EXHIBITS
I Remember When . . . : Memories and Moments in Mendon, Utah: The Old Racetrack
The Old Racetrack
In the early 1880s, the racetrack was built in Mendon in the southwest section of Joseph Baker’s farm, one-half mile north of Mendon and east of the county road. The fenced-in track included a judge’s stand, built by Andrew Bigler Sr. and others.
Elsie Lee (formerly named Pomp), the world’s fastest pacing horse at the time, was trained at the Mendon track and was timed at one mile in three minutes. Willard Richards was the proud owner of Elsie Lee. Richards bought the horse from a man who came through the country with a band of fine horses.
Other owners of fine racehorses in Mendon included Joseph Baker, Andrew Bigler Sr., Willard Richards, Stephen Richards, William Longstroth Sr., George Baker, Michel Murphy, John Whitney, and Joseph Harmen Jr. Soon after constructing the racetrack, summertime horse races became a staple in Mendon. People from as far away as Salt Lake City and all around Cache County came to attend the races. Men from other settlements also used the track to train their horses and enter the races.
One Mendon resident, Joseph Watkins, remembers racing in a buggy and breaking his neck. Click on the audio clip to listen to him as he tells the story.
Several expert trainers hailed from Mendon, including George Callery and Newel Whitney. Interest in racing diminished after Willard Richards moved away from Mendon and took his famous horse with him. After he left, he sold his horse to a man from the eastern U.S. for $20,000. In 1887, the racetrack was plowed up by John R. Baker, son of Joseph Baker.