Marriott Settlement
Marriott Settlement Map
The Settlement of Marriott, an early pioneer community in Weber County, was initially founded in 1849 by a small number of families and individuals. After these settlers emigrated or retreated to Bingham’s Fort in 1853, a permanent town would not be established until two years later, when John Marriott was called to lead a colony on this site. On February 4, 1855, Marriott and his young family moved their wagon and possessions to the land, building at first a rough dugout and, by the end of the year, a log house. Additional families would arrive in 1855 and subsequent years, developing into a thriving ongoing settlement.
During his first season on the site, Marriott cleared land and dug an irrigation ditch from the Ogden River to his fields. The system of canals developed from this initial effort formed the basis of the Marriott Irrigation Company, which would continue to govern water use for the community.
In 1856, the Marriott branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was formed. John Marriott served as presiding elder until 1863. The congregation would be organized as a ward in 1882, and a dedicated branch building was erected in 1893, remaining a landmark in the community until it was eventually demolished on September 25, 1965. The first Marriott School, a log building, was constructed in 1868, followed by a brick schoolhouse, in use until its demolition in the 1940s.
Marriott Ward Articles of Incorportion, 1882
Marriott Branch Building, Marriott, Utah
Newspaper article detailing the demolition of the Marriott Ward meeting house.
One site related to the early establishment of the community is the Hyrum Willard and Ellen Morris Marriott Farm. Hyrum, son of John Marriott and Elizabeth Stewart, married Ellen Morris in 1897, and they raised their family on farmland immediately north of the Weber River.
Hyrum Marriott
Ellen Morris Marriott
Hyrum Marriott and Ellen Morris Marriott Family Photograph
Hyrum Marriott Farmhouse, Marriott, Utah
Until the 1990s, Marriott and the adjacent Slaterville were situated as unincorporated settlements in Weber County. Late in the decade, as the state legislature voted to remove “township border protection,” citizens of the two townships voted to merge into a single entity, leading to the incorporation of Marriott-Slaterville City on July 1, 1999.