Hometown History – Kaysville
Feb 01, 2024 11:25AM ● By Braden NelsenKAYSVILLE—Sitting at a comfortable midpoint between Salt Lake City, and Ogden, Kaysville holds the distinction of being the first city in all of Davis County to be incorporated. The city is also unique in that it can claim the same founder as Farmington: Hector C. Haight, in 1847.
Another settler, credited as being the second in the area soon arrived. Samuel Holmes built his own cabin just north of Haight’s in 1849, and soon thereafter, many other settlers joined him. It was only two years later, in 1851, that the settlement’s namesake would become involved with the area.
William Kay and his family settled in the area, and William was assigned to lead the congregation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints there. Over the years, the settlement was known as Kay’s Ward, Kay’s Fort, and finally, Kaysville.
As one might imagine, being the first incorporated in Davis County, Kaysville became a part of Utah in 1868, and from that point forward, began to boom. Beyond the agriculture that defined this region in the early years, Kaysville also became a spot for brick manufacture, architecture, milling and more.
Kaysville was also the birthplace of the Clover Club Potato Chip Company, which, while under new management, is still a large employer in the region. In addition, Kaysville was the home of renowned artist, LeConte Stewart, an icon in the world of landscape art.
Kaysville continues to be home to roughly 33,000 people and growing, as the rising generation seeks out a place to carve out their living.