd.

The club closed in December 1995 after the building was sold. It was later turned into a telemarketing center.

The Villa Theatre

There's nothing quite so nostalgic as an old-timey movie theater where you used to pay just 75 cents a ticket to enjoy a shared experience with hundreds of other people. When it opened in 1949, the Villa Theatre in Salt Lake actually had 1,300 seats, a huge screen and a curved auditorium to maximize the viewing experience. It became a favorite spot for widescreen-loving moviegoers and made headlines for showing "South Pacific" for 10 months straight in 1958.

Unfortunately, as multiplex theaters became the new norm, this old-style theater struggled to keep up. The last movie screened there was "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" in February 2003.

People were afraid this beloved building would get demolished, but a local businessman bought the property in 2004 and gave it a new life as Adib's Rug Gallery. The inside has changed, but the classic marquee and theater exterior are still there, offering a reminder of its movie-going days.

Intermountain Indian School/Bushnell Army Hospital

In Brigham City, a giant letter I on the hillside is one of the few reminders of a school that once shaped thousands of lives. The Intermountain Indian School opened in 1950 inside a former World War II military hospital. It began as a federally run boarding school for Navajo children and later welcomed students from other Native nations, becoming the Intermountain Inter-Tribal School.

The school closed in 1984 after three decades, as enrollment declined and federal policies changed. More than 20,000 Native American students attended during its years of operation, but their experiences varied. According to Intermountain Histories, some students look back on their time there fondly, while others have more painful memories.

Many of the original buildings were demolished in 2013 to make way for Utah State University's Brigham City campus. A few remain, with tours available to learn more.

Topaz War Relocation Center site and hospital ruins

It's a part of Utah history that's easy to overlook, but one worth remembering. During World War II, the federal government forced thousands of Japanese Americans from their homes and sent them to an incarceration camp called Topaz in the Utah desert.

According to the National Park Service, more than 8,000 people lived at the camp at its peak, with around 11,000 passing through during its years of operation. When the camp closed in 1945, many of its buildings, including parts of the hospital, were dismantled and moved to Delta and other nearby communities.

Today, visitors to the original site can see traces of the camp, including building foundations, pathways, rock gardens, parts of the barbed-wire fence and other reminders of a darker period in Utah history.

Geneva Resort

The Geneva Resort offers a lighter look at Utah's history, recalling a time when a day of swimming, boating and dancing was enough to make a weekend memorable.

Located on the eastern shore of Utah Lake, the resort became a popular destination for Utah families. Visitors could stay at the hotel, grab a meal at the saloon or take a ride down a giant toboggan slide that sent them skimming out over the water. There was also a boat harbor, a hot swimming pool, a cold one and a dance pavilion where guests could kick up their heels.

The resort shut down in 1935, and the Geneva Steel mill took its place. The mill closed in 2002, and the surrounding area has since transformed into the rapidly growing city of Vineyard.

Things worth remembering

The places on this list offer just a small glimpse into different eras of Utah history. Each tells a unique story and is worth remembering — and, when possible, visiting. Keep in mind that just because a location is no longer in use doesn't mean it is open to the public. Visiting privately-owned sights without permission is likely to result in a trespassing charge.

How Utahns swear without using profanity

Well, gosh darn it all. This may shock you, but Utahns do not have the cleanest mouths in the nation. Utahns cleverly swap out traditional swear words in favor of softer variants that won't get them in trouble with their elders. If you've run into many frustrated Utahns, you've likely overheard a few, if not all, of these.

Siegfried & Jensen

Since 1990, Siegfried & Jensen have been helping the people of Utah and surrounding states who have suffered needless injuries and death caused by car accidents, truck accidents, medical malpractice, defective drugs, dog bites, wrongful death, and other types of personal injury.

The firm is committed to keeping Utah families and communities safe by ensuring wrongdoers are held accountable. While a lawsuit isn't always the answer when it is needed, having someone on your side can mean the difference between declaring bankruptcy and rebuilding your life and moving forward, especially when you're up against an insurance company or a hospital.

Siegfried & Jensen has represented more than 35,000 clients and recovered over $1.2 billion for them.