Lehi People
Historical marker unveiling at former Goates farm location Wednesday
The Lehi Historical Society invites the public to the unveiling of a historical marker at 1920 W. Snow Springs Dr, where George Goates once owned a large sugar beet field. The unveiling will be on Wednesday, Oct. 23, at 6 p.m.
Lehi native George Goates (1864-1939) delayed bringing in his sugar beet crop when his son and three grandchildren died during the 1918 flu epidemic. When Goates and another son finally made it to their field, George discovered that many Lehi men had worked together to harvest his crops. Family members recalled that George fell to his knees and cried for the first time since tragedy struck his family.
The new historical marker will celebrate this man and this inspiring moment when the men of Lehi came together to save one of their own.
Lehi’s Jaylene Wycherly, Goates’ great-granddaughter, said, “George’s story teaches us about service. It shows how the community used to rally for one another and how families used to take care of each other.”
Goates’ story was probably best told in October 1998 by Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His account may be found in the article “The Priesthood Quorum.”
Goates’ story was probably best told in October 1998 by Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Find his telling here: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1998/10/the-priesthood-quorum?lang=eng.
Youth from the Snow Springs Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ will sing, and one of Goates’ granddaughters will speak at the short unveiling ceremony. Refreshments will be served.
The marker will be the fifth of 36 large historical markers planned for installation over the next three years through the Lehi Historical Marker Program.
The program was founded in 2022 when the Lehi Historical Society won funding through a generous donation and continued support from the John David and Danaca Hadfield family of HADCO Construction and a Lehi City PARC grant.
