WOODS CROSS—When looking into the history of Woods Cross, one might think that the city is much younger than its neighbor to the north, Bountiful. While this may technically be true, as the city was chartered in 1935, the area has been populated for almost 200 years. 

In 1848, just one year after the settlement of Bountiful, more settlers began making their way to the area now known as Woods Cross, taking advantage of the plentiful water supply and outstanding farmland in the area for just under a decade.

During this time, one settler in particular, Daniel Wood, had been accruing a small fortune of $14,000, making him the wealthiest man in the area. Wood wasn’t miserly about his money, however, which, by today’s standards would have only been about $50,000. 

Wood used that money to improve the community as best he could, building a school in 1854, a church in 1863 and more. In 1869, Wood donated another of his assets, a large portion of his land, to the building of a railroad station named, appropriately, Woods Crossing. Later this would be shortened to the much more familiar, Woods Cross.

Historically, when a town or settlement has installed a railroad station, not only is there already significant development, but, the railroad would bring much more. Rail lines permitted the mass transport of goods and people and created many boom towns across the American West. While this was somewhat true of Woods Cross, the residents there were able to maintain a more old-fashioned way of life.

Over the years, other industries made their way into Woods Cross. Things like brickyards, the now famous refinery and more all began to dot the landscape, but still, Woods Cross has retained a small-town feel, despite things like a small regional airport and being nestled in between two major metropolitan areas: Bountiful and Salt Lake City. 

More information about the history of Woods Cross can be found at https://www.uen.org/utah_history_encyclopedia/w/WOODS_CROSS.