Mayor’s Message

We are delighted to extend our warmest greetings to each of you as we approach a momentous occasion in our city’s history - the Lindon City Centennial Celebration! This milestone marks not only a hundred years of vibrant community life but also a testament to the resilience and spirit of our citizens. Our roots began in 1861 when a few of the families from the Pleasant Grove Fort moved out onto the land south, settling along a wagon route which had once been an Indian trail that is today State Street. At first these settlers lived in dirt dugouts, but later built homes out of logs hauled from the mountains or made from adobe bricks. This string of homes became known as “Stringtown”. As more settlers came, they took up large tracts of land to the east and west and settled on them with big herds of sheep and farms.

Life was rough and full of much hard work, but they still found time to have fun. Dances and parties were held in their homes or at the lakeshore. They produced plays, honored the “old folks” once a year and the children played all sorts of games and sometimes did naughty pranks when the chores were done. When someone was ill, neighbors came together to bring in the harvest. They laughed together, worked together, and shared each other’s dreams and sorrows.

Water was one of the first necessities of life here for livestock and growing food. Wherever a small stream could be found, people used it for drinking and washing clothes. Sometimes they had to haul water from 3-4 miles away. Not a big creek, Curly springs was the main source for the pioneers, (right above Canberra) but they needed to come together to do the back-breaking work with picks, shovels and horses to dig canals and ditches to bring water closer to their homes. So, in 1865 the settlers of Stringtown formed an Irrigation Board. There are stories about the fistfights over water all the way up Provo Canyon to establish Lindon’s right to water down the canal, but this was a serious matter of life and death for them.

As the century turned, eventually the few scattered families of Stringtown had grown to 455 people and they decided a meeting would be held in the church house to discuss whether it was time to build a water system for the health and welfare of the people. A bond election was held to vote for the issuance of $45,000 worth of waterworks bonds for the purpose of acquiring and building a sufficient water supply. 59 total votes were cast – 52 for and 7 against. The bonds couldn’t be issued unless an official local government entity existed, so a petition was sent to the county asking permission and an official name for the community had to be put forward.

In the early years of Stringtown, mail for the settlers was delivered by stagecoach or pony express and dropped off in a mail bag hanging by a nail on an old Linden tree near the present-day Los Hermanos restaurant. In 1889 an application to obtain the town’s first post office was sent to Washington D.C. and a name was needed for it. Because the old Linden tree was a landmark, they decided to use “LINDEN”. But when the official paperwork came back, someone back in Washington had misspelled the postal station name to “LINDON”. Well, that misspelled name must have gained some endearment, because the town voted that was the name and spelling to use in the application to the county to incorporate as a city. Official incorporation was granted on March 24, 1924 with Lindon consisting of 82 families and a total of 458 souls.

Today we proudly number just under 13,000 residents and boast every kind of business and industry, enjoy beautiful parks and trails with top-notch big-city amenities and services, yet we still treasure our motto of “A Little bit of Country” encouraging animal rights and small pastures or farms amid our urban growth - and most importantly our neighborly small-town feel.

The historic Lindon Book OUR TOWN asks; “Will we follow the many sterling examples of sacrifice, dedication, and cooperation that the early settlers exhibited in leaving for us such gifts as excellent water supplies, roads, schools, and churches? Will we continue to work together so that we can pass this heritage on to others?” Today we answer with a resounding “YES!!” Our Centennial Celebration provides us with a unique opportunity to reflect on our shared heritage, celebrate our achievements, and look forward to a future filled with promise. It is a time to honor those who have contributed to Lindon’s success and to recognize the values of hard work, family and service that bind us together as a community. I encourage all residents, young and old, to join in the festivities and make this year-long centennial celebration a true reflection of Lindon’s spirit and unity.

Thank you for being a part of Lindon’s rich history and bright future.