Kay's Cross Explained

Kay's Cross
Location:	Kaysville, Utah, US
Coordinates:	41.0507°N -111.9253°W

Kay's Cross was a large stone cross (roughly 20feet high by 13feet 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.

Origin

One account of the origin of the cross states it was built in 1946^[3] 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 in Simi Valley, California.

The cross was built by a man named Eldon Kingston in honor of Krishna Venta. Venta had been invited to preach to the Kingston clan. 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.^[4]

Demolition

On 15 February 1992, the cross was destroyed by an explosion; police made no immediate arrests.^[5]

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

• Lakeside Review, 1981
• Ogden Standard Examiner, 1992
• Web site: Halloween Haunts - Crossed Out? . 18 March 2009 . 26 October 2005 . New West.

External links

• Kay's Cross, Utah Gothic
• "The Mystery of Kays Cross", 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", 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

Notes and References

1. Book: Andy Weeks. Haunted Utah: Ghosts and Strange Phenomena of the Beehive State. 1 July 2012. Stackpole Books. 978-0-8117-4875-9. 35–.
2. Book: Mark Sceurman. Mark Moran. Matt Lake. Weird U.S.: The Oddyssey Continues : Your Travel Guide to America's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets. 2008. Sterling Publishing Company, Inc.. 978-1-4027-4544-7. 286–.
3. Web site: Harward . Randy . Salt Lake Eerie . 2023-03-21 . Salt Lake City Weekly . en.
4. Web site: Christensen . Greg . 2022-10-20 . The Strange, Awful Truth Behind Utah's Eerie Stone Cross . 2023-03-21 . Atlas Obscura . en.
5. Web site: Another Angle Surfaces in Kays Cross Saga. Deseret News. 5 April 1992.
6. Web site: Home . kayscross.com.