Kay's Cross
| Kay's Cross | |
|---|---|
 Kay's Cross in 2010 | |
| Location | Kaysville, Utah, US |
| Coordinates | 41°03′02.67″N 111°55′31.25″W / 41.0507417°N 111.9253472°W |
Kay's Cross was a large stone cross (roughly 20 feet (6.1 m) high by 13 feet (4.0 m) wide) located at the base of a hollow in northeastern Kaysville, Utah, United States.[1] Its origins are disputed, and several urban legends are tied to the site.[2] The cross was demolished with explosives by unknown persons in 1992.[3][4]
Origin
One account of the origin of the cross states it was built in 1946[5] by locals influenced by Krishna Venta, a religious leader in the 1940s and 50s, who claimed to be the Second Coming of Christ and led a small sect based out of Simi Valley, California.
The cross was built by a man named Eldon Kingston in honor of Krishna Venta.[1] Venta had been invited to preach to the Kingston clan.[3] And despite the Kingstons being skeptical of the claims that Venta was Jesus, Venta still managed to persuade them to build the stone cross on their property.[3]
Demolition
On 15 February 1992, the cross was destroyed by an explosion; police made no immediate arrests.[4]
In 2013, a "haunted" tour of Kay's Cross and the surrounding forest was started, stirring interest again in the decades-old legend.[6]
References
- ^ a b Andy Weeks (1 July 2012). Haunted Utah: Ghosts and Strange Phenomena of the Beehive State. Stackpole Books. pp. 35–. ISBN 978-0-8117-4875-9.
- ^ Mark Sceurman; Mark Moran; Matt Lake (2008). Weird U.S.: The Oddyssey Continues : Your Travel Guide to America's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets. Sterling Publishing Company, Inc. pp. 286–. ISBN 978-1-4027-4544-7.
- ^ a b c Christensen, Greg (2022-10-20). "The Strange, Awful Truth Behind Utah's Eerie Stone Cross". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
- ^ a b "Another Angle Surfaces in Kays Cross Saga". Deseret News. 5 April 1992.
- ^ Harward, Randy. "Salt Lake Eerie". Salt Lake City Weekly. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
- ^ "Home". kayscross.com.
- Lakeside Review, 1981[specify]
- Ogden Standard Examiner, 1992[specify]
- "Halloween Haunts - Crossed Out?". New West. 26 October 2005. Retrieved 18 March 2009.
External links
- Kay's Cross Archived 2006-08-23 at the Wayback Machine, Utah Gothic
- "The Mystery of Kays Cross" Archived 2011-09-27 at the Wayback Machine, Box 22: 94-11, Graduate Student Fieldwork, Folk Collection 8, Fife Folklore Archives, Utah State University
- "Legends and Folklore of Kaysville's Mysterious Stone Cross" Archived 2011-09-27 at the Wayback Machine, 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 Library, Brigham Young University
- Kay's Cross and Other Kaysville Mysteries, local history blog
- "KSL report on Kay's Cross" KSL Channel 5 News
- "The Strange, Awful Truth Behind Utah’s Eerie Stone Cross" Atlas Obscura
- Kay's Cross. Slug Magazine, September 29, 2016
- Mysterious Kaysville cross opens to the public. Fox 13, Sept 13, 2013
