The West Bountiful City Park will look a little different as the city plans to remove the “Old Wood” cabin located near the bowery in the middle of the park.

The Daniel Wood Log Homestead Cabin found its final home in West Bountiful after several moves across the valley. The cabin was originally built a few miles west of Woods Cross around 1870 by homesteader Daniel Wood and his three sons, Heber, George and Joseph. Previous to its current location, Joseph Wood used the cabin as a blacksmith shop.

According to his obituary in the Salt Lake Tribune in 1943, Joseph Wood is known for inventing the first wheel-hoe used in Utah as well as a gooseberry mill designed to separate the fruit from the leaves. He also designed a sub-plow which won a silver medal at the Utah State Fair and stayed in use for over 50 years.

The town of Woods Cross (originally Woods Crossing) was named in honor of Joseph’s father, Daniel when he gave the railroad permission to cross through his farm.

“The cabin was moved to West Bountiful in 1997. At the time, West Bountiful had a historical preservation commission. It was a city hosted entity that helped preserve the history of West Bountiful and the area. That historical commission has not existed now for probably 10 years or more, so there hasn’t been anyone to help look after it,” said Duane Huffman, West Bountiful City Administrator.

The condition of the cabin has deteriorated so much that the city is worried that it is a hazard in its current state. 

“We did the due diligence on our part to see if there was anything that could be done for it - if the Utah State Historical Commission had any leads on what it would take to make it safe again or whether it was worth it to make it safe again. We wanted to make sure there was nobody else interested in it and we just couldn’t get anyone who believed there was any historical value in what remains,” said Huffman.

West Bountiful residents have mixed feelings about the removal of the cabin. Some think it’s an eyesore, others will miss it.

“We will be sad to see it go,” said West Bountiful resident Heather Feinaur. “Having pieces of our past to help us remember how we got to where we are today and where we came from is important.”

“We love the little cabin at the park. It’s a piece of this city’s history and we’ve made it a part of our history as well. Every year we take our Halloween pictures in front of the cabin and we love this tradition,” said Feinaur.

“I think it is embarrassing to keep it the way it is. Something needs to be done with it,” said West Bountiful resident, Candice Bement.

“Our plan for removal is to do it respectfully and safely and if we do come across anything with historical value - original nails or anything like that - we are going to do our best to try to preserve those,” said Huffman.

The city does not currently have any future plans for that particular spot in the park. λ