Coordinates: 40°59′03″N 111°53′29″W / 40.98417°N 111.89139°W Pioneer Village is located inside of the Lagoon Amusement Park in Farmington, Utah. Meant to be a “living museum", Pioneer Village is intended to make the history of Utah come alive. It was founded in 1938 near Salt Lake City by Horace and Ethel Sorensen. In April 1975, Lagoon bought the collection from the Sons of Utah Pioneers, and it opened at the amusement park in 1976.
Pioneer Village is dedicated to the pioneers of the 19th century who pushed their way westward in the spirit of religious freedom. Their day began with the earliest sun and did not end until sundown when all tasks were complete. It was said that they could handle a gun or plow with equal dexterity. Pioneer Village contains the mementos of these pioneers and reminds us of a time long ago. There are over two dozen buildings in Pioneer Village.
The Mormon furniture exhibit contains furniture on loan from the Historical Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Most of the furniture pieces are made of pine, since hardwoods were scarce in the time of the pioneers. However, special coats of paint were used to give the pine furniture the appearance of oak, cherry, mahogany, birds eye, maple, walnut, and other hard woods. Most of the furniture was based on patterns from the East such as Empire, Federal, and Gothic Revival. However, Utah furniture was generally simpler and heavier than the styles it imitated. Some of the pieces in the exhibit include:
The presses in the Pioneer Village Print shop are from Intermountain Stamp, Patterson’s Print, Ogden Standard Examiner, and the Salt Lake Stamp Company. Since communication was limited in those days, newspapers were a popular commodity and were printed in many communities throughout the state.