Kay's Cross
Encyclopedia
Kay's Cross was a large stone cross
(roughly 20 feet (6.1 m) high by 13 feet (4 m) wide) located in northeastern Kaysville, Utah
, US
The monument is rumored to have been erected by polygamists
in the 1940s, but the exact age is disputed; another common rumor is that the cross was built by early settlers of the town to mark a grave of either his wife, or entire family. Interestingly, the hollow in which the cross stood was owned in the 1940s by Charles and Ethel Kingston, founders of the infamous polygamist Kingston clan. They may have been the ones who built the cross where the patriarch of the family received his "vision" to found the church, however the religious affiliations to early polygamists in the area is disputed because the FLDS church, and polygamist splinter-groups from the mainstream LDS Church do not use the cross as a symbol of their faith or their religious activities, the Apostolic United Brethren
being the sole exception.
While the origins of the cross are unknown, its demise was well known and publicized. On February 25, 1992, at 10 pm, local residents heard a loud boom. This boom was the explosion of Kay's Cross, which had been packed with explosives and blown into several large pieces. The police have never made an arrest in connection with this case. Some people still believe that the explosion was not man made, others believe the police did it themselves because they were tired of responding to calls to the remote location.
During the 1980s, curious grade school children from nearby Samuel Morgan Elementary School would wander down into Kay's Hollow to see the cross and recount the legends surrounding its origin and current uses. Legends regarding Kay's Cross are abundant, ranging from "dog men" to spousal murder and satanic rituals.
Today, even though access to the remains of the cross has been surrounded by subdivisions, and with policemen almost nightly patrolling the site for trespassers on the property, the cross remains a local legend with high interest and is still visited by many teenagers and young adults.
Cross
A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two lines or bars perpendicular to each other, dividing one or two of the lines in half. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally; if they run obliquely, the design is technically termed a saltire, although the arms of a saltire need not meet...
(roughly 20 feet (6.1 m) high by 13 feet (4 m) wide) located in northeastern Kaysville, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
The monument is rumored to have been erected by polygamists
Polygamy
Polygamy is a marriage which includes more than two partners...
in the 1940s, but the exact age is disputed; another common rumor is that the cross was built by early settlers of the town to mark a grave of either his wife, or entire family. Interestingly, the hollow in which the cross stood was owned in the 1940s by Charles and Ethel Kingston, founders of the infamous polygamist Kingston clan. They may have been the ones who built the cross where the patriarch of the family received his "vision" to found the church, however the religious affiliations to early polygamists in the area is disputed because the FLDS church, and polygamist splinter-groups from the mainstream LDS Church do not use the cross as a symbol of their faith or their religious activities, the Apostolic United Brethren
Apostolic United Brethren
The Apostolic United Brethren is a polygamous Mormon fundamentalist church within the Latter Day Saint movement. The sect is not affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
being the sole exception.
While the origins of the cross are unknown, its demise was well known and publicized. On February 25, 1992, at 10 pm, local residents heard a loud boom. This boom was the explosion of Kay's Cross, which had been packed with explosives and blown into several large pieces. The police have never made an arrest in connection with this case. Some people still believe that the explosion was not man made, others believe the police did it themselves because they were tired of responding to calls to the remote location.
During the 1980s, curious grade school children from nearby Samuel Morgan Elementary School would wander down into Kay's Hollow to see the cross and recount the legends surrounding its origin and current uses. Legends regarding Kay's Cross are abundant, ranging from "dog men" to spousal murder and satanic rituals.
Today, even though access to the remains of the cross has been surrounded by subdivisions, and with policemen almost nightly patrolling the site for trespassers on the property, the cross remains a local legend with high interest and is still visited by many teenagers and young adults.
External links
- Kay's Cross at Utah Gothic
- "The Mystery of Kays Cross", Box 22: 94-11, Graduate Student Fieldwork, Folk Collection 8, Fife Folklore Archives, Utah State UniversityUtah State UniversityUtah State University is a public university located in Logan, Utah. It is a land-grant and space-grant institution and is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities....
- "Legends and Folklore of Kaysville's Mysterious Stone Cross", Box 38: 91-13, Conference Student Fieldwork, Folk Collection 8, Fife Folklore Archives, Utah State University
- "The Mysterious Kay's Cross", Project 610, William A. Wilson Folklore Archives, L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee LibraryHarold B. Lee LibraryThe Harold B. Lee Library , located in Provo, Utah, is the main academic library of Brigham Young University, the largest religious and second-largest private university in the United States. The library has approximately of shelving for the more than 6 million items in its various collections, as...
, Brigham Young UniversityBrigham Young UniversityBrigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...