LEHI, Utah — One hundred fifty years of existence is a milestone for any city. For this pioneer-founded town in north-central Utah, the celebration was enhanced by an event that was historic in its own right: the passage of the Olympic torch relay down Main Street.

Photo by Jennifer Grigg

The Olympic torch passes through Lehi during the community's two-day celebration of its 150th anniversary. The two events happily coincided for Lehi which had several other events planned.

"The torch just happens to be coming through on our birthday," remarked Mayor Kenneth J. Greenwood.

Technically, it was the day after, on Feb. 6, but the city planned two days of celebration to accommodate it. The formal approval of the Territorial Legislature for the incorporation of Lehi came on Feb. 5, 1852; thus, Lehi lays claim to being the sixth oldest municipality in Utah.

An Olympic Torch Monument was unveiled in Lehi on the evening of Feb. 5, followed by a benefit dinner for a new library and a community dance that lasted until 11 p.m. Early the next morning, cheering townspeople lined the route to witness the passage of the torch followed by the dedications of the new library and an Olympic Park and ground breaking for a sports complex. A commemorative Olympic pin memorializing the city's sesquicentennial was designed for the occasion, and a pictorial history was compiled by city historian Richard Van Wagoner.

The early history centers around David Evans, said Dona Anderson, a local history enthusiast and member of the Lehi 6th Ward, Lehi Utah South Stake. He served as bishop for a total of 40 years from the time he was called to preside over the Eleventh Ward in Nauvoo, Ill., in 1842, through his 28-year term in Lehi.

Designated by President Brigham Young to go preside over the ward there, it was Bishop Evans who proposed the incorporation of Lehi, earlier known as Sulphur Springs, then Dry Creek and then Evansville. He was also the city's first elected mayor.

A stalwart in the early history of the Church, he was at Hauns Mill in Missouri during the infamous massacre of Oct. 27, 1838. Sister Anderson said his homestead was not far from the settlement and he happened to be there when the saw the horsemen riding in, that he waved his hands and cried "Peace!" but was ignored. (That incident was depicted in the Church movie "Legacy.") Some of the wounded were taken to his home for care.

A bronze statue of Bishop Evans was dedicated last June in Lehi's new Legacy Center.

Today, Lehi is a thriving community, with the landmark storage facilities of the Lehi Roller Mills, prominently visible from Interstate 15. It is a gateway to picturesque American Fork Canyon, the location for the famous Timpanogos Cave National Monument.

— R. Scott Lloyd