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 / 41.0507417; -111.9253472Coordinates: 41°03′02.67″N 111°55′31.25″W / 41.0507417°N 111.9253472°W / 41.0507417; -111.9253472
Established uncertain, probably 1850-1950

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, US. The monument is rumored to have been erected by polygamists in the 1940s, but the exact age is disputed; local rumors include variations of the story that the cross was built by one or more early settlers of the town to mark the grave of a man's wife(s) or his entire family. The hollow in which the cross stood was owned in the 1940s by Charles and Ethel Kingston, founders of the Davis County Cooperative Society. 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 currently use the cross as a symbol of their faith or their religious activities, the Apostolic United Brethren being one exception. With the assistance of DCCS members, the cross was built by followers of 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. As DCCS members found Pencovic to be an impostor, they left off interest. (Their leader had encouraged them to hear Pencovic speak so they could discern between true and false "prophets".)

The cross' 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.

The 'K' on Kay's Cross in 2010

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.

In 2013, a "haunted" tour of Kay's Cross and the surrounding forest was started, stirring interest again in the decades-old legend.[1]

Today, even though access to the remains of the cross has been surrounded by subdivisions, it can still be accessed by the more daring youth. The property is considered private property though. the cross remains a local legend with high interest and is still visited by many teenagers and young adults.

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References

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